Action Research helps people deepen their learing about questions they feel passionate about. Research with others, not on them!

• Learn-by-doing whilst engaging with inspiring articles and papers;

• Enhance your leadership, facilitation and research skills;

• Slow down, go further: develop awareness practices in your life and work.

Action Research is increasingly central to the success of projects and people engaging with the challenges of social justice and sustainability. This course offers inspiration and practical skills to improve the ways you (and your organisation) work, so the results better match your values and objectives.

Certificate of Professional Development offered through a partnership between CHE and the Dept of Geography & Sociology, University of Strathclyde.

Why Action Research?

Am I ‘walking my talk'? How could my organisation better match it values and intentions with its actions? How does change happen?

Action Research is central to the practice of many leading-edge projects and people who are pioneering joined-up solutions to today’s social justice and sustainability challenges.

Why? Because action research challenges the old splits - between disciplines, between professions, between researchers and the ‘reseearched’, and between mind, body and spirit. Bringing the heart back into academia, it’s where community development meets organisational learning; where holistic health meets popular education; and where integral psychology meets the ‘new physics’.

This programme works on the principle of learning-by-doing. By enrolling, you commit to take responsibility for your own ‘learning edge’, and help others do so to by offering challenges as a ‘critical friend’.  You will gain insight into the dynamics of evolutionary change. And you may take another step towards being the change you want to see in the world.

Course Content

Action Research and the participatory paradigm: Worldviews, values, and the politics of knowldge.

Know thyself, 1st Person Inquiry: listening, awareness and personal power.

Research with others, 2nd Person Inquiry: facilitating collaborative inquiry and varieties of participatory action research (eg appreciative inquiry, visioning).

Wider systems change, 3rd Person Inquiry: change in complex adaptive systems, open space, future search, integral theory and the amoeba model.

Peer Review, particpants' presentations, and writing your own proposal for an action research project. 

Course Leader 

Nick Wilding is a Fellow of CHE, a Teaching Fellow at the University of Strathclyde and an action research consultant to clients that include: Scottish Natural Heritage, Oxfam, Edinburgh and Glasgow Councils, and community organisations. For more information about Nick, go to: http://www.nickwilding.com 

Previous Participant feedback

“Your energy, passion and honesty worked really well for me throughout the sessions”
 
“Though I have been in contact with Action Research in the past,
I feel that the module has deepened my knowledge greatly.  I have also found the material directly relevant to my work”

“I really enjoyed the class... really feel that my practice
has improved as a trainer”

“Before this class I had no idea about Action Research
approach/ theory/ methods and now I feel that I have a clear idea about its basic principles/ origin/ use/ dispute/ and methods”

Course details

Award: Successful completion of the course leads to the award of a Certificate of Professional Development by the University of Strathclyde.

Dates: The course runs from October to December 2009. The workshops are: October 15th and 16th, November 19th & 20th, and December 18th. Attendance at all workshops is essential.

Locations: The course is held in Glasgow. It can also be offered in-house to teams of 5-15 participants or to other groups subject to demand in other locations. To discuss these options contact Nick Wilding on 01337 857863 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Fee: The course fee is £495. This covers the cost of participation, but not food or accommodation.

How to apply: Write a brief letter, outlining your background and highlighting what you hope to gain from the course; please include an email address and telephone number. Enclose a deposit of £100 (cheque made payable to University of Strathclyde). Once accepted on the course, deposits can only be refunded if you cancel at least six weeks before the course start date. Your place can not be held for you without a deposit.

Send your application to:

Action Research CPD

Dept of Geography & Sociology,

University of Strathclyde,

Graham Hills Building,

50 Richmond Street,

Glasgow G1 1XN 

Further information: If you have specific questions about the application process, call 0141 410 1100 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it If you have questions about the content of the course, contact Nick Wilding on 01337 857863 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it