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Ian Hughes


 
  
I am a Quaker and a semi-retired academic with qualifications in social work (Bachelor), Indigenous community development (Associate), development studies (Masters) and community health (PhD). My professional experience is in community development, adult education and related activities. My core research expertise is action research in complex adaptive systems. I am currently ( late 2010) an Honorary Research Associate on three University of Sydney PhD research projects, as well as researching the evolutionary potential of Quakerism.  

I live in deep happiness with special memories of my my wife Dee who dies in 2010, an overgrown garden and health problems.


 
Expertise
I was interested in whole systems and multiple perspectives before I knew what to call it. I have sought to combine learning, teaching, practice and research throughout my career. I have qualifications in four related professions, have taught in four discipline areas, practiced in social systems including families, schools, Australian Indigenous communities, churches, local governments and healthcare organisations. I have expertise in teaching, planning, facilitating and advised on participatory action research. Since the turn of the century my practice has been  explicitly framed in complex adaptive systems theory.

I have always taken religion seriously. I was brought up in the Catholic church, attending a monastic school, and entering monastic training as a young adult. I became increasingly aware of gaps between the Church's teaching and practice, and between religious and scientific statements of truth. The energy driving my professional and research interests is both a drive towards well-informed and effective action for social justice, and a search for ways to reconcile objective scientific reality with spiritual experience. I find the Quaker way supports and provides opportunity for both inquiry and action. 

Current projects
I am actively involved in facilitating or advising on these projects:
  • Using Action Research and Complex Adaptive Systems theory to improve medication safety for older people in a health care setting (action research in a complex adaptive system)
  • The Role of Economic Evaluation in Health Decision Making (mixed method research in a complex adaptive system)
  • Partnering in the Construction Industry (action research in a complex adaptive system)
  • Learning and Leadership Development in Religious Communities (action research in a complex adaptive system)
  • Research learning Circles (friendly learning in research)
  • Quaker Study Circles (friendly learning in a religious community)
  • Quaker Dictionary of Biography Online Project




 
Action Research in Healthcare: For your copy of: Hughes, I. (2008). Action Research in Healthcare. In P. Reason & H. Bradbury (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Action Research (2nd ed., pp. 381-393). London: Sage download 'Hughes_2008.PDF' from the link below.


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Ian Hughes,
Sep 5, 2008 12:40 AM