Participation, roles and processes in a collaborative action research project: a reflexive account of the facilitator

Abstract

This paper analyses and discusses the roles and participation of those involved in a collaborative action research project to highlight the factors that influenced their content, quality and intensity. Emphasis is given to the reflections of the facilitator (author) on the processes employed to achieve equal participation and roles in the action research. Meetings and interviews with teachers are content‐analysed to provide descriptions of the timing, content and type of interactions among the members of the collaborative action research. Factors shown to influence the roles, participation and employed processes of interaction among the participants of collaborative action research include the time needed to develop shared understandings and collect adequate information; shared knowledge in order to challenge each other’s ideas and interpretations; the flexible role of the facilitator; the avoidance of lead teachers’ actions; and the trusting relationship among the participants in action research.