ARNA

Conference Presenter Registration Fees Due
2025-04-15

Gathering of Knowledges & Solidarity on Participatory Action Research & Popular Education
2025-04-30 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Toronto)
Join scholars, practitioners, and educators from the global north and global south to share reflections, knowledges, and experiences on how to enact and embody Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Popular Education (Pop Ed) principles in struggle with communities most impacted by structural violence during contentious times locally and globally.
Wednesday April 30, 2025
3-5pm EDT
Simultaneous Interpretation in English and Spanish will be provided.
REGISTER HERE TO JOIN VIA ZOOM

Questions? Contact ctang3@lesley.edu or bonilladma@gmail.com

AI in Action Research: A Collaborative Exploration
2025-05-08 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Toronto)
Presented and Facilitated by the ARNA Leadership ARC
Join us for a 90-minute facilitated conversation where we’ll explore the exciting (and sometimes perplexing!) possibilities of using AI in action research.
Whether you’re an AI enthusiast or skeptic, this conversation is about collectively mapping this emerging territory. No expertise required—just curiosity and a willingness to share your thoughts!
Some of what we can explore together:

Starting points: How might AI help us identify research questions or analyze contexts in fresh ways?
Collaboration dynamics: Can AI be a true “co-researcher” or is it best as a tool for specific tasks?
Ethical considerations: Navigating bias, transparency, and power dynamics when AI enters the research space
Writing & reflection support: Creative uses of AI in the documentation and meaning-making stages
Blindspots & opportunities: What are we missing? Where could this partnership take us?

This is an emergent conversation—we’re all figuring this out together. Bring your experiences, questions, and even your skepticism as we collectively imagine what action research might look like with AI in the toolkit.
When: Thursday, May 8, 2025 – 7:30-9:00 PM ET
Where: Zoom (link provided upon registration)
What to bring: Just yourself and your thoughts!
REGISTER HERE

CARN Study Day
2025-05-15 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Toronto)
CARN STUDY DAY – Puerto Vallarta
Free to conference registrants

May 15th | 9am – 12pm (PVT)
Experiencing Thirdspace: Action Research in a Museum Setting
This event will take place at Arte Vallarta Museo, located at G. Prieto 164, Col. El Remance.
The 2025 CARN Study Day at the 2025 ARNA Hybrid Conference examines how art museums can serve as a Third Space by offering a framework for learning that connects cultural and creative ideas within an inquiry-based process. Using art museums as Third Spaces will be explored as a powerful component of learning, providing a universality and connection to the traditional first (home) and second (school) spaces. Reflecting this, the 2025 CARN Study Day offers attendees the opportunity to enter into a participatory experience, using as a guide a successful action research pilot project of an internationally recognized early art education program in a Puerto Vallarta, Mexico museum. The art education project involving public school kindergarten children and their teachers with the community art museum, used national education standards to guide discovery learning in the museum. The third space of learning was formed within the intersections of artistic and educational practices and moved outside traditional paradigms and norms to open pathways by which young learners became co-authors of their own learning. Since Third Space creates an intersection that blurs the boundaries between clear cut categories and understandings, it can be an elusive concept to recognize in action, but it continues to be seen as having the potential to open up powerful learning experiences. The participatory presentation, activities and conversation about the action research art education pilot project in the Study Day provides an opportunity to clarify and inspire the use of Third Space environments in future action research investigations.
Limited to 25 on-site attendees.
Register here!

Refreshments provided on-site, sponsored by CARN.

ARNA 2025 HYBRID ANNUAL CONFERENCE
2025-05-16 09:00 - 2025-05-17 17:00 (America/Toronto)
THE ACTION RESEARCH NETWORK OF THE AMERICAS 2025 HYBRID ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Welcome to Puerto Vallarta! Get ready for a hybrid gathering of like-minded individuals passionate about making a difference through participatory action research.
The 2025 ARNA conference focuses on the use of the arts as a form of communicating and making meaning throughout the participatory action research (PAR) process. In order to take action and effect change, participants will contemplate this concept and consider the role that visual, lyrical, and performing arts can play in creating action research questions, involving community, documenting and analyzing research findings, and/or exploring creative ways to present participatory action research findings.
Based on the presentations and events at the two-day conference, participants will investigate opportunities to learn and engage in the arts as elements of action with their potential of influencing individuals, communities, and policies in the future.

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE

Supportive Information for Registering

ARNA annual conferences provide both in-person and online participation options, offering flexibility for attendees from around the world.
There is a free opportunity to enroll in Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN) Study Day on May 15, 2025 – limited to the first 25 registrants.
The conference Call for Proposals is open with the deadline for submission as March 7 , 2025. Please note that all accepted presenters must complete their registration by April 15, 2025.
One of the highlights of the ARNA 2025 conference is an opportunity to network with professionals who share your passion for connecting the arts with action research and practice. The ARNA 2025 Conference Planning Committee has included the extra option of enjoying a Vallartan dining experience and further conversation together while enjoying a stunning sunset on the beach.

