We are examining the family as the smallest, socially functioning social organization. In this approach, the family is a community enterprise (learning organization) with relatively few members, but they are very important. With regard to our identity and impact on our everyday lives, the family is the primary small community for us, the source and the main stage of our cooperation culture.

In the project, families are interpreted at the same time on three levels: directly (our own family), our family’s family (our network), and on the level of family organizations (family network of families).

It means that the purpose of our research does not stop at the level of description and explanation, but is aimed directly at intervention.

We plan to create a practical product in the form of a methodology that can be used in the short term, and in the long run, in the afterlife of the project, and can have a significant social impact.

An open-boundery inquiry is about what goes on in group members’ working and/or personal lives (family, community), or in some special project, outside the group meetings. Inquiries interact with their communities int the action phases, which is the phase of production of data. Every participant (group members and outsiders) is invited to reflection meetings to give a talk to the whole group, to participate in the reflection process and give us feedback on it.

It is important, however, that the novelty of our research is combining open and close boundery aproaches. Therefore we put equivalent emphasis on

the group’s internal dynamics, that is: what is going on within and between the researchers.

There are no viewers, everyone is involved in creating a common result in some way, and the whole process is transparently documented.

We use the word ’Complex’ and distinguish it from the word ’Integrated’.  Our aim is not to combine the knowledge of individual sciences and territories, but  to recognise the single common background behind them, and to build a cooperation model on that.

The methodology we are creating is based on the common foundations of mankind, connected to the evolutionary purpose.

The need for social convergence is a direct consequence of the principles of the current social contract. Therefore, in our research, focus is on the development of a model of social functioning that supports freedom and cooperation. Empathy, joy, peace, creativity, trust, co-operation of an individual is determined and also limited by the social sorroundings that includes him/her, at all levels of the system.

In the context of this action research project, we are able to test only the basics of a new meta model.

1 preparatory, 3 implementation, and 1summary cycle are planned during the project period.

Preparation cycle:

At this stage of the research team we discuss the goals and motivations of the invited participants and clarify their personal involvement. Based on these it is decided who will join eventually.

As a research group, our first task is to create the atmosphere and contracting. The group agreement includes setting milestones and scheduling together, as well as seting up group roles, functions and clarifying documentation and communication processes.

Following the foundation of the group’s work, we also discuss the research bases. As an initiator, we discuss the theory of co-operative action research. In the first phase of the conversation, everyone shares their own interest and concern in the fundamentals of the research. In the knowledge of these, we agree with the focus of the research, which we can present in the present document, but at the same time it can only become definitive in the light of the added value of the group.

Next, we will compile a common list of our questions and assumptions about the focus. We agree on what kind of action, activity, observation we will be doing and what will be their documentation during the three cycles – one by one per cycle. This is a preliminary plan that we use as a guide in the research, so it can change. At this point, the research plan can also be prepared.

In summary, we have the following tasks at this stage:

• Finding research associates, creating a team of researchers, creating trusting environment
• Joint planning of action research cycles, joint finalization of the research plan
• Conclusion of the cooperation agreement and finalization of the work plan

According to the planning cycle we plan to include 5 domestic meetings and international consultations between the meetings.

First cycle:

The launch of the first cycle of the research is also the first international meeting where every participant can meet personally. At the meeting, we take the time to look back on the preparation cycle as well as for our common process.

The main task of this cycle is to present the Research Plan (meeting the conditions of EFOP-5.2.2 application) to all the participants, and discuss the details of execution.

Corresponding specification in the application: Implementation of research and comparative analysis in Hungary and Slovakia, in the selected professional and service area, target group of at least 100-100 people per country (foreign data must be provided by a foreign partner). Therefore we submit questionary resaearch in the first cycle of the action research project.

The implementation is partly the task of an external company (creating Research Plan, and questionare, final comparative analysis and Report), but the aggregation of data and processing of the results obtained is the task of the research team in terms of the research topic.

In summary, we have the following tasks at this stage:

• Evaluation of the preparatory phase
• Precise planning of the first action: implementation of questionary research in two countries

Second cycle:

This cycle also begins with an international meeting, with the difference that this cycle will be negotiated separately with all international partners and the aggregation will only take place later.

Second cycle begins with reflection on the first action, which is our reflection on the process of data collection because the analysis and evaluation of the collected data is the subject of the second action. Therefore, most of the second action is already happening at the meeting, but after the meeting it is expected that the interpretation will be deepened. We recommend logging in the deepening phase after the meeting to prepare for the third action.

In summary, we have the following tasks at this stage:

• Reflection on the first action (data collection)
• Launch Second Action: Data Interpretation, Logging

Third cycle:

The third cycle takes place at a domestic meeting where we expect our foreign partners in the virtual space. The exact content of the cycle is not worthwhile to be determined at this point since we will decide on the basis of all the experiences that are included in the previous cycles.

In summary, we have the following tasks at this stage:

• Reflection on Second Action (Interpretation, Logging)
• Launch Third Action

Summary cycle:

The summary cycle includes 2 domestic and 4 international meetings. We put a lot of emphasis on this stage, as here we put together the methodological foundations that we create during the project and the action research.

In summary, we also have the following tasks at this stage:

• Evaluation of all the cycles
• Summary of conclusions and good practices
• Finalization of methodology
• Finalize the outline of the closing study
• Design and implementation of a conference
• Planning a maintenance period (3 years)
• Planning the progress of the results