Stephen Kemmis is Professor of Education and a member of the Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education at Charles Sturt University (Faculty of Education, Wagga Wagga). He is also co-leader of the 'Pedagogy, Education and Praxis' (PEP) international collaboration involving researchers from universities in Europe and Canada. Stephen has held academic positions at the University of Sydney, University of Illinois, University of East Anglia, Deakin University and the University of Ballarat and also worked for several years as an independent consultant. He has published extensively on professional practice, indigenous education, participatory action research and qualitative methods in educational research. His most well-known publication is the highly acclaimed book (with Wilfred Carr) "Becoming Critical: Education, knowledge and action research". In 2001 Stephen was made an Honorary Life Member of the Australian Association for Educational Research (AARE), and in 2009 he was awarded two honorary doctorates for services to international educational research.

Robin McTaggart is Adjunct Professor at the Griffith Institute for Educational Research at Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. He was formerly Professor and Head of School of Administration and Curriculum Studies at Deakin University, Geelong, Australia, and Dean of Education and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Quality Assurance at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. He was also Adjunct Professor in the International Graduate School of Management PhD program at the University of South Australia for several years. He has practised, taught and published extensively about critical participatory action research in many countries including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Canada and the USA.

Rhonda Nixon is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada and currently works at Edmonton CatholicSchools. She has fifteen years of experience as a former elementary, junior and secondary teacher and English Language Arts Consultant for a large urban school district. She is currently supporting schools in critical participatory action research as an approach to professional learning in her role as Manager of Edmonton Catholic Schools' TRANSFORM professional development programs. Her 2012 PhD thesis, from the University of Alberta, Investigating tension in collaborative action research about comics writing, reported on a critical participatory action research program undertaken with elementary school teachers investigating the power of comics writing as a way to teach narrative writing.

A step-by-step guide to planning critical participatory action research projects

Provides concise and readable illustrative examples

Provides practical resources to assist new and experienced action researchers planning a study

Provides a theoretical framework that explains 'participation', 'practice' and 'research'

Fully updated new edition of a classic of Action Research literature

Includes supplementary material: [...]

1.
Introducing critical participatory action research


Why we wrote this book


The changing field of action research


The things only participatory research can do


An example: Recycling at Braxton High School, Canada


Action research history: different kinds, foci and purposes of action research


Different kinds of action research


Changing foci of action research in education


Different purposes of action research


Critical participatory action research as a disciplined way of making change


The people who typically conduct critical participatory action research


An example in education


Blurring boundaries: theorists and practitioners, researchers and practitioners


Critical participatory action research as a practice-changing practice

References2.
A new view of participation: Participation in public spheres


Participation in communication


Communicative action and communicative space

Ten key features of public spheres: Comments for critical participatory action researchers
Conclusion: 'Participation' in critical participatory action research is participation in public spheres

References3.
A new view of practice: Practices held in place by practice architectures


Defining practice


Practices and practice architectures


Practices and practice architectures in critical participatory action research


Critical participatory action research as a practice-changing practice

References4.
A new view of research: Research within practice traditions

What's critical about critical participatory action research?

Research perspectives in critical participatory action research


Critical participatory action research as a kind of research


Researching practice from within practice traditions


Using the practice architectures analysis table to find a felt concern that will be the focus of a critical participatory action research initiative

References5.
Doing critical participatory action research: The 'planner' part


Practising critical participatory action research


Critical participatory action research in education: Are our practices educational?


Reconnaissance


Opening communicative space - establishing a public sphere


Dialogues between system and lifeworld, strategic action and communicative action


Questions to identify a shared felt concern in relation to our practices and what holds our practices in place


An initial statement about what you intend to do


Planning


Changing practices and practice architectures


The product of planning - a collective rationale and plan for change


Enacting the plan and observing how it works


Enacting and observing: The product


Reflection


Reflection: The product


The spiral of cycles of self-reflection

References6.
Examples of critical participatory action research


Example 1: The recycling project at Braxton High School, Canada


Example 2: The self-directed learning project at Grace Elementary School, Canada


Example 3: The graphic novel project at Joseph Junior High School, Canada


Example 4: The Teacher Talk project in an Australian university


Example 5: The Yirrkala Ganma education project: Critical participatory action research in an Indigenous community


The concept of Ganma


Ganma education and the practice of critical participatory action research


Conclusion
References7.
Resources for critical participatory action researchers


Resource 1: Creating a public sphere and identifying a shared felt concern


Identifying educational legitimation deficits


Identifying more general legitimation deficits


Resource 2: Some notes on research ethics for critical participatory action researchers


General principles of research ethics: respecting persons, avoiding harm, justice and beneficence


Informed consent and assent


Dependent relationships


Confidentiality and anonymity


Mutual trust and mutual vulnerability


Additional reading

Resource 3: Critical participatory action research group protocols: Ethical agreements for participation in public spheres
Resource 4: Principles of procedure for action researchers


Resource 5: Keeping a journal


Resource 6: Gathering evidence, documenting


(1) Diaries, journals, logs, and blogs


(2) Written records: field notes, anecdotal or running records, event sampling


(3) Interviews


(4) Audio and video recording, and photographs


(5) Dataplay and fotonovela


(6) Document analysis


(7) Questionnaires and surveys


(8) Interaction schedules and checklists


(9) Student work samples and assessment tasks


Some cautionary notes


Resource 7: Reporting: For yourself and others


Reporting action research undertaken as part of a course of study


Resource 8: Choosing an academic partner to work with a critical participatory action research initiative

ReferencesIndex