Analysis in action research

Four analytical propositions for how to think with the ethos of action research

Abstract

This article explores analysis in action research as a philosophical question. Action research has a strong normative standpoint in the form of an ethos of social justice, empowerment, and democracy. It not only produces critical analyses but also contributes productively to the formulation of alternatives. Based on our position within Critical Utopian Action Research (CUAR), this article explores how the methodological, ontological, epistemological, and normative characteristics of action research might be brought into research analyses, and we formulate four propositions that we argue should shape the analytical work. These propositions are: Humans are knowledgeable and capable of analysis; Humans are capable of formulating structural critiques; Practices are unfinished experiments; and Practices contain potentialities. The article aims to engage in dialogue with colleagues from across qualitative research traditions in order to create increased transparency about the different philosophical underpinnings that guide research analyses in different fields.