Action Learning and Action Research: Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning

Citation

Williams, J. (2001), "Action Learning and Action Research: Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning", Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 54-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/qae.2001.9.1.54.3

Despite the generic title of the book it is mainly focused on a general overview of a project aimed at improving teaching and learning in eight Hong Kong Universities. Though not an uncommon occurrence in publishing, the description of what the book is about; “a detailed step by step route through the use of the technique” of action learning on the back cover is not borne out by the actual focus of the book. This is not a “how to do it” book, neither is it an example of action research, nor is it about the processes of teaching and learning.

The book is divided into four sections with the first part a framework that sets out the central tenets of action learning and action research, and compares it briefly with other quality assurance approaches. Chapter one introduces different frameworks for describing and analysing quality mechanisms including one that highlights the need to examine the issue of cost effectiveness of different approaches to quality assurance. Rather disappointingly, when this latter issue is returned to later in the book it is clear that there is no data that supports any meaningful conclusions about the cost effectiveness of different approaches to quality assurance. Other chapters follow this on how action research could be applied to the teaching learning environment and guidelines for the observation and evaluation part of the action learning cycle. The second section is concerned mainly with the facilitation of projects and deals with issues such as project initiation, organisation and the dissemination of outcomes. The perceptions and experiences of participants are the focus of the third section and the fourth section is entitled Providing Support.

The strength of the book is its breadth; there are 17 chapters but it is a lot stronger on raising issues than it is with dealing with them. Much of the book lacks the kind of detailed discussion that would enable the reader to gain insight into key issues. There is scant detail provided about the projects and how an action research approach was actually applied in any given situation. The overall impression is of a book that falls between a number of stools; the sections on theory are not related effectively to the rest of the book, it is not a detailed account of a project and the limitations of its approach to evaluation mean that there are no reliable messages about effectiveness that can be derived from it. The actual text is less than 220 pages long and there are 17 chapters which means that most issues are dealt with in a rather superficial manner.

The book is likely to be most useful to people who have some responsibility for staff and/or organisational development in the areas of teaching and learning but this is a qualified recommendation; there is an interesting discussion of the role of a project team as a critical friend and some parts of the book will be useful for people who are thinking about their role in trying to initiate change indirectly through a project approach.