Action Research Issues Association

Yoland Wadsworth


For more about this member of ARIA see:
http://www.sph.unimelb.edu.au/about/honorary_staff/wadsworth
or:  http://www.rmit.edu.au/staff/wadsworth_yoland


Yoland says
:
I want to offer some resources here that have come from my work with various groups and organisational co-researchers over the past four decades, and which are publicly accessible on the internet. Over time I want to add more, as well as more click-to-read general papers on this website.


Resources and writing (with public access online)

(1998) 'What is Participatory Action Research?', Action Research International, Paper 2:
Note: Many people have reported they found this to be one of the most useful introductory articles they'd encountered on AR on the internet. It is the first of three key definitional pieces originally published by ARIA in 1990-91 (along with 'What is feminist research?' and 'How can professionals help?').
http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/ari/p-ywadsworth98.html

(2000) ‘We are one (paradigmatic river) and we are many (tributary streams)’ Action Learning Action Research, Vol 7, No 1, pp 3-28:
Note : This article contains a reflection on the international organisation ALARPM as a microcosm of the growth of action research around the world – followed by an article about some key AR centres within a narrative of a trip I made in 2001
[go to page 3 of the pdf]
http://www.alara.net.au/files/ALARV7No1.pdf

(2002) with Chris Price, (2002) ‘What is Action Research in Reconnect?’, Action Learning and Action Research, Vol 7, No 2, pp 64-69:
Note: This short paper was prepared for the national youth Reconnect program -- one of Australia's first and longest-standing national programs using action research as the way they build their practice.
It contains a one-page diagram of the action research cycle
[go to page 67 of the journal pdf]
http://www.alara.net.au/files/ALARV7No2.pdf

(2002) ‘From big things lots of little things are growing...' – ALARPM Presidential and committee reports, Action Learning and Action Research, Vol 8, No 1, October, pp 69-76
Note: This is a reflection on the growth of our field as represented in the growth of the Action Learning Action Research & Process Management Association itself
[go to page 70 on the pdf]

http://www.alara.net.au/files/ALAR%20V8%20No2.pdf

(2002) with Kaye Hargreaves `What is feminist research' paper, `Bridging the Gap - feminism and action research', 2001 Working Conference, Boston College, USA:
Note: This is the second of the three key definitional pieces originally published by ARIA in 1990-91

http://ggsc.wnmu.edu/gap/wadsworth.htm

(2004) ‘Learning to Partner in Action’, Action Learning Action Research, Vol 9 No 1: 28-46
Note: This is a reflection on one of the many world congresses on action learning and action research - in this instance, South Africa 2003 (with photos!).
[go to page 28 of the pdf]
http://www.alara.net.au/files/ALAR%20V9%20No1.pdf

(2004) ‘Consumer directed mental health research’, Section 2.4 Promoting Consumer Participation in Mental Health Research: A National Workshop Report, Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Canberra:
[go to page 67 of the pdf] [also go to page 60 for the prior paper by Merinda Epstein]
http://www.anu.edu.au/cmhr/pdf/consumerworkshopreport.pdf

(2005) How can professionals help people to inquire using their own action research?, Action Research Case Study No 1, ALARA (formerly ALARPM - Action Learning Action Research & Process Management Association), Australia:
Note: This is the third of the three key definitional pieces originally published by ARIA in 1990-9.
It has been much expanded to include some case studies (including one very detailed case study)
http://www.alara.net.au/files/ARCSNo1Wadsworth2005_0.pdf

(2006) ‘Researching for Living Systems’ Keynote paper to World Congress of Action Learning, Action Research & Process Management, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Note: No longer online. Now published in a book Action Research and Quality (Eds.) Ben Boog et al, Sense Publishers, The Netherlands, 2008

(2007) with Wierenga, Ani and Gai Wilson (2nd ed.) Writing narrative action evaluation reports in health promotion – Guidelines, Resource Kit and Case Studies, State of Victoria, Department of Human Services and the University of Melbourne, Australia:
[scroll down for the various section downloads. Download the Section 4 QuickGuide if you just want a snapshot of the methodology]

http://www.health.vic.gov.au/healthpromotion/steps/evaluation.htm#narrative


Other resources and writing (published in books or journals but not yet online)

(1997a) Do It Yourself Social Research, 2nd ed., (1st ed. 1984) Allen & Unwin Australia, St Leonards, NSW (3rd ed. April 2011)

(1997b) Everyday Evaluation On The Run, 2nd ed., (1st ed. 1991) Allen & Unwin Australia, St Leonards, NSW (3rd ed. April 2011)

(1998) with Merinda Epstein `Building in Dialogue Between Consumers and Staff in Acute Mental Health Services', Systemic Practice and Action Research, Plenum Press, NY, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 353-379

(1998) ‘"Coming to the Table" - Some Conditions for Achieving Consumer-Focused Evaluation of Human Services by Service-Providers and Service-Users', Evaluation Journal of Australia, Vol. 10, Nos 1 & 2: 11-29

(2001) (ed.), The Essential U and I - A one-volume presentation of the findings of a lengthy grounded study of whole systems change towards staff-consumer collaboration for enhancing mental health services, VicHealth, Carlton South, Victoria

(2001) ‘The Mirror, The Magnifying Glass, The Compass and the Map - Facilitating Participatory Action Research', chapter in Handbook of Action Research, (Eds.) Peter Reason and Hilary Bradbury, Sage Publications, London (Also in the Concise version 2006)

(2001) ‘Becoming Responsive – And Some Consequences for Evaluation as Dialogue Across Distance', Ch. 4 in ‘Responsive Evaluation', Special Issue of New Directions for Evaluation, American Evaluation Association & Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, Calif., No. 92: 45-58

(2005) ‘“Beloved Bangladesh”: A Western glimpse of participatory action research and the animateur-resource work of Research Initiatives Bangladesh (RIB)’, Action Research Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 413-432

(2005) ‘Gouldner’s child? Some reflections on sociology and participatory action research’, Journal of Sociology, Vol. 41, No. 3: 267-284

(2008a) ‘Systemic human relations in dynamic equilibrium’ Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, NY, Vol.21, No.1, pp. 15-34

(2008b) ‘“Is it safe to talk about systems again yet?”–Self organ-ising processes for complex living systems and the dynamics of human inquiry’, Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, NY, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 153-170 Available in (prior to publication) format

(2010) Building in Research and Evaluation: Human inquiry for living systems, Action Research Press Hawthorn, and Allen & Unwin Sydney