Theory and Practice

Hi…my name is Valerie Louis and I am facilitating the Theory and Practice and Special Topics sections of the ARJ blog. I became interested in Action Research out of my love of theory and my background in women’s studies. AR was one of the first classes I took in my doctoral work and we were reading many of my favorite critical theorists. And then when we added action to the theory, I knew that I had found a connection between the theory that I loved and the feminist research methodologies I embraced. Action research took it all to another level…it brought together theory and action/activism while sharing power. My area of interests in regards to action research is AR and organizations, AR and spirituality, multiple ways of knowing, AR and the college classroom, photovoice, co-operative inquiry, feminist AR, and first person AR. In general, I am interested in the spiritual and how it connects to our practical world. I consider myself an interdisciplinary thinker and doer.

I am excited to see where the blog goes, especially exploring new ways to write about action research in creative and authentic voices. Please contact me (valerie.louis@uc.edu) if you are interested in posting for theory and practice or if you have a special topic you would like to propose and/or write about.