Pragmatic Action Research

Abstract

"AR is not just one more social science “method”; it is a fundamentally
\ndifferent way of conducting research and social change work together.
\nParticipation in AR is not just a moral value but essential to successful AR
\nbecause the complexities of the problems addressed require the knowledge
\nand experience of a broad and diverse array of stakeholders. I argue that
\nthere is no one ideal form of AR and that what is useful is situationally
\ndependent which is also why AR cannot respect or operate within the disciplinary
\nboundaries or departmental structures of academic. For these
\nreasons, Morten Levin and I prefer to call our work “pragmatic AR”. To
\ncomplete the paper, I present two cases, one from industry and one from
\ncommunity development, to show how I practice pragmatic AR in context." (author's abstract)