Analele Universit ății Constantin Brâncu și din Târgu Jiu, Seria Litere și Științe Sociale, Nr. 42012 [600890]

Analele Universit ății “Constantin Brâncu și” din Târgu Jiu, Seria Litere și Științe Sociale, Nr. 4/2012
 
1 
 CONSIDERA ȚII PRIVIND
PRINCIPIILE METODEI
CERCETARE-AC ȚIUNE

Tomescu Dumitrescu Cornelia1

Rezumat
Cercetarea – ac țiune este o aplica ție a teoriei
generate din științele sociale și comportamentale,
dar este, de asemenea și o construc ție atentă a
situației, care este ținta cercet ării și schimb ării..
Acțiunea-cercetare este un model de cercetare care
se ocupă cu crearea schimb ării în sistemele umane.
Procesele de schimbare a proceselor și produselor
sunt evaluate pân ă când sistemele sunt în func țiune
în serviciul tuturor p ărților interesate.

Cuvinte cheie : cercetare – ac țiune, științe
comportamentale, cercet ători și practicieni.

Cercetarea necesar ă pentru practica
socială poate fi cel mai bine caracterizat ă
ca o cercetare pentru management social,
sau pentru ingineria social ă. Aceasta este
un tip de ac țiune-cercetare, o cercetare în
funcție de condi țiile și efectele diferitelor
forme de ac țiune social ă, precum și o
cercetare care s ă conduc ă la acțiune
socială.
Principiile cercet ării – acțiune sunt
următoarele:
1.Acțiunea-cercetare combin ă un
studiu sistematic, uneori experimental, al
unei probleme sociale cu eforturile pentru
a o rezolva.
2. Acțiunea-cercetare include un
proces în spiral ă de colectare a datelor
pentru a stabili obiectivele, m ăsurile pentru
punerea în aplicare a obiectivelor, precum
și evaluarea rezultatelor interven ției.
3.Acțiunea-cercetare presupune
feedback-ul cu privire la rezultatele de intervenție pentru toate p ărțile implicate în
                                                            
1 Conferen țiar univ. dr., Universitatea "Constantin
Brâncuși" din Târgu-Jiu cercetare.
4.Acțiunea-cercetare presupune o
cooperare continu ă între cercet ători și
practicieni.
5.Acțiunea-cercetare se bazeaz ă pe
principiile de dinamic ă a grupului și este
ancorată în fazele sale de schimbare.
Procesul decizional este reciproc și se
realizează în public.
6. Ac țiunea-cercetare ia în considerare
problemele referitoare la valori, obiective
și nevoile de putere ale p ărților implicate.
7.Acțiunea-cercetare serve ște pentru a
crea cuno ștințe, să formuleze principii de
intervenție, precum și să dezvolte
instrumente de selec ție, de interven ție și de
formare.
8. În cadrul cercet ării acțiune, se pune
un accent pe recrutare, formare, precum și
pe susținerea agen ților de schimbare.

Analele Universit ății “Constantin Brâncu și” din Târgu Jiu, Seria Litere și Științe Sociale, Nr. 4/2012
 
2 
 CONSIDERATIONS ON THE
PRINCIPLES OF ACTION
RESEARCH

Tomescu Dumitrescu Cornelia2

Abstract: Action research is about applying
theory generated in the social and behavioral
sciences, but it is also concurrently a careful
construction of the situation that is the target of
research and change. Action research is about a
paradigm of research that deals with the creation of
change in human systems. The change processes and products are evaluated while the systems are in
the process of functioning in the service of their
stakeholders.

Key words: action research, behavioral
sciences, researchers and practitioners.

