The continuous Action Research spiral

The Action Research cycle is used in your everyday work, for example, looking at what is happening, thinking about what is going on and making plans and acting on them. 

Researching a particular question usually involves going through a number of cycles.  This allows practices and understandings to be refined or changed over time.  It may also mean that the question itself needs refinement or change.

A cycle could take a few hours or a few months depending on the question you are asking. Cycles may not occur in consecutive steps as they can overlap, or be repeated or extended as new understanding emerges.

It is important that you can name the phases you are undertaking at a particular time so that you can be clear about what you are doing. Being systematic and deliberate means that people can see what is going on. The ongoing cycle of action and learning from a number of cycles is illustrated in the following diagram.