Anne is Professor of Professional Learning at Leeds Metropolitan University.
Action Research in Education traces the evolution of classroom research as it connects to curriculum, pedagogy, and professional practice in schools. It includes an original introduction by the editors that makes the argument for the selection of each piece and shows where each sits in the field. The first volume traces the focus for classroom research from curriculum development in the 1970s and 1980s to professional development and learning and teaching in the 1990s to the present day. The editors draw on the range of work that has evolved from Dewey's concept of democracy related to research on teaching through Lewin's advocacy of research needed for social practice and which gave voice to the concept of action research. The second volume takes up major methodological issues by drawing on critiques of action inquiry while also seeking to further illuminate matters in relation to the construction of professional knowledge and professional agency. This volume turns to specific methodological approaches that have emancipatory characteristics, including narrative inquiry, hermeneutics, and self study. It also considers major questions in relation to risk and trust and the ethical issues that surround classroom research. The third volume draws on major research projects focusing on classrooms from the 1970s to the present day. This volume breaks new ground by bringing together very recent work on the engagement of consequential stakeholders (students, community members, etc.) in the conduct of action inquiry, moving from consultation to active participation.
