The need for action research

A new scholarship of practitioner research has been gaining force. The scholarship often conflicts with the norms of prescriptive technical rationality advocated among positivists (Schon, 1995). The form of scholarship is best described as action research. The paper argues that practitioners need more training to practice action research and to battle against three major crises that have plagued education in general (Butt and Raymond, 1987). These crises not only demonstrate the inadequacy of over-reliance on the empirical-analytical oriented scholarly inquiry but also invite increasing attention to the uniqueness of the nature of teaching. It is argued that action research provides a more promising alternative to enhance teaching quality and reforms in school. The critical and reflective nature of action research also contribute to the practitioner's lifelong learning and genuine collegiality (Day, 1999).