Revisiting Action Research

Purpose: The focus of this paper is to examine what is action research, how it is different from scientific research and how each can contribute to the body of knowledge, while emphasizing that one does not replace the other. Design/Methodology/Approach: The trajectories of action research are reviewed in this paper. Research Findings: Findings suggest action research brings about significant contributions to social change. Further, action research investigators are in a prime position to determine the best method for action research depending on the research issue(s). Research Limitations/Implications: This paper is limited to a general review of action research in the broad fields of education, science, and social science. Nonetheless, this paper argues that the continued growth of action research should strengthen the position and contribution of action research towards knowledge creation and extension. Originality/Value: This paper sheds light on the trajectories, current position, and future of action research. Further, some comparisons with general scientific research are offered