UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Action research is characterised by iterative cycles in which practitioners identify a problem, plan an intervention, act by implementing changes, observe the effects and then reflect on what happened. Reflection is crucial for interpreting results, learning from experience and deciding how to modify the next cycle. This process makes action research dynamic and responsive to context. Therefore, the missing step in the plan–act–observe– sequence is correctly filled as reflect.

Option A:
Generalising from results to wider populations is not the primary focus of action research, which emphasises local improvement rather than broad generalisation. Hence, generalise does not fit the established cycle.

Option B:
Reflect involves critical thinking about what worked, what did not and why, often incorporating feedback from participants and stakeholders. It leads to new plans for subsequent cycles and supports professional growth. This central role in the action research cycle matches the stem exactly, making this option correct.

Option C:
Randomise is a term associated with experimental design for assigning participants to groups, not with the internal reflective process of action research.

Option D:
Stabilise suggests ending change and maintaining a fixed state, which contradicts the cyclical, ongoing improvement orientation of action research.