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Papers by Margaret Gearty
AI Practitioner
How might we make space for the natural world to accompany us in our working lives when so much t... more How might we make space for the natural world to accompany us in our working lives when so much takes place at a distance from nature? This glimpse takes place within a day-to-day learning setting. The practice described is about cultivating a sense of our own wildness via ‘wilding moments’ – invited in through improvised moments of poetry, presence and pause.
The SAGE Handbook of Action Research
Systemic Practice and Action Research, 2017
Learning history is a well delineated action research process consisting of consecutive stages of... more Learning history is a well delineated action research process consisting of consecutive stages of inquiry where groups and individuals engage in learning and reflecting on their past shared, but often multiple, experiences as these are recorded in a 'learning history'. Learning history has much in common with other forms of action research in that it configures first-, second-and third-person processes of inquiry in a particular way and enacts research qualities of rigour, relevance and reflexivity. Yet these and other links have as yet been tacit and under articulated-resulting in learning history often conceived as a distinctive linear method with the practice of learning history likewise confined. This reflective article opens out and makes explicit the inherent first-second-and third-person dynamics of learning history. These dynamics are explored from the point of view of different actorsthe historian, the participant and the reader-in a learning history process and connections to a general empirical method are made. Finally questions of quality in a learning history are discussed. The aim of this article is to establish firmer methodological foundations for the learning history approach and to provide practical insight into how action researchers might engage more readily in learning history work.
Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2015
This paper explores the combination of storytelling and reflective action research as a means to ... more This paper explores the combination of storytelling and reflective action research as a means to effect change and learning within and across communities and organizations. Taking the complex challenge of ‘pro-environmental behaviour change’ as an example, the paper reflects on the experiences of a pilot project run for the UK government that took place over two years with five community groups in rural England. The research question centred on how the stories of ‘older’ (aged 50+) community advocates might be amplified and inspire wider change via a systemic action research approach. This paper describes the project and shares insights into how behaviour change might occur in this action-based learning context challenging more Newtonian conceptualizations of change. Some of the methodological and practice challenges and conundrums that arose are discussed including authenticity, ownership and ethical issues of voice and ownership. Parallels and distinctions between story-based action research and action learning are identified and the role of narrative in inducing action is considered. The paper concludes by reflecting on future directions and the overall potential there is for ‘narrative action learning’ to address those wicked systemic problems that transcend organizational boundaries and that are faced by real people in our communities and society as a whole.
Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 2008
A rationale for exploring examples of where carbon reduction has occurred is presented as being p... more A rationale for exploring examples of where carbon reduction has occurred is presented as being potentially valuable and complementary to streams of research that focus on the many barriers there are to decarbonising our society. Research being carried out on this basis as part of the Carbon Vision, “lowcarbonworks” program is described. The value of a narrative-based approach is
Systemic Practice and Action Research
The practical orientation of action research, together with its embedded and participative princi... more The practical orientation of action research, together with its embedded and participative principles, means it is particularly suited to complex, interconnected questions and ‘real life’ systemic issues. In the realm of first-person action research, Judi Marshall’s (1999) influential article “Living Life as Inquiry” described how such research can extend to one’s whole life whereby professional and personal questions can be set within politically relevant frames. Over the past two decades, many students and researchers have worked with and drawn much imaginative inspiration from the idea of living life as inquiry (LLI). However little has been written to describe how the practice develops and the many forms it can take. This article draws on our extensive experience as inquirers ourselves and as educators, working with students and change agents motivated to address social and environmental concerns. Twenty years after the original article we have conducted a reflective review that...
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research, 2014
Management Learning, 2013
At the Centre for Action Research in Professional Practice (CARPP), action research is embodied i... more At the Centre for Action Research in Professional Practice (CARPP), action research is embodied in a distinctive way that is eclectic and varied yet thematically coherent and values-based. This paper offers an articulation of this approach, using an experimental presentational form that combines descriptive storied form with analytical exploration. This exploration describes CARPP Action Research as the creation of ‘different
AI Practitioner
How might we make space for the natural world to accompany us in our working lives when so much t... more How might we make space for the natural world to accompany us in our working lives when so much takes place at a distance from nature? This glimpse takes place within a day-to-day learning setting. The practice described is about cultivating a sense of our own wildness via ‘wilding moments’ – invited in through improvised moments of poetry, presence and pause.
