Participatory Action Research Evaluation Research Articles

Inquiry and Participatory Action Research in Primary School

In Jamaica, learner-centered instruction is commended for teaching a curriculum focused on environmental education and sustainable development. This study investigated the potential of participatory action research (PAR) as an inquiry-based instructional method in a sixth-grade Jamaican classroom. Mixed methods compared the academic performance of students between teacher-led and PAR-driven groups, and analyzed key attributes of sustainable development. Though practicing PAR had no significant effect on students’ academic performance, perceived collaboration skills, and interest in science, participants displayed leadership skills, such as self-confidence, commitment, and teambuilding. Moreover, the inquiry group conducted cross-curricular research towards place-based environmental improvement. These assets correspond to the Jamaican educational objective of integrating multiple disciplines and stakeholders in the equation for a sustainable future and warrant a further evaluation of PAR in Jamaican schools.

An integrated group parenting model for mums with mental health issues and their babies: Findings from a participatory action research evaluation of the South Australian ACORN Program

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)

Evaluation of a Multi-case Participatory Action Research Project: The Case of SOLINSA

Purpose: Scholars agree that evaluation of participatory action research is inherently valuable; however there have been few attempts at evaluating across methods and across interventions because the perceived success of a method is affected by context, researcher skills and the aims of the participants. This paper describes the systematic evaluation of participatory action research with 17 European networks (LINSA) as part of a research project titled SOLINSA: Support of Learning and Innovation Networks for Sustainable Agriculture.Methodology: Participatory action research was carried out over three years in collaboration with the 17 LINSA using a learning-oriented evaluation that was adapted to SOLINSA. The collaboration was evaluated using a structured evaluation instrument that was developed in the project.Findings: The primary achievements of the interactions were based around enabling LINSA to reflect on their state and their practices. Joint reflection; facilitated by a member of the research team and in collaboration with the LINSA, stimulated internal engagement, enabled rethinking of the network's positioning, contributed to strategy development, and enabled creation of concrete outputs. Participation in the reflection process served to encourage commitment to the LINSA by individuals while improving relationships within the LINSA. Researchers and participants expressed that collaborative action research can be considered successful when both parties give and gain benefits, such as new knowledge or improved practical solutions.Practical implications: Comparison of self-evaluation of different networks using a single tool enabled the identification of common factors that contribute to successful collaboration. Included in these common factors was the need to identify and build a working relationship with key partners based on mutual trust and commitment, and to gain a balance between guidance and listening, interactions and freedom, and positive and critical reflection: a fragile equilibrium that is difficult and time consuming to establish.Originality: The adaptation of learning-oriented evaluation, by including a structure to allow comparison between the wide range of contexts, provides a useful instrument for evaluating participatory action research processes.

Blurred Boundaries in Participatory Action Research

This article discusses the subtle distinction between the role of a critical friend in participatory action research (PAR) evaluation and that of intervention project management, along with tensions that arise when the roles become blurred. These tensions are particularly evident when the imperatives for contributing to Māori development and local-level capacity-building impact on PAR evaluation best practice. The article draws on the experiences of evaluators at Whakauae Research for Māori Health and Development (WRMHD), a small, tribally based research unit, which regularly conducts PAR evaluation with community-based health organisations. To set the context, WRMHD's philosophical drivers and model of evaluation practice are described. The key principles of PAR evaluation and limitations of the approach are briefly discussed with reference to WRMHD's model of practice. The article then considers the issue of blurred boundaries; the conditions under which this phenomenon is likely to arise; and why it presents such a challenge to WRMHD's evaluation work. The article concludes by proposing a series of strategies that could be employed to mitigate the tensions that arise when the boundaries between roles become blurred.

Participatory Action Research (PAR) in Middle School: Opportunities, Constraints, and Key Processes

Late childhood and early adolescence represent a critical transition in the developmental and academic trajectory of youth, a time in which there is an upsurge in academic disengagement and psychopathology. PAR projects that can promote youth’s sense of meaningful engagement in school and a sense of efficacy and mattering can be particularly powerful given the challenges of this developmental stage. In the present study, we draw on data from our own collaborative implementation of PAR projects in secondary schools to consider two central questions: (1) How do features of middle school settings and the developmental characteristics of the youth promote or inhibit the processes, outcomes, and sustainability of the PAR endeavor? and (2) How can the broad principles and concepts of PAR be effectively translated into specific intervention activities in schools, both within and outside of the classroom? In particular, we discuss a participatory research project conducted with 6th and 7th graders at an urban middle school as a means of highlighting the opportunities, constraints, and lessons learned in our efforts to contribute to the high-quality implementation and evaluation of PAR in diverse urban public schools.

Youth Voices: Evaluation of Participatory Action Research

Abstract: When conducted with sensitivity and reflexivity, participatory action research (PAR) can be an empowering process that is particularly relevant for engaging young people in reflection and dialogue for social change. As the theory and practice of PAR evolve, researchers have evaluated the experiences of community participants, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. However, only a limited number of evaluations have focused on PAR processes undertaken with youth, and few published papers have reported on involving youth in the evaluation. This article addresses the process of enabling youth to participate to their fullest ability in an evaluation of a PAR project called Youth Voices. The analysis draws on feedback questionnaires from community evaluators, minutes and notes from team meetings, and the researchers’ experiences and observations. The authors reflect on lessons learned that can be helpful to others considering participatory evaluation research with youth. The study revealed limitations in employing participatory evaluation with at-risk youth, including challenges posed by their psychosocial development and maintaining participants’ engagement throughout the processes of participatory evaluation. These lessons shed light on key tensions in using participatory evaluation and challenge the implicit assumption that a higher level of participation is necessarily better when working with youth. A central question is posed: What level of participation is optimal to ensure authentic community decision-making in a PAR project without overwhelming youth participants?

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

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.