Action research is participatory.
Action research occurs through a series of successive cycles, each of which informs the next. Each cycle involves planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. Action research helps individuals become more aware of the relationships between their practices and themselves, as well as of the influence of the social context and school setting. Action research requires that teachers put their practices, ideas, and assumptions to the test by gathering evidence that could convince them that their previous practices, ideas, and assumptions are incorrect. Action research may lead to both large and small discoveries about how individuals or organizations are changing.