Action research, a type of research frequently employed in education, is approached from the perspective of its contributions and its double risk: practicism and instrumentalization of theory. Starting with a broad discussion on the conditions and possibilities of knowledge in social sciences in the modern world, action research is conceived as a proposal for research and intervention in the social reality. After discussing the trajectory of action research, the article distinguishes two strong tendencies in this modality of research: the French and Canadian approaches, emphasizing René Barbier and André Morin respectively; and the Australian approach, whose main exponents are Wilfred Carr and Stephen Kemmis.
action research; educational research; theory and practice