Call for articles: action research

Call for Articles
Special Issue on Action Research
Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology

The Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology (JSACP) is planning a special issue on change-oriented research, or action research, and invites authors including scholars, researchers, community members and students to submit manuscripts in English or Spanish.

One of the main avenues for the participation of university-based counselors and psychologists in social change for social justice is through participatory action research. There are as many types of action research as there are practitioners, but all have in common an interest in linking systematic inquiry to the process of change in a particular setting with some degree of participation by community members. We want to open up a space not only for the presentation of successful action research projects, but also for reflection on the following sorts of questions or topics linked to action research:
· How can the participation of community members in the initiation, design and conduct of the project be as meaningful as possible? What obstacles arise in trying to achieve this aim?

· How do action research techniques need to be modified for use in settings that are not typical organizations or communities, such as virtual communities, professional associations, or communities of practice?

· How do action researchers resolve the tension between meeting the goals of academic publishing on one hand and the aims of the change project on the other, especially since things rarely go as planned?

· What are the lessons that can be learned through action research about the nature of system change for social justice?

Manuscripts are due by August 1, 2010 and will be reviewed by peers. Guidelines for submission can be found at www.psysr.org/jsacp. We specifically seek articles that describe the complexities of social change work and the lessons learned from hard experience. Most aspects of the work deserve further systematic reflection, ranging from the personal struggles of activists and group process issues in grassroots organizing to analyses of change processes related to power and policy in macrosocial structures. The Journal is open to a variety of formats for addressing such topics: research articles, interviews, essays, autoethnography, etc.

The Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology invites a wide array of articles and essays focusing on how we can be more effective as counselors, therapists, and psychologists in fostering system-level change for peace and social justice. The Journal's original mission statement can be found here: http://www.psysr.org/jsacp/sloan-toporek-V1N1-07.pdf

JSACP is indexed by EBSCO and is available free of charge to readers all over the world. The first three issues of the Journal may be accessed for free at http://www.psysr.org/jsacp
Inquiries should be addressed to the editors at jsacp@lclark.edu