Empowering parents through an action research parenting program

Abstract

The goal of this article is to consider action research with parents and specifically describe the experience of two parents during a parenting program that employed an action research framework and consider how action research empowered them. Data collection lasted for 24 weeks and included reflection commentaries, home journals, email communication, action plan writing, a conversational group interview, and artefacts. The two case studies exemplify how the methodology of action research as the framework of a parenting program empowered them to develop their own understanding of parenting, to generate theory and develop skills to cope with parenting issues. These cases include: the lone scientist who reflects on her own practice and re-conceptualizes her parenting and the team player who considers the playgroup as a learning community in which she learns from others. This study, especially the in-depth analysis of the two parents, highlights that action research is a promising component of parent education programs because it provides parents with the space and flexibility to be agents of their own learning and development; a framework which others can build on to enrich the action research and early education literature.