Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a Research Approach for Sustainable Community Development: A Case Study in Pulau Mantanani, Sabah

Abstract

Current efforts and research on sustainable community development has garnered increasing interest among academicians, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government. Additionally with the global alignment on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there has been a strong emphasis on understanding the various approaches, concepts, and mechanisms of accomplishing or contributing to the successful implementation of the SDGs. Such studies often focus on the sustainability of interventions, whether initiated by the government or NGOs, to provide long term benefits to the beneficiaries or community. Nevertheless, the sustainability of interventions is widely debated in terms of identifying the various factors that are necessary for sustainable community development to materialize. As an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary subject, researchers apply a variety of research methodologies in order to study, understand and analyse the sustainability of interventions for sustainable community development, a precursor to sustainable development. Using a case study approach, this paper documents the application of the Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology in studying the sustainability of NGO interventions for sustainable community development. The values and limitations of the PAR approach as a research approach in studying the sustainability of NGO interventions for sustainable community development in Pulau Mantanani are presented in this manuscript and aims to encourage researchers on sustainable community development to integrate the PAR method in their research designs. The author argues that the application of the PAR methodology in research on sustainable community development is a suitable and robust methodology for researchers to capture in-depth, and inclusive and collaborative knowledge-generating perspectives with the community and generate action that aims to improve livelihood and reduce economic, environmental and social inequities of communities through involving the people who, in turn, take actions to improve their own livelihood. Additionally, this paper also aligns the benefits of the PAR method in facilitating research that contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).