This paper is an extension of a conversation begun at the CARN 2020 Conference. It outlines how an accelerated, rushed lifestyle impacts negatively on almost every aspect of life. In education, the fast-paced life is reflected in the trend towards incessant production. This trend impacts negatively on the lives of university lecturers,…

In this paper, we explore action research as a method of academic development. Our focus is specifically on formal taught programmes such as PGCerts, MAs and doctoral studies as well as CPD workshops. In our dual roles as action researchers and academic developers, we had independently noticed that the type of action research that often featured…

The last 20 years have seen a growing interest in researching pedagogy in Higher Education with action researchers playing a part in this growth. However, there are few studies that analyse the educational influences in learning of the action researcher in their own pedagogy in Higher Education. Hence the focus of this paper on enhancing…

While the 'action' portion of a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project is a crucial component of the process, action tends to be challenging to define, achieve, and measure. The current paper both defines and describes action within the context of a particular PAR collaboration and explores the process and challenges of navigating and…

Higher education programs face challenges to increase accountability regarding student achievement. Course misalignment occurs as instructors interpret course objectives differently, making changes to the course content without considering overall program alignment and purpose. Misalignment prompts academic programs to revisit its curriculum to…

Action research has been advanced as one way that second language (L2) teachers might raise their awareness of the complexities of their work. Yet, while the publication of action research into L2 learning and teaching has gained some traction in recent years, reports naturally tend to focus on research outcomes. In the current article, I argue…

This paper discusses the aims, rationale and aspects of a new Action Research (AR) module developed for level 6, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) students. The aims of the module are three-fold: First, to support learners in developing the research and academic skills needed to investigate their own practices, generate knowledge and…

Within the major university for teacher education in Mongolia, Mongolian National University of Education, teacher development is designed to support the government-mandated higher education reform movement as this relatively young independent nation navigates from a position of dependency on foreign experts to one of greater independence and…

While carrying out a study aimed at understanding the contribution of participatory action research (PAR) to the political realm in contemporary higher education, a problematic situation was found when doing a literature review in the field of action research. This problem concerns the intermittent appearance of the "participatory"…

This literature review considers the use of action research in higher education. The review specifically looks at two areas of higher education activity. The first concerns academic teaching practice and includes a discussion of research and pedagogy practice, and staff development. The second considers student engagement. In both of these core…

In this article the authors, who are both collaborators in this project, reflect on the challenges faced in developing and sustaining an emancipatory research framework approach to our research network in the context of radically shifting ideals and objectives for higher education in all partner institutions. The article is focused around…

In the context of enormous global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and the unequal distribution of wealth, sustainability education within higher education has gained momentum as a tool to train a new generation of change agents. Previous research has examined the relationship between sustainability education and entrepreneurship…

Evidence from the UN World Youth Report (2015) suggests that young people, while increasingly disengaged with formal political processes, are motivated by cause-related social action. Higher Education (HE), through research and partnership, provides ideal learning spaces to explore cause-related social action. However, as HE partnership…

There is a gap in research on access to universities in South Africa. The research that exists focuses on quantitative methodologies, although some qualitative studies are now emerging. These research methodologies, although necessary and substantial for the development of equity measures and policies, might be less successful in their impact on…

The term 'large group process' (LGP) refers to a range of participatory approaches to community engagement, geared towards exploring and/or identifying solutions to shared issues and problems, and planning change. Primarily used for applied purposes, they can be also used as a method of inductive inquiry in social research, particularly within…