Sometimes I think about the reasons why action research takes the forms that it does. I presume that much of its typical shape arises because of its joint objectives of action and research.
Action research is action and research.
Consider the first of these dual aims, action or change. Action research must be responsive. It has to be able to adjust to the demands of the situation. It has to be able to engage with the world as it is, in all its complexity. The preference for very participative forms arises partly from the same requirement.