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The University of Southampton
Humanities

Paradigms, processes and procedures in action research Seminar

Origin: 
Languages, Cultures and Linguistics
Time:
17:00 - 18:30
Date:
15 May 2013
Venue:
Lecture Theatre C Avenue Campus

For more information regarding this seminar, please email Professor Ros Mitchell at r.f.mitchell@southampton.ac.uk .

Event details

Professor Anne Burns, Aston University, Birmingham and University of New South Wales, Sydney
Action research has been growing in influence as an approach to research, especially in practitioner contexts. It is seen as a relevant form of research that can be undertaken in immediate social settings, where researchers work as social actors, who are part of daily practices, as well as empirical investigators. But where does action research fit within other research paradigms and in relation to the investigative methods of those paradigms?  In this session, I will look at some of the major philosophies, processes and procedures used in action research and how these relate to other research approaches. I will consider some of the criticisms and objections raised about action research as well as various issues of validity, reliability and ethics.
I will conclude by illustrating my presentation with examples of teacher action research with which I have been involved for the last four years at a national level in Australia. In particular I will consider the impact of this national program on the educational sector in which it has operated, from the point of view of the teachers involved, the organisations they work in, and the sector as a whole.  

All welcome!

Speaker information

Professor Anne Burns, Aston University (UK) and University of New South Wales (Australia). Anne Burns is Professor in Language Education at Aston University, Birmingham and Professor of TESOL in the School of Education at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. She has published extensively on action research, teacher education and the teaching and learning of spoken language. Her recent publications include Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching (2010, Routledge), The Cambridge Guide to Pedagogy and Practice in Second Language Teaching (co-edited with Jack C. Richards, 2012, CUP), Teaching Speaking: A Holistic Approach (co-authored with Christine Goh, 2012, CUP) and Researching Language Teacher Cognition and Practice: International Case Studies (co-edited with Roger Barnard, 2012, Multilingual Matters). Anne was appointed Series Advisor to the Applied Linguistics Series published by Oxford University Press in 2011 and became a member of The British Council’s English Language Advisory Group in 2012.

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