Meta-methodology

Action research is becoming increasingly recognized as a meta-methodology by which the researcher learns the way into the details and complexity of the situation of interest. As an extension of natural approaches to problem-solving which involve cycles of intention, action and review, Bob Dick has described the essential enhancements gained from an action research approach. These include enhancement of review as critical reflection, greater attention to rigour and theory, care in identifying who else to involve and flexibility to borrow and develop processes as a result of these reflective concerns. Action research as a meta-methodology requires a critical appreciation of methodological underpinnings and implications, and it can enable a more systemic and multilayered inquiry into real-world situations and issues. How different methodologies can be complementary or conflicting in their underlying ideologies is a critical issue which is both long-standing and of continuing contemporary importance. An outline is provided in the following sections regarding questions of pluralism and complementarity and the generative dimension of action research. This is followed by a brief description of some recent applications of action research as meta-methodology from psychological, environmental and educational domains of practice