The SAGE Handbook of Action Research
Systemic Practice and Action Research, 2017
Learning history is a well delineated action research process consisting of consecutive stages of... more Learning history is a well delineated action research process consisting of consecutive stages of inquiry where groups and individuals engage in learning and reflecting on their past shared, but often multiple, experiences as these are recorded in a 'learning history'. Learning history has much in common with other forms of action research in that it configures first-, second-and third-person processes of inquiry in a particular way and enacts research qualities of rigour, relevance and reflexivity. Yet these and other links have as yet been tacit and under articulated-resulting in learning history often conceived as a distinctive linear method with the practice of learning history likewise confined. This reflective article opens out and makes explicit the inherent first-second-and third-person dynamics of learning history. These dynamics are explored from the point of view of different actorsthe historian, the participant and the reader-in a learning history process and connections to a general empirical method are made. Finally questions of quality in a learning history are discussed. The aim of this article is to establish firmer methodological foundations for the learning history approach and to provide practical insight into how action researchers might engage more readily in learning history work.
Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2015
This paper explores the combination of storytelling and reflective action research as a means to ... more This paper explores the combination of storytelling and reflective action research as a means to effect change and learning within and across communities and organizations. Taking the complex challenge of ‘pro-environmental behaviour change’ as an example, the paper reflects on the experiences of a pilot project run for the UK government that took place over two years with five community groups in rural England. The research question centred on how the stories of ‘older’ (aged 50+) community advocates might be amplified and inspire wider change via a systemic action research approach. This paper describes the project and shares insights into how behaviour change might occur in this action-based learning context challenging more Newtonian conceptualizations of change. Some of the methodological and practice challenges and conundrums that arose are discussed including authenticity, ownership and ethical issues of voice and ownership. Parallels and distinctions between story-based action research and action learning are identified and the role of narrative in inducing action is considered. The paper concludes by reflecting on future directions and the overall potential there is for ‘narrative action learning’ to address those wicked systemic problems that transcend organizational boundaries and that are faced by real people in our communities and society as a whole.
Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 2008
A rationale for exploring examples of where carbon reduction has occurred is presented as being p... more A rationale for exploring examples of where carbon reduction has occurred is presented as being potentially valuable and complementary to streams of research that focus on the many barriers there are to decarbonising our society. Research being carried out on this basis as part of the Carbon Vision, “lowcarbonworks” program is described. The value of a narrative-based approach is
Systemic Practice and Action Research
The practical orientation of action research, together with its embedded and participative princi... more The practical orientation of action research, together with its embedded and participative principles, means it is particularly suited to complex, interconnected questions and ‘real life’ systemic issues. In the realm of first-person action research, Judi Marshall’s (1999) influential article “Living Life as Inquiry” described how such research can extend to one’s whole life whereby professional and personal questions can be set within politically relevant frames. Over the past two decades, many students and researchers have worked with and drawn much imaginative inspiration from the idea of living life as inquiry (LLI). However little has been written to describe how the practice develops and the many forms it can take. This article draws on our extensive experience as inquirers ourselves and as educators, working with students and change agents motivated to address social and environmental concerns. Twenty years after the original article we have conducted a reflective review that...
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research, 2014
Management Learning, 2013
At the Centre for Action Research in Professional Practice (CARPP), action research is embodied i... more At the Centre for Action Research in Professional Practice (CARPP), action research is embodied in a distinctive way that is eclectic and varied yet thematically coherent and values-based. This paper offers an articulation of this approach, using an experimental presentational form that combines descriptive storied form with analytical exploration. This exploration describes CARPP Action Research as the creation of ‘different