The research needed for social practice
can best be characterized as research for social management, or social engineering.
It is a type of action research, comparative
research on the conditions and effects of
various forms of social action, and research
leading to social action.
Action Research Principles
3
1. Action research combines a
systematic study, sometimes experimental,
of a social problem as well as the
endeavors to solve it.
2. Action research includes a spiral
process of data collection to determine
goals, action to implement goals, and
assessment of the results of the
intervention.
3. Action research requires feedback of
                                                            
2 Assoc. Prof. Ph. D. “Constantin Brâncusi”
University of Târgu-Jiu
3 Bradbury, H., & Reason, P. (2003). Action
research: An opportunity for revitalizing research
purpose and practice. Qualitative Social Work.
the results of intervention to all parties
involved in the research.
4. Action research implies continuous
cooperation between researchers and
practitioners.
5. Action research relies on the
principles of group dynamics and is
anchored in its change phases. Decision
making is mutual and is carried out in a
public way.
6. Action research takes into account
issues of values, objectives, and power
needs of the parties involved.
7. Action research serves to create
knowledge, to formulate principles of
intervention, and to develop instruments
for selection, intervention, and training.
8. Within the framework of action
research, there is an emphasis on the
recruitment, training, and support of the
change agents.

Analele Universit ății “Constantin Brâncu și” din Târgu Jiu, Seria Litere și Științe Sociale, Nr. 4/2012
 
3 
  
Regarding each of these principles,
we will point out how the principle was
applied to our project.
1. Action research combines a
systematic study, sometimes experimental,
of a social problem as well as the
endeavors to solve it.
Contrary to scientific models4, in which the
main task is to explore and understand the
social problem, in action research the main
goal is to understand the problem to
execute interventions for its solution. In the
study stage of the problem, the action
researcher may offer methodologies that
are experimental in nature.
The problem at the focus of our
action research was the creation of an
educational interventio n within two high
schools, to reduce intergroup conflicts and
tensions, and to raise the awareness of their
students and staff about these issues to
prevent their manifestations. In the past,
interventions to reduce intergroup conflicts
and tensions within high schools consisted
mainly of students engaging in short-term
encounters.
According to this theory, the
following conditions may strongly
contribute toward the improvement of
intergroup relations between people who
represent different ethnic groups:
(a) contact in an intimate, pleasant,
and rewarding organizational climate;
(b) an equal status between the
groups;
(c) the existence of cooperative,
superordinate goals, which participants in
                                                            
4 Boog, B. (2003). The em ancipatory character of
action research: Its history and the present state of the art. Journal of Community and Applied Social
Psychology the groups work toge ther to accomplish;
and
(d) a strong institutional support for
the program.
Unlike the short-term small-group
programs that are typical of most
educational interventions, our project has
sought to create an ongoing organizational
culture that will foster an atmosphere of
tolerance for differences as well as focus
on the solution of conflicts in a peaceful
and cooperative way.
2. Action research includes a spiral
process of data collection to determine
goals, action to implement goals, and assessment of the results of the
intervention.
In contrast to many scientific
research designs that are usually of a “one
shot” nature (apart from longitudinal
studies), action research designs are, as a
rule, long-range interventions. Action
research has been conceived of as a
problem-solving process that occurs in
ongoing, changing environments that are
the targets of the intervention.
Theoretically, there is no end to the
intervention because problems that need to
be addressed arise all the time. The guiding
principle of action res earch, which rests on
a problemsolving sequence, is that the
process is dynamic and changing, so that
the project is also constantly changing.
The notion of a spiral process is
embodied in our intervention, which has
been implemented for 4 consecutive years. Each year, the intervention has been
modified so that it reflects the insights
gained by the project directors, facilitators,
and participants. The empirical data are
derived from questionnaires, interviews,
and focus group dialogues, which has led

Analele Universit ății “Constantin Brâncu și” din Târgu Jiu, Seria Litere și Științe Sociale, Nr. 4/2012
 