We are excited to share photos and poetry from our opening ceremony.
Enjoy! Disfruta!

ACCESS GALLERY HERE

CARN Conference 2025
2025-11-13 09:00 - 2025-11-15 17:00 (Europe/Paris) | Universität Klagenfurt, Viena, Austria
The CARN 2025 Conference will take place at the University of Klagenfurt, from 13th to 15th of November 2025. The conference will be held entirely on-site.
Call for abstracts: Each presenter may only lead two sessions, but may participate as co-author in more.
Global crises – ecological, social, and economic – are posing challenges to societies and, at the same time, digitalisation is transforming our lives by creating both opportunities and challenges. In this context, participative and reflective research is gaining in im- portance.
In which ways can action research help address these challenges?
We invite contributions from the entire spectrum of action research in the contexts of education, social work, community development, the arts and others. Conceptual and theoretical positions, reflected experiences and research results are welcome. In addition to papers and symposia, workshops including participation and creative approaches will be particularly appreciated.
REGISTER HERE

ARNA Workshops: Jean McNiff (Winter/Spring)
2025-12-01 - 2026-03-01

Action Research in Mongolia symposium
2026-03-20 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Toronto), 2026-03-21 07:00 - 09:30 (Asia/Ulaanbaatar)
This symposium offers a rare, transformative look at the power of participatory inquiry in Mongolia, beginning with a cultural interpretation of action research by the Chair of the Mongolian National University of Education Action Research Sector. Faculty and graduate students presentations will then demonstrate how action research studies propel national pedagogical and community growth.
Friday, March 20, 20267pm (EDT)Saturday, March 21, 20267am (ULAT)

ARNA Members Register here: tinyurl.com/MNUESymposium

Symposium Leaders:

Professor, Academician Jadamba Badrakh, PhD

Professor Batdelger Jamsrandorj, PhD

Associate Professor Baigalmaa Chultem, PhD

Javzandulam Batsaikhan, PhD

Symposium Presenters:

Bayarmaa Badarch, Doctoral Student

Amarzaya Ulziisaikhan, Doctoral Student

Professor Candace Kaye

CHA NA, PhD

Enkhbayar Lkhagva, Doctoral Student

THE PHILOSOPHICAL STRUCTURE OF “ACTION” (ÜIL) IN MONGOLIAN WORLDVIEW
Academician, Professor (Ph.D) Jadamba Badrakh
b.jadamba@msue.edu.mn

Read Abstract

THE PHILOSOPHICAL STRUCTURE OF “ACTION” (ÜIL) IN MONGOLIAN WORLDVIEW
Academician, Professor (Ph.D) Jadamba Badrakh

Department of Education Studies
School of Education Studies
Mongolian National University of Education

Abstract

The Mongolians are a people with a long-standing tradition of prioritizing the study of
“action” (üil). This cultural wisdom is fundamentally encapsulated in the folk proverb:
“Judge a person not by their words, but by their deeds (üil).”

In the contemporary era, however, the field of “action studies” is being expanded without
due consideration of a foundational question: What exactly did our ancestors perceive
“action” to be that warranted such profound scrutiny? This oversight diminishes the
philosophical value of the field, leading the public to view it merely as a niche interest of
researchers.

This study aims to clarify and define the indigenous Mongolian understanding of
“action.” Adopting a deconstructive method within a holistic (unified world) approach,
the research analyzes three core pillars: the theoretical propositions of Mongolian
linguists, traditional proverbs, and the “Three Categories of the World”
(Yertöntsiin Gurav).

The research identifies that the Mongolian concept of “action” is structured through
three philosophical frameworks:

From the Perspective of Arga (Method/Means): Action is seen as the primordial origin,
cause, and state of phenomena. It represents the collective bond of existence, the
self-actualizing law, and the “fixing process” (togtokh üil).

From the Perspective of Arga-Bilig (Duality/Complementarity): Action is the unity of
origin and relation, cause and condition. It represents the oneness where the process
and the entity are inseparable, encompassing logic, natural law (jam yos), and the
inherent order of existence.

