Abstract:
Action research is a methodology that supports practitioner research. This study is an
exploration of one researcher's practice using the living-theory approach to action research.
Initially, my focus was to improve my practice by asking how I can facilitate transformative
learning experiences with the teachers with whom I work. As part of this search, I examined
the contradictions between my espoused and implicit values. In keeping with the evolving
nature of my inquiry, I unveiled the telos that constituted the impetus for my search, which
began as a tension about the quality of my interactions and ended as a quest to find my voice
among the others'. I used personal narratives, journal entries, a videotaping session,
interactions with critical friends and interviews with colleagues and administrators to engage
in a process of continuing self- and interactive reflection. Throughout my study, I explored
how theoretical concepts intertwine with personal experiences. In the final chapter, I share
the possible connections between my living educational theory and a more general theory of
transformative learning. I conclude my study with a look at the transformation process I
underwent as a result of the study and the new questions I formulated as I began the action
research spiral again.
