Action Research—who owns the process?

Abstract

Many action research projects initiated to bring about certain outcomes in classrooms are externally funded and managed. The tensions brought about by such circumstances are discussed in this paper. The points raised are illustrated by a case study of a project funded to explore the construction of gender in the early years of schooling. Although the aims specified for the project were achieved, some members of the project management committee had expectations of the participants in the project which resembled a technical approach to action research and a top‐down approach to the management of change. The difficulties brought about by the external funding and management of the project relate to the choice of topics for investigation by the participants, the time line for the project and the nature of the end product specified by the project brief.