isern 2013

IASESE - October 9, 2013


Announcements

  • Provisional schedule posted!
  • Travel grants available for students to attend ESEM, IDoESE, IASESE 2013
    More information here
    Applications are due July 22, 2013.

Introduction

Action Research (AR) is a reflective process of progressive problem solving, aiming at improvements in the subject organisation by influencing its practices. Action Research is an established, dating back to 1950's, research method in many fields of research including Social Sciences and Information Science, and has also emerged within Software Engineering as a means for conducting empirical studies in their real life context.

In the IASESE 2013 school, the underlying theory of Action Research will be addressed with analysis and discussion on concrete examples and cases. The aim of the school to equip the next generation of empirical software engineering scholars with methodological tools that enable the investigation of complex problems of the software engineering practice in a scientifically rigorous manner. Action Research is an essential research method in such a methodological toolbox that needs to be continuously developed and disseminated within the field of Empirical Software Engineering.

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Understand why to choose AR as a research method.
  • Know how to start with AR and where to look for more information.
  • Understand the AR research process.
  • Understand the role of researcher in AR.
  • Be able to identify the characteristics of good (and bad) AR.

Who Will Benefit

No formal experience is required. Working knowledge or a background in qualitative research methods, will be an advantage, but not essential.
Qualitative researchers who want to learn about action research as a research method.

Provisional Schedule

9:00 - 10:00 Opening and Introductions
10:00 - 10:30 Coffee break
10:30 - 12:00Background, history of AR; Exercise I
12:00 - 13:30 Lunch break
13:30 - 15:00 Characteristics of good AR; Exercise II
15:00 - 15:30 Coffee break
15:30 - 17:00 Exercise III and wrap-up

IASESE 2013 Co-Chairs


Tomi Mannisto
University of Helsinki, Finland
tomi [dot] mannisto [at] cs [dot] helsinki [dot] fi



  Marjo Kauppinen
  Aalto University, School of Science, Finland
  marjo [dot] kauppinen [at] aalto [dot] fi