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"Action Research is a process by which participants examine their own professional practice systematically and carefully  using the techniques of research. It is based on the following assumptions:

• practitioners work best on problems they have identified for themselves;
• practitioners become more effective when encouraged to examine and assess their own work and then consider ways of working differently;
• practitioners help each other working collaboratively;
• working with colleagues helps practitioners in their professional development

Action Research Definitions

"Action Research is a three step spiral process of 1) planning which involves reconnaissance 2) taking actions; and 3) fact-finding about the results of action." Kurt Lewin (1947)

"Action Research is the process by which practitioners’ attempt to study their problems scientifically in order to guide, correct, and evaluate their decisions and actions." Stephen Corey ( 1953)

"Thus Action Research in education is study conducted by colleagues in a school setting of the results of their activities to improve instruction." Carl Glickman

"Action Research is a fancy way of saying let’s study what’s happening at our school and decide how to make it a better place." Emily Calhoun (1994)

"Action Research is a powerful tool for simultaneously improving the practice and health of an organization." Emily Calhoun (1993)

"In collaborative action research, the focus of the research is defined by the practitioners themselves. Two guidelines must be followed: 1) the phenomena chosen for study must concern the teaching/learning process, and 2) those phenomena must also be within the practitioner’s scope of influence." Richard Sagor (1992)

"Action Research is the process through which teachers collaborate in evaluating their practice jointly; Raise awareness of their personal theory; articulate a shared conception of values; try out new strategies to render the values expressed in their practice more consistent with educational values they espouse; record their work in a form which is readily available to and understandable by other teachers; and thus develop a shared theory of teaching by researching practice." John Elliott (1991)