Includes bibliographical references (p. 266-277) and index.

1. Introduction : action research, diversity, and democracy -- 2. A history of action research -- 3. Action research cases from practice : the stories of Stongfjorden, Mondragon, and programs for employment and workplace systems at Cornell University -- 4. An epistemological foundation for action research -- 5. Scientific method and action research -- 6. Social science research techniques, work forms, and research strategies in action research -- 7. Knowledge generation in action research : the dialectics of local knowledge and research-based knowledge -- 8. The friendly outsider : from AR as a research strategy to the skills needed to become an action researcher -- 9. Pragmatic action research -- 10. Power and social reform : southern PAR, education, feminism, and action research -- 11. Educational action research -- 12. Participatory evaluation -- 13. Participatory rural appraisal, rapid rural appraisal, and participatory learning and analysis -- 14. Varieties of human inquiry : collaborative, action, self-reflective, and cooperative -- 15. Action science and organizational learning -- 16. Educating action researchers -- 17. Action research, participation, and democratization.