ABSTRACT
Action research has become an international movement in a relatively short time. In this paper I want to show that action research is a correlate to changes in the culture of teaching and learning which in themselves are answers to global changes in industrialized societies. I shall first describe two generic social developments: increasing complexity and growing individualization. They produce some of the basic challenges for the future of education which are described in the second section. Third, I want to sketch and illustrate some of the elements of a developing educational culture. In this framework I want to show that action research is a necessary devel-opment to assist teachers and schools in coping with dynamic devel-opments, divergent demands and complex practical situations.
