This article explains an action research response to the need for knowledge democracy in research projects between academics in global North and global South countries. It argues that if unspoken assumptions about knowledge creation are left unexamined, such collaborations can replicate forms of 'epistemic injustice'. The paper is premised on the…

Action researchers are empowered because they carry out research "with" rather than "on" participants. Likewise, the Tanzanian government has been attempting to devolve power to the people since independence. The latest efforts started in the 1980s and focused on the devolution of power from central government to the people…

This study explores Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a practice that promotes collaborative knowledge construction between researchers and participants. Within this framework, a PAR experience carried out for the transformation of a school in the province of Valencia (Spain) is explored. The aim is to analyse the shared construction of…

The aim of this study is to explore what happened -- and why -- in a collaboration between ourselves as researchers and school leaders from two different schools in Sweden. The theory of practice architectures is used to frame the study. The goal of the collaboration was to enhance the scientific foundation of school practices, which motivated the…

In out-of-school care centres in Flanders, building warm and trusting relationships with parents is both an important aim and a huge frustration. Practitioners often struggle with their role towards parents and feel insufficiently trained to deal with increasing expectations about cooperation with parents. In this article we describe the results…

This paper, delivered as a provocative keynote address to the Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN) conference in Manchester on 28th October 2023, explores the question if action research might have a sweet spot. A sweet spot is defined as an ideal location, area or combination of factors for a particular activity or purpose. It draws on…

This study focuses on three essential concepts -- collaboration, action, and research. It was initiated by three former teacher educators (TEs) at Asmara Community College of Education (ACCE), Eritrea (now defunct), and data was drawn from their written accounts and rigorous reflective discussions. It illuminates the lines of development while…

To what extent can teachers' involvement in knowledge-producing activities be enhanced through collaboration with researchers? This article reports on two teacher-researcher collaborative didactic development projects in Sweden and Finland. By using the theory of practice architectures, the aim is to explore how teachers' knowledge contribution…

This article explores situations for improving the collaborative commitments of a group of learner-teachers undertaking action research projects about their own learning processes in a teacher education setting. The encounters are recounted based on the 16-week experience of educators (the first two authors) while facilitating, guiding, and…

This paper outlines the personal transformation that occurred when three university educators from very different fields (education, midwifery, and oral health) and world views, established a common understanding of their research topic and subsequent development of a research question to improve health educators' capability when teaching…

A growing number of researchers are employing participatory research approaches to address social determinants of health. Despite evidence supporting school-based participatory action research (PAR) approaches as powerful health intervention strategies and recent calls to assess the implementation of PAR processes and outcomes, there is a paucity…

This article addresses the pedagogical practices applied by teachers at pre and primary school level when working with children with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) as well as potential challenges in a research collaboration between teachers and academics. A praxeological study was conducted with two preschool teachers and…

The importance of participatory autism research is discussed in relation to a project involving six autistic researchers and five non-autistic university researchers collaborating to investigate anxiety in autistic adolescents. The paper describes the process of establishing a research partnership and the values and philosophy behind this…

In this article, I explore the challenges of undertaking insider research as a Widening Participation university practitioner and positioning myself as lead researcher with three academic co-researchers. The action research process provided the fertile environment for our complex academic: non-academic relationships to shift into more equitable…

Students as partners (SaP) is becoming an increasingly common notion in higher education , but we continue to grapple with questions around how to best involve our students with the work we do as educators. Queries around responsibility, accountability and trust are raised when considering SaP. Participatory action research is presented from an…