R & D Activities: following the practice of action research

The thinking behind the R & D activities in this project…

To the EU-India Cross Cultural Network, the fundamental principle of action research is that

" the seeds of change are implicit in the very first questions we ask.

What people think, perceive and talk about are the points of departure for asking questions that allow the participants to discover and multiply the alignment of knowledge and action.

The questions we ask set the stage for the knowledge out of which the future opportunities are conceived and constructed. Thus, from an action research

perspective, inquiry and change are simultaneous rather than separate moments of a development process.

In general, action research has been defined as an approach to research that is based on collaborative problem-solving relationship between researcher and stakeholder. The purpose is to generate new knowledge as well as solving a problem by bringing together theory and practice, reflection and action in collaboration between action researchers and practical oriented actors. As action researchers we study the social issues together with those who experience these issues directly.

The outcome is both an action and an increased knowledge.

Within the action research paradigm there are multiple methodologies, each of which has their own distinctive emphasis. However, they are united by three features.

First, the action research approaches are participatory whereby research subjects are themselves active in collaboration with the researchers.

Secondly, the action researchers view themselves as change agents. The acceptance of action research methods in new social contexts raises a critical question: Does it mean new space for change of power inequities or is it just another example of co-optation?

Thirdly, the empirical materials are not limited to data collected according to strictly formalised rules, but include as well recorded dialogues and observed actions taking place as part of the action process. Action research is different from conventional academic research — it is based on different relationships, has different purposes, and has different ways of conceiving knowledge."