Action Research as a Mixed Methods Research: Definition, Philosophy, Types, Process, Political and Ethical Issues and Pros and Cons

Abstract

Although not named as a mixed methods research design, defined within qualitative research in the literature and accepted a research strategy, we see that both qualitative and quantitative methods are used together or separately in action researches in social sciences. Thus it can be claimed that action research is a type of research that should be called a mixed research design in which qualitative and quantitative research methods are used together with a more flexible methodology, and it is a type of research that focuses on the practical actions of actor rather than theory. The aim of this article is to define action research and its types and describe the philosophy, the research process, political and ethical issues and pros and cons of action research based on literature on action research in order to understand the similarities and differences between the mixed methods and action study