ABSTRACT
This is a story of the development of action research in Britain from a personal perspective. Action research is seen as a process of innovation, change and problem solving. The identified three developmental phases of action research span the periods of (l) the 1960s-1984, called the "teaching level", when action research was individualised and conducted with the help of outside experts "to make individual teachers more effective"; 1984-1988, called "the learning level 1", when the emphasis was on the excellence of learning, i.e. participative, cooperative learning; and (3) since 1988, called "the learning level 2", when the collaborative school has become a community school, based on partnership of all involved, with shared values and a collaborative culture. It is concluded that the development of action research, as well as of its adherents, will continue.
