Sousa, Francisco2018-05-032018-05-032018Sousa, F. (2018). Using action research and an imported conceptual framework to study the individual dimension of curriculum relevance. In J. Calder & J. Foletta (Eds.). "(Participatory) Action Research: Principles, approaches and applications" (pp. 151-175). New York: Nova Science Publishers.978-1-53613-041-6http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/4656Curriculum relevance has not been presented as a priority topic in Curriculum Studies. Nevertheless, some researchers within this filed have addressed that same topic in ways that suggest that there is much work to be done in its conceptualization. Interestingly, potential contributions to such conceptualization can be found in other fields, within the wider field of Education. For example, some research on both Mathematics Education and Science Education has addressed issues of content relevance in these specific contexts. The conceptual frameworks that directed the studies can be considered in the context of Curriculum Studies in general, although the above-mentioned researchers do not usually call for such generalization. Accordingly, the chapter starts out by examining how Curriculum Studies have addressed relevance and by proposing a framework for the study of curriculum relevance in general, which was adapted from literature on Science Education. The proposal considers three dimensions of relevance: societal, vocational, and individual. Then the text narrows the focus to the individual dimension and presents some notes related to its meaning. The chapter proceeds with a discussion on the importance of action research in the study of the individual dimension of curriculum relevance. Finally, an action research project, which was focused on students' acknowledgement of curriculum relevance, is presented. The project took place in the Azores Islands, Portugal, and was carried out by a team that included researchers from the only University located in the region, as well as teachers of elementary schools from that same region. The problem that prompted the emergence of the project was some teachers' complaints about some students' alleged lack of interest for the school and the curriculum. Action research allowed the team to deepen the participants' understanding of the problem, which, in turn, facilitated the design of instructional methods that took the students' views of curriculum relevance into consideration. Data reveal a tendency towards both future relevance and extrinsic aspects of relevance. Nevertheless, the outcomes of the project include evidence of improvements in the students' acknowledgment of both present relevance and intrinsic aspects of relevance.engCurriculum RelevanceAction Researchbook part