My action: convening the Action Research
Consortium (ARC) as a peer-supported community
of practitioner-researchers
Convened by open
invitation to academic and
professional support staff
across the University of
Bedfordshire.
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Building capacity and capability in
undertaking action research
Evaluating, evidencing and
improving practice to enable
student learning, development
and employability
Sharing ideas and issues
Acting as constructive critical
friends
Providing research assistance
Providing opportunities to
disseminate and publish
Respect and equity…
NARN
ARC
My research
Title: Applying PDP
features to CPD /
action research
Question: To what
extent might a
supported action
research process
act as an agent of
change?
Participants: ARC
members
My intention: Replicating an (e)-PDP /
CPD process within the ARC through
reflection, self-assessment,
personalised development plans.
“Structured and supported
process” – through series of regular
meetings, dedicated VLE
space, assistance on demand…
Methods: content analysis of written
material, focus groups, self-assessment
tool doubling up as research tool
Dilemmas / lessons learned
Support offered – not fully utilised:
‘opportunity’ is differentially available to
individuals
Problems/time delays due to ethics approval
process
Managing workload within timeframe
Need culture of peer support
Need firm CPD requirements for evidencebased practice as mainstream activity
Change: observed and reported
Lessons learned regarding the process and challenges
of developing action research skills within a new
learning community:
The “structured and supported process” provided through
the ARC has engaged a core of 12 staff who have
persevered with their own projects;
Some have disseminated – at conferences in the UK and
abroad – and some have published papers
Personal and professional development
Output: a possible new research method/tool
Outcomes:
- Insights gained around self-evaluation
- Action research projects built into PG-CAP assessment
Self-assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)
Action Research: How can I be effective?
Realising the potential of this SAQ:
Caution!
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This SAQ is expressed in terms of an ideal
world where perfect action research could
be conducted perfectly by perfect people!
Arguably there is no such thing.
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Your ratings are therefore expected to be
low – especially if you are new to action
research. Please consider each statement
as potential for a learning process and not in
terms of expecting perfection. Low ratings
are not to be viewed as failure but as raw
material for development and success.
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It can seriously damage your sense of wellbeing as a practitioner-researcher if you
evaluate your abilities harshly and use any
SAQ as a stick to beat yourself up with!
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It alerts you to actions you may need to take
in order to be(come) more effective in action
research (similar to marking criteria and
assessment rubrics that show what it takes
to achieve a top A+ grade).
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Use it as a self-diagnostic tool at the start
(Time 1) and then return to it at a later stage
(Time 2) to evaluate how your research
behaviours may have changed.
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At any stage of the action research process
it serves as a frame of reference.
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You can identify those behaviours that are
important for you to develop, and seek
opportunities and resources to develop them
– and ARC can provide those opportunities
and resources.
… What is ARC? See good news at the end,
when you have completed this SAQ!
Completing the SAQ
• Please take time to read and understand the guidelines
prefacing the SAQ, made available in print and online in
BREO
• Two intended uses of the form:
– Purely for your benefit, as explained
– An anonymous version used as one research tool within a
mixed-methods approach (see supporting documents)
• Complete the SAQ from within BREO and save it for
later reference and use
• If you agree to participate in Arti’s research question,
please email or return an anonymous photocopy to
sam.elkington@beds.ac.uk