Terry Sexton

Ray Hyma - Transforming research culture in the thick of a PhD

What happens when participatory, relational, and action‑oriented inquiry meets the institutional architecture of the PhD: tight timelines, individual authorship, and demands for methodological certainty? Blog post: https://actionresearchplus.com/reimagining-the-phd-in-the-thick-of-it-by-raymond-hyma-javier-garcia-martinez/

Danny van Montfort & David Coghlan

When we think about Appreciative Inquiry (Ai), we often picture positive stories, uplifting conversations, and a focus on what’s going well. But during an Ai initiative I facilitated in a Dutch asylum center for unaccompanied refugee children — where I work in a dual role as social worker and insider action researcher — I learned that team and center development also requires engaging with “shadow processes”: gossip, frustrations, suppressed emotions, and unspoken tensions. Blog: https://actionresearchplus.com/bringing-asylum-shadows-into-the-light-with-danny-v-montfort/

Jacqueline van Paassen and Bruno Pešec

Conversation with Jacqueline van Paassen and Bruno Pešec who help answer the question, how do we become more skilled research-practitioners? What does “more skilled” even mean in the context of action research. BLOG https://actionresearchplus.com/on-becoming-more-reflexive-research-practitioners-in-action/

Dr. Julia Kukard

Dr. Julia Kukard is based in So Africa and has over 30 years of experience in learning and development in organisations worldwide. She is trained as a coach, psychotherapist and facilitator and prefers to work within the Existential paradigm. Her doctoral research focused on leadership stuckness and how leaders can respond more fluidly and thoughtfully to the world. Out of this she transformed into an action researcher. Her coaching and facilitation work focuses on supporting the inner world of leaders to make better and more effective choices in and for their outer world. Her paper is included in the special issue on mindsets of transformation. A key take away for those of us who advance change: we may have to better embrace Change and transformation ourselves! The interview encourages action researchers to work with their own wounds to release more positive and collaborative dynamics. BLOG LINK: https://actionresearchplus.com/research-create-changes-as-your-inner-world-changes-by-julia-kukard/ https://www.jkukard.com/about This conversation was an interview between Hilary and Julia about Julia's paper "Shamefully Stuck to Joyfully Jammed: Reflexivity in Researching Stuckness" for a special issue on mindsets of transformation. Julia discussed how her personal experiences with racism and grief informed her research on transformation and stuckness, particularly focusing on how inner worlds influence research and the importance of addressing both structural and individual aspects of wounds. They explored Julia's approach to coaching leaders through transformation cycles, emphasizing the role of relationships and alchemical processes in personal and organizational change. The discussion highlighted how Julia's work bridges existential psychotherapy with action research, focusing on helping people become more emergent and resilient through examining their inner worlds and resources.

Terry Sexton

Terence Sexton and Joan Walton published their research in ARJ as part of the 2026 special issue on Mindset Transformations. Terence speaks with AR+ podcast host, Tomas Boatwright about their work. Read more at the Blog, which also has access to the full published article: https://actionresearchplus.com/quiet-yet-transformative-leadership-by-sexton-and-walton/