Reference:Action Research Approach To Poverty Reduction/Introduction
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Action Research and Service Learning as Longitudinal Approaches to Poverty Eradication, Economic Development, and Human Development is a paper originally prepared for International Action Research Conference in 2007 by Warner P. Woodworth, Ph.D and Peter Jay Sorenson CMC® and is copyright of the authors. The paper is reproduced here with their permission.
| Cover page | Introduction | Third World Poverty & Attempted Solutions | From Academic Idea to Working NGO | Action Research Roles & Tools | What We Are Learning | Conclusion | Bibliography and References |
Introduction
This paper documents how action research may be integrated with university based service-learning strategies to improve the quality of life for the Third World poor, while enhancing and enriching student learning through action-based education. The particular case at hand is that of the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University, where Organization Development work has occurred for two decades to mobilize students, alumni, faculty, and the business community in empowering the poor. Business models and concepts such as finance, motivation theories, planning and decision making, cross cultural management, conflict and negotiation, change management, leadership, and marketing-to-design projects are used.
In the sections below we will highlight the socio-economic context in which this action research is done. What follows is a case in which the authors designed a project to fight poverty, implemented it in the Third World, and eventually spun it off as a non-governmental organization (NGO) called HELP International (http://www.help-international.org/). Action-based learning methodologies that were employed are analyzed, along with various other tools. Examples are provided, and a critique of success and current challenges is articulated. The paper concludes by illustrating how partnerships between academia and the business world were established, along with suggestions for future collaboration between consultants, business schools, corporations, and NGOs.