4 
 to continuous improvement and adaptation
of the program to the needs of the actors
and parties involved.
3. Action research demands
feedback, regarding the results of the
intervention, to all parties involved in the
research.
Feedback is a central mechanism of
learning that draws on the concept of an
open system. The term carries two
principal meanings: as a means of
correction and for choosing action
directions while the system is in motion. With regard to corrections, when a system
is in action, the project may deviate from
the original course. In the literature on
individual therapy that examines changes
occurring on a system level, we fiind
references to feedback mechanisms.
In the organizational change
literature
5, the feedback measure,
according to Burke, can be powerful
because it is based on data, it involves
organization members directly; and it
provides information about what to change
and in which priority. The emphasis here is
on the active role played by all parties in
the research enterprise-including clients
and participants who are, as a rule,
excluded from power positions and do not
have access to the information available to
those in charge of the intervention.
4. Action research implies
continuous cooperation between
researchers and practitioners6.
In the conventional scientific model
of research, the research er is the director of
the operation. She or he is typically the
                                                            
5 Boog, B. (2003). The em ancipatory character of
action research: Its history and the present state of the art. Journal of Community and Applied Social
Psychology
6 Bradbury, H., & Reason, P. (2003). Action
research: An opportunity for revitalizing research
purpose and practice. Qualitative Social Work. only one familiar with the research
hypotheses, procedures for selecting
participants, and so forth.
In action research, in contrast,
practitioners are equal partners in all the
decisions arrived at in the research. The
underlying principle of cooperation is that
the participants should be responsible for
decisions that affect their lives and who
need, therefore, to unde rstand the rationale
underlying the intervention. Being equal
partners in the research project, and
knowing the content and rationale for decisions, enables the participants to
maintain a high level of motivation to
participate.
There are several ways in which
this cooperation was attained in our
project.
One was the creation of a policy
committee comprising researchers, school
personnel, and students. This committee
met first in the year before the project
began to create the program manual. It did
not yet include students, as they were to be
drawn from the students who would
participate when the project began. Once
the project was underway, this committee
met once or twice a month to review the
program’s progress and to determine
project modifications
7.
On an annual basis, the policy
committee was joined by the principals and
superintendents who reviewed program
data, supplied monetary resources to
continue the program, and made suggestions for the next iteration of the
program. In addition, the program staff met
regularly with the principals to inform
them of program progress and to obtain
their inputs. Finally, the school
                                                            
7 Pettigrew, T., & Tropp, L. (2006). A meta-
analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal
ofPersonality and Social Psychology

Analele Universit ății “Constantin Brâncu și” din Târgu Jiu, Seria Litere și Științe Sociale, Nr. 4/2012
 
5 
 administrators (who were assistant
principals) also reported regularly
regarding the program to the principals. In
addition, program staff facilitators and
junior facilitators met weekly to debrief on
the previous session and to make plans for
the next session.
5. The small group plays a central
role in decision making and in achieving
change in people.
In action research, the small group
serves as the most important vehicle for
democratic decision making. The small group is also one of the most effective
means to achieve change in people.
Some of the group activities were
conducted in a group with all students
present. Others were conducted in small
groups, in which the larger group was
divided into groups of fi ve to six students.
Small groups were used to
encourage discussion of personal material
and to allow all students in the small group
to speak within the allocated time. At
times, small groups comprised students of
similar identities (such as of the same
gender or ethnic background) so that those
students with that status could share their
experiences with ot hers of similar
backgrounds. In this latter circumstance,
the subsequent large group discussion
allowed students to learn the reactions to
the issue discussed by students of different
backgrounds.
6. Action research takes into
account issues of values, objectives, and power needs of the parties involved.
Because action research is a
collaborative enterprise comprising several
parties, it implies that each party will base
its actions on its own sets of priorities and
values. For example, in an intervention
such as ours that takes place within two
high schools, there are several parties: the principals, the teachers, the students of the
school, the students participating in the
project, and the facilitators. Each of these
parties, some of whom even did not take an
active role in the project, carries its own
image of how to educ ate for intergroup
tolerance. For example, generally, the
teachers will tend to believe that a course-
like structure is sufficient to turn students
into culturally sensitive people. The
facilitators, inspired by the project
directors, know that imparting knowledge
and information regarding prejudice and intolerance is not enough to affect attitudes
and behavior. The difference between the
parties’ conception regarding what is the
appropriate intervention may create
conflicts and disagreem ents. The only way
for the research project to implement its
goals is to deal openly with conflicts that
arise. An ongoing process of managing and
solving these conflicts guarantees that the
project will proceed as planned.
7. Action research serves to create
knowledge, to formulate principles of
intervention, and to develop instruments
for evaluation.
In an action research project, it is
expected that two sources of knowledge
will be generated. The first is data, such as
that collected in every scientific study. It is
usually quantitative in nature. The second
is actionable knowledge
8.
In our project, we collected data
through structured instruments
administered at the first and last sessions. We also collected qualitative data through
(a) narratives of every group session that
included the observers’ impressions of
such things as the emotional climate at the
session and (b) qualitative interviews of
                                                            
