Developed in conversation: a duoethnographic evaluation of a participatory action research project

Abstract

ABSTRACT We as authors represent two organizations engaged in a research-practice partnership (RPP) focused primarily on an intergenerational participatory action research project (PAR). Given the way we co-constructed our work in this partnership, we desired a co-constructed approach to evaluating the work as well. This paper uses duoethnography as a methodology to evaluate our PAR process and partnership, with a goal of examining the degree to which our work aligned with and departed from established principles of community-based research and critical participatory action research. Findings showed that our process and partnership aligned with some principles, but there is room for growth if we hope to fully support co-researchers on future PAR projects. We see the potential for duoethnography to facilitate ongoing, critical reflection and relationship building across RPPs. We also see it as a powerful mode of evaluation for RPPs because of its ability to surface insights that may get missed through more traditional evaluation methods.