From the Perspective of Bilig (Wisdom/Intuition): Action is identified as the
interconnectedness, manifestation, and the ultimate essence of how things become
“fixed” or real.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION RESEARCH COURSE IN MNUE
Professor (Ph.D) Jasrandorj Batdelger
batdelger@msue.edu.mn

Read Abstract

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION RESEARCH COURSE IN MNUE BACHELOR PROGRAM
Professor (Ph.D) Jasrandorj Batdelger

Department of Child Development Studies
School of Preschool Education
Mongolian National University of Education

Abstract

Action research is a form of qualitative inquiry with strong practical significance, in which researchers identify problems emerging from real teaching and learning activities and classroom practices, and systematically explore ways to address these problems through reflective and cyclical processes. In teacher education, action research serves as an effective approach for linking theory with practice and fostering reflective professional learning.

The aim of this study is to analyze the purpose and intended learning outcomes of the Action Research course, as well as to examine the quality of undergraduate students’ action research projects implemented within this course at the School of Preschool Education, Mongolian National University of Education (MNUE). The study focuses on action research projects completed by a total of 43 fourth-year undergraduate students.

Using document analysis as the primary research method, students’ written research projects were systematically evaluated based on established action research criteria. These criteria included the formulation of research problems and research questions, the quality of the literature review, methods of data collection, analysis of empirical data, presentation of findings and results, conclusions, recommendations, and re-planning as a key structural element of the action research cycle.

The study aims to identify the strengths demonstrated by undergraduate students in conducting action research, as well as to clarify areas that require further pedagogical support and methodological improvement in future instruction. The findings are expected to contribute to the enhancement of action research pedagogy in teacher education programs and to inform the further development of practice-oriented research competencies among pre-service preschool teachers.

ACTION RESEARCH PRACTICES AMONG UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE MONGOLIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
Associate professor (Ph.D) Baigalmaa Chultem
baigalmaa0522@msue.edu.mn

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ACTION RESEARCH PRACTICES AMONG UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE MONGOLIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
Associate Professor (Ph.D) Baigalmaa Chultem

Department of Education Studies
School of Education Studies
Mongolian National University of Education

Abstract

Amid Mongolia’s socio-economic transition, the integration of action research has emerged as a key direction of educational reform. Educational action research, initiated at the Mongolian National University of Education (MNUE), has been implemented for nearly three decades.

In 2014, MNUE introduced comprehensive reforms across all levels of its academic programs, including the development of an elective action research course within the bachelor’s curriculum in education studies, which has been offered for more than a decade.

At the master’s level, action research is embedded in compulsory coursework on pedagogy, where teaching is examined through action research approaches. At the doctoral level, students are offered action research as an elective course.

Through engagement in these programs, students develop essential research competencies, including problem identification, research planning, data collection, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, reflective practice, and conceptualization.

Graduates who complete these courses actively address pressing challenges in preschool, primary, secondary, and higher education in Mongolia, and successfully defend bachelor’s theses, master’s theses, and doctoral dissertations that contribute to evidence-based educational improvement.

EXPERIENCE IN IMPLEMENTING ACTION RESEARCH IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION
Dr. Javzandulam Batsaikhan | Professor Candace Kaye | Bayarmaa Badarch, Doctoral Student | Amarzaya Ulziisaikhan, Doctoral Student
javzandulam@msue.edu.mn

Read Abstract

EXPERIENCE IN IMPLEMENTING ACTION RESEARCH IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION

Dr. Javzandulam Batsaikhan
Professor Candace Kaye
Bayarmaa Badarch (Doctoral Student)
Amarzaya Ulziisaikhan (Doctoral Student)

Mongolian National University of Education

Abstract

This study presents experiences from implementing participatory action research (PAR) in a
public preschool setting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with a particular focus on environmental
sustainability education in marginalized ger district communities.

The study was conducted from 2022 to 2025 at Public Kindergarten No. 167 and involved
preschool children aged two to five, their parents, teachers, and local community stakeholders.
Guided by the cyclical action research process of planning, action, observation, and reflection,
the research aimed to address local environmental challenges while simultaneously enhancing
children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development.

The study demonstrates that action research in preschool education can serve as a methodological
and pedagogical approach for addressing real-world challenges, fostering reflective practice
among educators, empowering parents, and supporting young children’s holistic development.

The findings suggest that context-responsive, participatory action research contributes not only
to improved educational practices but also to sustainable community transformation, offering a
transferable model for early childhood education in similarly marginalized urban settings.

STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT METHODS OF TEACHERS IN THE TEACHING PROCESS
CHA NA, English Teacher, Ulanqab School; PhD

Read Abstract

STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT METHODS OF TEACHERS IN THE TEACHING PROCESS
CHA NA

English Teacher, Ulanqab School
PhD

Abstract

English, as a dominant global medium of communication, positions tertiary English teachers’ professional development (PD) as a critical issue in the context of ongoing higher education reforms. While existing studies on teacher PD have largely focused on formal training programs and policy-driven initiatives, there remains a lack of in-depth exploration of how teachers develop professionally through their everyday teaching practices.

