From rhetoric to reality: the role of Living Theory Action Research in transforming education Lesley A Wood Faculty of Education, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Lesley Wood (D Ed) is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), South Mrica. Her research interests lie in the promotion of mental health and well ness in schools, HIV & AIDS in education, action research and academic development of both staff and students. She has published nationally and internationally in these fields. Tulsidas Morar Faculty of Education, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University An educationist, Tulsidas Morar is actively involved in teacher development. He has managed large scale Government funded mathematics and science projects in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape and is currently the Off-Campus Manager at NMMU. Linda Mostert Centre for Teaching, Learning and Media, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Linda Mostert (Linda Ann Strang) has a SA Honours in English and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education. She taught English for Academic Purposes at the NMMU from 2001 to 2006; she has since been appointed as a writing consultant at this University. Her interests include academic development, action research, and teaching creative writing. Her poetry is published internationally. Abstract Transformation, based on the values of social justice, inclusion and respect for human dignity, is currently a repeated refrain in the corridors of Higher Education and Training Institutions (HETIs) in South Africa. The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is no exception and espouses transformation as a core value. However, there is a danger that transformation and its accompanying values will remain empty rhetoric unless they are incorporated into everyday practice at micro- levels. In this article, we pose the question, "How can we ensure that our institutional values (that promote transformation) are incorporated into our teaching practices?" We contend that action research provides an ideal opportunity to realise these values, thereby ensuring that transformation does take place at ground level. We make a case that self-study practitioner enquiry has a vital role to play in the development of new theories of practice which will contribute to the transformation of the epistemology of educational enquiry in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Key words: action research; higher education transformation; values based practice. 67