ABSTRACT
Action research has been a growing area of inquiry in recent years. Generally speaking, all action research contains three basic components: research, participation, and action. Action research generates new knowledge to address a problem of practical concern. Action research is very much an action-oriented way to do research that involves collaboration with people as equals to address real problems in their lives. The community garden study illustrates a key principle of action research: the need for an on-going relationship of mutual understanding and trust between the researchers and the residents in the community. In general, the nature of action research dictates that qualitative methods are heavily emphasized. Action research is generally done at the local level to address a local problem. Action research bears a strong resemblance to service learning, a recent trend in higher education in which an important objective of student learning is to perform service to others.
