Housing & Homelessness 

Reconnect Action Research Kit 

October, 2000 

This kit is designed to explain Action Research and how it 'fits' into the Reconnect program. It provides practical examples and tools for applying Action Research. It also offers information to services about other resources that can help them to incorporate Action Research as part of their work practices.

In Reconnect, like many FaHCSIA programs the issues faced by clients and service providers can be complex. This often means that there is little time set aside to reflect on and improve existing activities and outcomes for clients. Action Research provides services with an ongoing and cyclical active research process that enables them to systematically examine their work practices.

Action Research is the mechanism in the Reconnect program for improving early intervention practice and in turn, improving the outcomes for the young people and their families.


Table of Contents

  • Message from the Minister
  • Section One: About Action research
    • Why an Action Research kit?
    • Background to Reconnect Action Research
    • What is Action Research?
    • What's in it for stakeholders?
  • Section Two: Action research process
    • Aspects of participatory Action Research
    • Plan-Act-Observe-Reflect
  • Section Three: Implementation
    • How and where to start
    • Implementation issues
  • Section four: Challenges and troubleshooting
    • Making assumptions about Commonwealth expectations
    • Building Action Research
    • Setting priorities and timing
    • Developing Action Research skills and processes
    • Committing to Action Research
    • Dealing with resistance to change
    • Dealing with resistance to participation
    • Separating conventional research from Action Research
    • Managing information and data
  • Section five: Case examples and tools
    • Case example one–applying the cycles for a particular question
    • Case example two–from question posing to evidence-based findings
    • Case example three–a 'day in the life' of a Reconnect worker using
    • Undertaking scans of internal and external environments
    • Undertaking a competencies’ audit
    • Six examples of documenting Action Research processes
  • Section six: Action research resources
    • References

[ top ]

© Commonwealth of Australia 2009 : Last modified 6/04/2009 6:50 PM