Example Of Participatory Action Research Research Articles

Exploring Perceived Barriers to Physical Activity in Korean Older Patients with Hypertension: Photovoice Inquiry.

This study attempted to explore the barriers to physical activity of older patients with Hypertension. It aimed to provide robust evidence produced through their eyes. First, through the data analysis of the accelerometer and the decision of the research team, 10 out of the 30 applicants were invited to participate in a photovoice study. Photovoice is one example of participatory action research. Photovoice participants can communicate their unique experiences through photographs, providing a highly realistic and authentic perspective that is not possible to be understood with traditional qualitative research. This study inductively identified four main themes; health illiteracy, distortion of health information, fear of physical activity, and rejection of any life changes. Based on a specific understanding of the population's perception of physical activity, this study attempted to provide evidence of why many elderly Korean patients with Hypertension stay inactive.

Understanding the Life, Pain, and Barriers to Physical Activity in Korean Patients with Panic Disorder: Photovoice Inquiry.

Purpose: This study attempted to understand the life, pain, and barriers to physical activity in the daily life of patients with panic disorder (PD). It aimed to provide specific evidence to promote physical activity for patients, suggesting that suitable physical activity strategies for patients with PD would be of value. Methods: Seven patients were invited to participate in a photovoice study. Photovoice is one example of participatory action research. Results: This study inductively identified two main themes: the life and pain of patients with PD and perceived barriers to participate in physical activity by patients with panic disorder. Conclusion: Based on a specific understanding of the population, this study attempted to provide evidence why patients with panic disorder need appropriate physical-activity-promoting strategies.

Transdisciplinary Responses to Children’s Health Challenges in the Context of Rapid Urbanization

Urban transformations are complex, dynamic, and systemic societal phenomena that have many positive and negative consequences, including irreversible changes to land-use and loss of soil permeability, deforestation and accelerating losses of biodiversity, energy consumption and increasing volumes of green-house gas emissions, demographics and greater socio-economic inequalities, and accelerating incidences of non-communicable diseases. These omnipresent diseases (e.g., asthma, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes) have no cultural, geographical, or socio-economic boundaries and they impact all age groups including children and young adults. Local and national authorities North and South of the Equator, and international organizations and networks, have rarely responded effectively to children’s health challenges in the context of rapid urban development. The purpose of this article is to describe and illustrate more effective approaches. It proposes new ideas, founded on collective thinking involving several disciplines and professions, and new working methods, founded on collaboration with community associations in civil society. Both promote shared understandings about the complex, dynamic, systemic, and emergent nature of urban health risks for children. The article explains why transdisciplinary contributions should be distinguished from multi- and inter-disciplinary contributions, and it presents examples of participatory action research in the WHO European region about children’s health.

Alternative spaces of urban sustainability: results of a first integrative approach in the Italian city of Brescia

In the face of contemporary economic, environmental, and social changes, one of the main challenges facing cities is to build and realise a vision for a sustainable future. To do so, a number of local sustainability strategies are promoted in urban policymaking with the goal of improving citizens' participation and quality of life. The aim is to empower citizens and enable them to be more active in local and global sustainability issues. This paper focuses on identifying and discussing the alternative spaces in which the future of the city can be collectively envisioned, considering processes of socio-ecological change and power relations, consistent with an urban political ecology. The purpose of such spaces should be to link daily behaviour patterns of sustainability with urban environmental governance through processes of participation. In particular we suggest the adoption of an integrative approach between top-down and bottom-up approaches. One example is an experimental process, called the Altrevie project, which took place in a pilot area of the city of Brescia and involved 150 families. The approach is an example of participatory action research. Its first phase was a sample survey to obtain an initial representation of the lifestyles of the residents. In the second phase, residents learnt to measure their ecological footprint and participated in workshops and laboratories to improve the sustainability of their lifestyles. During the project, we identified and tried to promote alternative spaces in which to imagine and build the sustainable city: spaces of alternative consumption which go beyond the traditional market system (according to alternative economic geographies); and spaces of participation that can promote an integrative method between top-down and bottom-up approaches. These different approaches to urban development create unique conditions for seeking sustainability through innovative and participative visions.

