Abstract
Action research is a cyclical study by instructors in blended learning practice aimed at making an improvement. Critics charge that action research has weak methodology, lacks rigor, and is self-referential. Proponents respond by defending the paradigm as an externally valid form of socially situated investigation. Action research differs from positivist, scientific forms of research in four ways:
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Epistemology: Knowledge develops from a reflective stance, not an objective one;
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Positionality: The researchers are personally involved, giving insider views;
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Inference: The process is continuous over multiple cycles of intervention;
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Validity: Trustworthiness is established through triangulation.
In this chapter, Hinkelman outlines three longitudinal cases of action research in blended environments and expands the implementation stages to ten steps, including stages to institutionalize and make inventions more sustainable.
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Hinkelman, D. (2018). Action Research in Blended Environments. In: Blending Technologies in Second Language Classrooms. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53686-0_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53686-0_8
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