[quoting Hart, 27 Oct 96] Action Research is no more than trying out an idea and seeing what happens ("suck it and see" is a good Aussie expression which describes it well) then modifying what you do in the light of your observations. It's what good teachers are doing all the time--the total antithesis to laboratory research. Kemmis also sees collaboration as being an essential element.
Yep. Action research comes in a variety of flavors (or churches). The Deakin work has been around a while. The emphasis on collaboration, collective action and so on tends to mark the Deakin approach from others which appear to be more of the "suck it and see" variety with less emphasis on working with others. Stephen's work is strongly influenced by Habermas. Another way of thinking about action research is that it is another way of getting at the blind spots that are held collectively, i.e., challenging the taken for granteds of practice.