8 Pettigrew, T., & Tropp, L. (2006). A meta-
analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal
ofPersonality and Social Psychology

Analele Universit ății “Constantin Brâncu și” din Târgu Jiu, Seria Litere și Științe Sociale, Nr. 4/2012
 
6 
 students as the program was ending. The
former set of data indicated how students
viewed their identities as well as those of
others, how they viewed the conditions of
their society with reference to intergroup
relations, how they viewed the intergroup
conditions in their schools, and how they
saw their own ability to create change. The
latter sets of data indicated how students
react to various kinds of programmatic
stimuli presented to enable them to reflect
on their own beliefs and attitudes, what
they became aware of with respect to the
beliefs and attitudes of others, what stimuli
produced this awareness, what
programmatic events enhanced their
awareness of conditions in their schools
and communities, and how actions of
group facilitators affected them (see
Spencer et al. in this issue).
8. Within the framework of action
research, there is an emphasis on
recruitment, training, development, and
support of the change agents (the
facilitators).
The main objective of action
research is to bring about change in human
organizations and communities and in
particular in the atti tudes and behavior of
their members.

Conclusion
Action research is about a paradigm
of research that deals with the creation of
change in human systems. The change
processes and products are evaluated while the systems are in the process of
functioning in the service of their
stakeholders. Action research is about
applying theory generated in the social and
behavioral sciences, but it is also
concurrently a careful construction of the
situation that is the target of research and change. It is not a mechanical act of
classifying the situation as a class of
behavior not based on authentic and
relevant data. It is a set of systematic
research and intervention activities that
emphasizes reflection “in action” and “on
action”.
It combines theory and practice in
an effective way, taking into account the
relative advantage of each. Action research
is also about a different model of relations
between actors and parties who participate
in it. It is open, egalitarian, and just. And last, action research embodies a distinct
ideology: It is humanistic, it emphasizes
the empowerment of its participants, and it
is critical.
We applied the action research
paradigm to help solve a serious
contemporary problem. We used the
paradigm in conjunction with
contemporary schools operating under all
the opportunities and constraints found in
public educational systems today. We
further wished to demonstrate the ability of
contemporary adolescents to participate in
and benefit from action research.

References
1. Bargal, D. (2006). Personal and
intellectual influences leading to Lewin’s paradigm
of action research. Action Research.
2. Boog, B. (2003). The emancipatory
character of action research: Its history and the
present state of the art. Journal of Community and
Applied Social Psychology.
3. Bradbury, H., & Reason, P. (2003). Action research: An opportunity for revitalizing
research purpose and practice. Qualitative Social
Work.
4. Pettigrew, T., & Tropp, L. (2006). A
meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal ofPersonality and Social Psychology.

Analele Universit ății “Constantin Brâncu și” din Târgu Jiu, Seria Litere și Științe Sociale, Nr. 4/2012
 
7