Provide a short synopsis for one methodology that interests you. You may choose from those listed in our readings thus far or from others you find in the broader literature. Be sure to situate your choice within QUAL or QUAN approaches. The brief list below provides a starting point of possibilities:

Action, anti-oppressive, art-informed, case study mixed qual and quan, feminist, historical, mixed methods, phenomenology, post positivist critical multiplism, reflexive, reflexive inquiry, reflexive narrative, restorative justice, trans disciplinarity

Ok, I am a middle-aged man who grew up watching Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone action movies.  Tell me why I would not be interested in collaborative inquiry, a form of Action Research methodology?

Action research is in the qualitative arena of methodology generally applied in the social sciences. It seeks transformative change through the simultaneous process of taking action and doing research linked together by critical reflection. Action research is an approach to empirical research that a group undertakes to improve a condition or situation in which they are involved (Berg, 2007).

Action research challenges traditional social science by using active moment-to-moment theorizing and data collecting, where knowledge is gained through action. Research is based on observation and measurement of phenomena directly experienced by the researcher. The data gathered may be compared against a theory or hypothesis, but the results are still based on real-life experience. Engaging in action research is a form of problem-based investigation and an empirical process that aims to create and share knowledge in the social sciences.

In a collaborative inquiry, all participants are co-researchers and co-subjects attempting to understand their own as well as each other’s lives, agreeing to a set of procedures by which they will observe and record their own and each other’s experiences, learning together how to act to change things and do things better. (Reason, 2000).

Reason’s four phases to conduct collaborative inquiry appeal to me because the group’s collective awareness and thinking transform the sum of their parts. Let’s look at a serious crime investigation metaphor.

Phase 1 – Exploration and question construction. Participants explore and discuss their concerns and create a focus for their inquiry. They develop a set of questions and hypotheses. There is a mutual agreement to take some action. They decide on methods of observation and recording their experiences.

Phase 2 – Gathering of information. Participants observe and record their own and other experiences related to the research question. They share the information among themselves. They try to develop a better understanding of the experience. New forms of action may come immediately or later, depending on the outcome of their discussions.

Phase 3 – Analyzing and interpreting the information they gather. The participants become fully immersed in their experience. They come up with new understandings or may venture away from their original research question.

Phase 4 – Reconsidering the original research question and deciding on further questions or another cycle of research. The participants gather to discuss their original research question in light of their findings, reflection, and experience. The participants will then decide to ask more questions, pursue other actions or interventions, gather more information, begin another cycle of research, or disassemble the project with new awareness and knowledge resulting from their inquiries.

Action research is a beneficial means to sustain new learning and transfer knowledge among educators. As adult learners, we can be motivated by action researches pragmatic, relevant, and accessible knowledge (Wlodkowski, 2017).

Berg, B.L. (2007). Quantitative research methods for the social sciences (6^th ed.). Pearson.

Rearson, P. (2000). In developing adult learners: Strategies for teachers and trainers. Jossey-Bass.

Wlodkowski, R., Ginsberg, M. (2017). Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A comprehensive guide for teaching all adults. Jossey-Bass.