Mapping the Par Path: Outcome Evaluation of Participatory Action Research Interventions with Youth

Abstract

There is a large and growing number of participatory action research (PAR) programs, both with youth and with the general population. There is significant literature on evaluation methodology, including on making evaluations more participatory (a topic addressed elsewhere in this issue). However, rarely are the two linked: there are very few published works on evaluations of PAR programs or PAR evaluation methodology. The lack of focus on evaluation of PAR is particularly troubling given the shift towards foundation and federal funding of ‘science-based,’ or rigorously evaluated, interventions with youth. Evaluation is becoming increasingly necessary in establishing interventions as legitimate. If PAR is to progress along the path towards prominence and viability with respect to youth-oriented intervention, then evaluation of PAR is the map needed to follow that path.