In particular, insufficient attention has been paid to the methodologies that support practice-based PD, the internal mechanisms that drive teacher growth, and the dynamic relationships among teachers’ beliefs, reflective practices, and professional collaboration.

To address these gaps, this qualitative study investigates the long-term professional development trajectory of a tertiary English teacher through a workplace-based lens. Conducted between 2019 and 2025, the study adopts a multi-method qualitative research design that integrates case study, narrative inquiry, and action research.

The researcher-teacher serves as both participant and analyst, enabling an in-depth examination of lived teaching experiences, reflective cycles, pedagogical decision-making, and collaborative interactions within the institutional context.

TEACHER-RESEARCHER PERCEPTIONS OF IMPLEMENTING THE PROCESS-GENRE MODEL TO SUPPORT EFL STUDENTS’ OPINION ESSAY WRITING
Enkhbayar Lkhagva
enkhbayarpeace@gmail.com

Read Abstract

TEACHER-RESEARCHER PERCEPTIONS OF IMPLEMENTING THE PROCESS-GENRE MODEL TO SUPPORT EFL STUDENTS’ OPINION ESSAY WRITING
Enkhbayar Lkhagva

English, German Language Department
School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Mongolian National University of Education

Abstract

This study explores the teacher-researcher’s perceptions of implementing a Process-Genre Model (PGM) to support the development of opinion essay writing skills among Mongolian EFL university students. Drawing on established Process-Genre Approach (PGA) models, the PGM was designed to integrate multi-level scaffolding—context, text/paragraph, grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics—with the stages of planning, drafting, revising, and editing.

Using an action research design, the teacher-researcher implemented a 64-hour writing course based on the PGM. Data were collected through classroom observations and a reflective research journal, and analyzed thematically.

Findings revealed that the staged structure of the PGM—modeling and deconstructing, joint construction, and independent construction—was effective in fostering students’ contextual, organizational, and linguistic knowledge. Students engaged actively in analyzing model essays, benefited from collaborative planning and drafting, and demonstrated growing autonomy in independent writing.

At the same time, the teacher-researcher noted persistent challenges, including difficulties with deconstructing complex texts, uneven peer participation, and limited ability to integrate and punctuate evidence such as quotations and statistics.

The study concludes that the PGM offers a practical and context-sensitive framework for improving opinion essay writing in Mongolian EFL classrooms. Recommendations include providing explicit training in evidence use and feedback skills, as well as designing group tasks with clear roles to ensure balanced participation.

2026 Hybrid Annual Conference
2026-06-16 09:00 - 2026-06-20 17:00 (America/Belem) | Centro Universitário UNINTA, R. Antônio Rodrigues Magalhães, 359 - Dom Expedito, Sobral, Ceará, 62050-100, Brazil
ACTION RESEARCH NETWORK OF THE AMERICAS
2026 HYBRID ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Dissolving Barriers: Weaving knowledge in the territories of the Americas
. . . And Beyond
SOBRAL, BRAZIL
JUNE 16th to 20th, 2026

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Michel Thiollent is a French-Brazilian sociologist known for his work in action research and
participatory methodologies. He has a long academic career, primarily in Brazil, and is the
author of several books on research methodology.
His work focuses on qualitative and participatory research methodology, action research, and
the management of social and educational projects. He is considered an important figure in the
Latin American tradition of participatory research.
Publications: He has authored multiple books, including Metodologia da Pesquisa-Ação
(Methodology of Action Research), which has seen several editions.
Michel Thiollent's action research approach emphasizes the active participation of the people
being studied, positioning them as co-researchers rather than passive subjects. It is a flexible,
qualitative methodology intended to bridge the gap between theory and practice and drive
social change.

Read Bio (EN)

Read Bio (ES)

Read Bio (PT-BR)

Travel Information
Visa Requirements for USA, Canada, & Australia. eVisa Brazil https://evisatravel.org/brazil/
Apply before May 18, 2026!

Guia Cearense (PORT)

Guia Cearense (ESP)

Ceará Guide (ENG)

2026 Conference Committee

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Virtual Strategic Plan Reflection
2026-08-11 12:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-18 17:00 - 19:30 (America/Toronto)
The Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) is excited to invite its members to special virtual reflection sessions this August, marking one full year of strategic planning. These gatherings will bring together members to look back on the roadmap developed throughout ARNA’s planning journey — celebrating progress made, insights gained, and the collective vision taking shape. Two times and days are offered to accommodate various time zones. Whether you’ve been part of the process from the beginning or are eager to learn where ARNA is headed, this is a meaningful opportunity to connect with fellow members, engage with the work, and help shape what comes next.
