Reading Notes — The SAGE Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice

English Version

Reason, P. and Bradbury, H. (2008) The SAGE Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice. 2nd edn. London: SAGE.

This handbook is a landmark text in the field of action research, offering a comprehensive overview of its history, theoretical underpinnings, and interdisciplinary practices. Reason and Bradbury emphasize that the defining features of action research are participation and iteration. They outline four key stages—planning, acting, observing, and reflecting—arguing that these stages form a continuous cycle rather than a linear sequence. Each round of research generates new insights, which in turn inform subsequent actions and refinements.

One of the most illustrative examples in the book comes from healthcare. Researchers collaborated with a group of nurses to redesign patient care processes. In the first round, they identified inefficiencies through observation and discussion. Next, they implemented modifications, evaluated outcomes, and then refined the process through repeated cycles. The result was a significant improvement in patient care quality. This case highlights two critical strengths of action research: its integration of theory with real-world practice, and the active involvement of participants as co-researchers rather than passive subjects.

This model is directly applicable to my project. My interventions are structured as iterative cycles. Each stage builds on the last, embodying the cyclical logic of action research.

The book also stresses the ethical dimension of action research, emphasizing that projects should not only generate academic insights but also deliver practical benefits to communities. This aligns with my goal of producing knowledge that is academically robust while also contributing to Chengdu’s local fashion and cultural industries. The combination of participation, iteration, and practice-oriented outcomes provides the methodological backbone of my study.

Chinese Version

这本手册是行动研究领域的权威著作，涵盖了行动研究的历史脉络、理论框架以及跨学科的实践案例。Reason 和 Bradbury 强调，行动研究的核心特征是“循环性”和“参与性”。他们提出了行动研究的四个基本步骤：计划（plan）、行动（act）、观察（observe）、反思（reflect），并指出这并不是一次性的线性过程，而是一个持续迭代的循环。每一轮研究都会带来新的理解，这些理解又会推动下一轮行动的设计与调整。

书中有一个关于医疗护理的案例十分典型。研究者和一群护士合作，重新设计护理流程。在第一轮，他们通过观察和讨论发现了流程中的一些不足；随后，他们尝试修改并应用新的护理方法，再通过观察和反思调整其中的问题。经过多次循环，护理服务质量得到显著改善。这一案例凸显了行动研究的两个优势：一是研究与实践紧密结合，能够解决现实问题；二是参与者（护士）不是被动的对象，而是作为共同研究者，积极参与知识的生产和验证。

这一点对我的研究至关重要。我的项目本质上就是一个行动研究过程，每一轮干预既是独立的实验，也是对前一轮的反思和迭代，完全符合 Reason 和 Bradbury 所提出的行动研究逻辑。

此外，这本书还强调了行动研究的伦理维度，即研究不应只为学术服务，而是应对现实产生积极影响。这让我意识到，我的研究不仅要提出学术层面的贡献，还要考虑如何为成都的本土时尚和文化产业提供实际价值。这种“参与性—迭代性—实践性”的框架，是我研究方法的核心支撑。