An Introduction to Action Research

Action research, also known as participatory research, actively engages the participants in the research under study. The focus is on what the group (researchers and participants) want to accomplish – together. The steps to this type of research are much like developing a formal group of organization. For example, typically the researcher and participants develop a mission statement and develop goals for the project. Diverse groups of individuals are encouraged in this type of action research, and these participants are referred to as stakeholders. The research then focuses on understanding the issues that are relevant to the group. The group can be groups such as foster care therapists, faculty in a particular department, police officers, or day treatment providers for adults with severe and persistent mental illness.
According to the National Institutes of Health (2014), a specific type of action research is Community-Based Participatory Research. This is a grassroots type of research in which a community is activity engaged in a partnership with researchers. This generally focuses on community health, or a public health issue that may influence a particular community. This type of research is considered a collaborative undertaking.
This week, locate peer-reviewed articles that discuss studies using the action research method design. Then, prepare an annotated bibliography of these articles.
Please note the same rules for citation, which were applied to other documents (such as proper paraphrasing and the use of quotation marks where necessary), apply to Annotated Bibliographies as well. It is unacceptable to cut and paste from the abstract or the body of an article. Rather, the student is expected to read the article completely, and to appropriately paraphrase the necessary material. For those few situations where paraphrasing is not acceptable, then material that has not been paraphrased needs to be placed in quotation marks. Please refer to the Northcentral University Integrity Policy and tutorial for more information.
Use the following illustration to determine what material is needed for the annotation in each entry. Note there are four sections to the entry: hypothesis, methodology, conclusion, and evaluation. Be sure to include each of these sections in your annotated bibliography entries. For information on annotated bibliographies, visit the “Conducting Research” and “Forms of Writing” sections in the Northcentral University Writing Center (click the links in the left side navigation area of the Writing Center screen ).

Length: at least 5 research articles
Your annotated bibliography should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards.