Introduction

A great deal has happened since the publication of the first edition of this book in 1988, both in the world of action research and in my own learning.

In 1988 action research was still struggling for legitimacy. Today it is recognised as a valid form of enquiry, with its own methodologies and epistemologies, its own criteria and standards of judgement. Debates still take place about the nature of action research, how people carry out their research and for what purposes, but there is general agreement that action research has an identity of its own and should not be spoken about in terms of traditional forms of research.