Assessing the Educational and Support Needs of Nursing Staff Serving Older Adults

Given the expected changes in demography and dependent care ratios, communities are preparing for the needs of older populations. Sometimes, communities form coalitions to address health-care needs. This case study evaluates a coalition/university partnership formed to assess the educational and support needs of nursing staff who are taking care of older adults across all service settings in one geographically defined community. A 17-member community-based coalition contracted with researchers from an external university to determine the perceptions of three key stakeholder groups: older adults and their families, all levels of nursing staff, and agency administrators. By applying principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR), this case study presents the challenges faced in the community-based coalition/university research team partnership. This coalition/research partnership is unique, differing from most academic examples of PAR because nursing professionals initiated the partnership.

Developing sport-based after-school programmes using a participatory action research approach

This paper is based on a three-year research programme, the overall purpose of which was to develop, implement and evaluate sport-based after-school programmes for students in low-income areas of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In addition to presenting the results of this study, the other purpose of this paper was to provide an empirical example of participatory action research, depicting when and how community partners were engaged in the research process. Following several years of initial work in low-income communities, a need to create sport-based after-school programming was identified. The first action phase involved the creation and delivery of a multi-sport programme in two schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 children and two teachers to evaluate programme content and benefits. Inductive analysis revealed that the programme provided children with new opportunities and helped them to learn social and personal life skills. In the second action phase, a revised programme was delivered to 35 children. Fourteen children and three teachers participated in interviews to share their views on programme content, benefits and challenges. There were difficulties relating to the children’s skill level, behaviour and listening during the early stages of the programme. Nonetheless, by the end of the programme, children reported that they enjoyed activities based on creating optimal challenges and ‘adventures’ which engaged their imaginations. Children also learned fundamental movement, sport and life skills, some of which transferred to other areas of their lives.

Exploring Participatory Action Research and Related Traditions in Aotearoa New Zealand, as a Postgraduate Student in Anthropology

This article presents a literature review of participatory action research (PAR) approaches used in New Zealand social science research to assess if there is a ‘New Zealand’ approach to PAR that differs somewhat from the international literature on PAR. Using the additional device of self reflection on my own current PhD research topic I argue that New Zealand does have rich local influences that enhance PAR as a methodology while also maintaining many points of similarity with the international literature. Given the breadth and richness of New Zealand based scholars' experience with this method, I argue that more New Zealand based academic writing should refer to these local examples of participatory action research.

A mixed-methods model for educational evaluation.

After a brief review of recent federal education legislation, in particular the No Child Left Behind Act, we present a model for educational assessment that does more than focus upon high-stakes testing. This model of educational assessment represents a mixed methods approach that school districts can adopt to assist them in becoming more proactive with respect to assessment. It utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research methods, is an example of participatory action research, and demonstrates the value of this mixed methods approach to assessment. Utilizing this model gives a district a sense of empowerment and control and, most important, provides a better understanding of the real issues and challenges that a school district faces. It provides school districts with an accurate assessment of the quality their schools by utilizing a comprehensive and longitudinal perspective that accurately reflects how successful the district is in educating its students.

Striving towards Inclusive Research: An Example of Participatory Action Research with Older Lesbians and Gay Men

This paper sets out to explore the implications of participatory action research (PAR) as a method of encouraging older people from minority groups to have a ‘voice’ in defining knowledge, theory and practice about their lives. Recent policy in Britain has promoted the recognition of diversity of experience in later life () and the importance of working with older people as equal partners (). At the same time, notions of partnership and service user involvement in both research and practice development are now firmly established within health and social care practice. Despite this, the needs of older lesbians and gay men are still very much invisible within mainstream policy and practice (). PAR approaches seek to address issues of power, politics and empowerment () and therefore offers an inclusive method of working with marginalized and excluded voices. This is important in research with minority groups, as their experiences can be masked by imposing mainstream categories and assumptions (). The paper considers participatory action research as a methodology for inclusive social work research and uses a case study to explore the methodology. It reviews the ‘cycle’ of research using the six principles for working with disempowered groups identified by . The paradoxes involved in participatory research are explored, including issues of inclusiveness and exclusivity, and the possibility of ‘untold truths’ (). The challenges involved in striving for inclusive and empowering research methodologies are discussed, exploring the implications for ‘outsider’ researchers, and the challenges of working with ‘variant truths’.

Diffusion, Decolonializing, and Participatory Action Research

Miki Takasuna describes knowledge transfer between elite communities of scientists, a process by which ideas become structurally transformed in the host culture. By contrast, a process that we have termed knowledge transfer by deelitization occurs when (a) participatory action researchers work with a community to identify a problem involving oppression or exploitation. Then (b) community members suggest solutions and acquire the tools of analysis and action to pursue social actions. (c) Disadvantaged persons thereby become more aware of their own abilities and resources, and persons with special expertise become more effective. (d) Rather than detachment and value neutrality, this joint process involves advocacy and structural transformation. In the examples of participatory action research documented here, Third World social scientists collaborated with indigenous populations to solve problems of literacy, community-building, land ownership, and political voice. Western social scientists, inspired by these non-Western scientists, then joined in promoting PAR both in the Third World and in Europe and the Americas, e.g., adapting it for solving problems of people with disabilities or disenfranchised women. Emancipatory goals such as these may even help North American psychologists to break free of some methodological chains and to bring about social and political change.

The Development of a Web Site to Promote the Mental and Physical Health of Sons and Daughters of Vietnam Veterans of Australia

There are estimated to be approximately 85,000 Australian Sons and Daughters of Australian Vietnam Veterans,1 a group recognized as having a substantially higher rate of suicide than the general Australian population.2 The Sons and Daughters of Vietnam Veterans of Australia (SDVVA) Web site http://www.sonsanddaughters.net.au was developed to harness the computer literacy of this age group by featuring an online support group that enables discussions, access to information and resources about Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, and provides the ability of Sons and Daughters to share experiences with each other. The conceptualization and early development of the Web site was well received by the SDVVA during state-based focus groups, particularly given the complete lack of targeted Web-based information and online support groups. This project is an example of participatory action research (PAR) methodology that was successful in developing the early stages of a community of practice (CoP). This paper discusses how online technologies can be implemented to build a sense of community, trust, and shared values in individuals at higher risk of suicide. It also describes why PAR was chosen as a methodology to meet the challenges and needs of this particular project.

Programme quality in Australian early special education: an example of participatory action research.

A study of programme quality of early intervention in a large governmental early special education service in Queensland, Australia employed a collaborative methodology of participatory action research. The approach has been encouraged strongly for disability-focused research, but the approach is demanding and few examples have been reported. In this multistage 4-year project, indicators of programme quality were generated from staff and parents in the service, validated throughout the service, and generalized across the nation. Examples of the implementation of this methodology across these stages are reported, and benefits and compromises are examined.

"Nothing about me, without me": participatory action research with self-help/mutual aid organizations for psychiatric consumer/survivors.

Participatory action research with self-help/mutual aid organizations for psychiatric consumer/survivors is reviewed. We begin by tracing the origins of and defining both participatory action research and self-help/mutual aid. In so doing, the degree of correspondence between the assumptions/values of participatory action research and those of self-help/mutual aid for psychiatric consumer/survivors is examined. We argue that participatory action research and self-help/mutual aid share four values in common: (a) empowerment, (b) supportive relationships, (c) social change, and (d) learning as an ongoing process. Next, selected examples of participatory action research with psychiatric consumer/survivor-controlled self-help/mutual aid organizations which illustrate these shared values are provided. We conclude with recommendations of how the key values can be promoted in both the methodological and substantive aspects of future participatory action research with self-help/mutual aid organizations for psychiatric consumer/survivors.

Participatory action research in youth programming: A theory in use

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is a kind of research that involves participants in the research process and produces knowledge that is useful to service providers, program participants, and other professionals. This article describes an example of PAR conducted by a youth-adult team to evaluate a youth conference based on the philosophy of “youth empowerment.” How participants were included in shaping the research and how researchers collaborated with participants and staff of the program are examined, as well as the specific ways in which the evaluation produced knowledge that was used in the program.