Value Of Participatory Action Research Research Articles

Integral education and Ubuntu: A participatory action research project in South Africa

Background: South Africa is beset with violent, antisocial practices and ways of life hindering peaceful co-existence and participatory democracy. This makes a targeted early education programme to develop a socially responsible generation imperative.Aim: Based on a larger research project, this study aimed to highlight the value of participatory action research in determining the outcomes of an early childhood development (ECD) Integral Education (IE) and Ubuntu approach for incorporation in the education and training of practitioners.Setting: Three ECD practitioners were selected to participate in this study, which was located in a township in the south of Durban in three preschools (urban, semi-urban and rural).Methods: Lewin’s PAR method was used to explore, develop and evaluate an intervention for change. Data were collected through focus group and participant interviews, observations and journal entries and then analysed thematically.Results: The findings revealed that, personally and professionally, the practitioners experienced positive changes through adopting an integral approach that included becoming more introspective and reflective in their practice.Conclusion: Educating and training early childhood practitioners to develop the appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to adopt and implement an ECD IE and Ubuntu approach are essential for developing a new generation of socially responsible citizens for participatory democracy in South Africa.Contribution: The findings highlighted key components of an ECD IE practitioner training programme based on the integrality of the mind, body, heart, spirit and community. Thus, the development of a caring, compassionate and humane society in democratic South Africa can be enabled.

Participatory action research as a research approach: advantages, limitations and criticisms

PurposeHow can people with lived experiences of marginalisation actively participate in contesting their marginalisation? This article aims to review the literature on PAR as a research approach. It will first describe what PAR means and consider this approach's particular features. The paper will go on to explore the advantages, limitations and criticisms of this approach to research.Design/methodology/approachHow can people with lived experiences of marginalisation actively participate in contesting their marginalisation? The approach of this paper is to provide needed viewpoint discussion on Participatory Action Research (PAR) advantages, limitations and criticisms. PAR is mostly a qualitative research approach that takes account of researchers and participants collaborating to investigate social issues and take actions to bring about social change.FindingsThe aim of (PAR) is to systematically collect and analyse data to take action and make a change by generating practical knowledge. However, PAR as an approach to research has advantages and disadvantages. Also, PAR as an approach can be a problematic tool for facilitators and communities to apply due to power relations within the research process. However, PAR can help the praxis of collective critical consciousness of the participation and democratisation of participants presented in studies where this approach is used. Although a PAR approach can be an unknown and challenging tool, it is a path through which communities can explore their society and ignite to change it.Originality/valueThis paper provides a discussion of the critical consciousness value of PAR that seeks to bring academics, researchers and practitioners to the approach to primarily qualitative research methodology that should be understood with advantages, limitations (ethical challenges) and criticisms.

From the fuzzy front end to the back end: A participatory action research approach to co-design promoting sustainable behaviour

The early design process, also referred to as the ‘fuzzy front end’, is emerging as the dominant content in social and service design domains. However, the back end of the development process is rarely considered in research or practice. In collaboration with two Caritas Community Centres, our research group applied participatory action research (PAR) to a co-design case study in Hong Kong, not only at the fuzzy front end but also at the back end. This paper demonstrates the value of PAR in co-design and describes how it can inform awareness and promote behavioural change to tackle environmental issues. It contributes to the design field by highlighting the significance of the later phases of the design research process. A framework for applying PAR to co-design is developed. Insights are provided for designers, researchers, and policymakers on the use of PAR in public design.

Evaluating the use of participatory action research to implement evidence‐based guidance on dementia palliative care in long‐term care settings: A creative hermeneutic analysis

BackgroundDementia affects a large proportion of society and places a significant burden on older people and healthcare systems internationally. Managing symptoms at the end of life for people with dementia is complex. Participatory action research can offer an approach that helps to encourage implementation of evidence‐based practices in long‐term care settings.MethodsThree evidence‐based guidance documents (pain assessment and management, medication management, nutrition and hydration management) were introduced in three long‐term care settings for older people. Data generated from work‐based learning groups were analysed using a critical hermeneutic approach to explore the use of participatory action research to support the implementation of guidance documents in these settings.ResultsEngagement and Facilitation emerged as key factors which both enabled and hindered the PAR processes at each study site.ConclusionsThis study adds to the body of knowledge that emphasises the value of participatory action research in enabling practice change. It further identifies key practice development approaches that are necessary to enable a PAR approach to occur in care settings for older people with dementia. The study highlights the need to ensure that dedicated attention is paid to strategies that facilitate key transformations in clinical practice.

The Value of Participatory Action Research in Corrections: Introduction to the Special Issue

Criminological research largely relies on surveys or administrative data to study people involved in the criminal justice system, either as clients or as staff (Kleck et al., 2006; Woodward et al.,...

Multidisciplinary exhibit design in a Science Centre: a participatory action research approach

In this paper we highlight the issues and opportunities of a participatory action research (PAR) and co-design project, currently being undertaken as engaged research between academics at Durham University and practitioners at the UK’s International Centre for Life in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (CfL; see creativescienceatlife.com for more information and developments). The focus is on the use of PAR to enable university researchers and Science Centre professionals to co-design Informal Science Learning exhibits that enhance creativity and innovation in young people. We define the principles of PAR and explore reasons for adopting the approach. An account is provided of the iterative co-design and piloting of a novel exhibit within a new exhibition space at the CfL. Reflections collated independently by the practitioners and the academics involved highlighting the development of ideas and insights over the course of the PAR process. We discuss how PAR enabled effective engagement with and creation of enriched knowledge, and innovation, in both the academy and science-learning professionals. The added value of PAR and co-production to our project aligns with current calls for a redefining of how societal impact of academic research is considered.

A response to strategies and tactics through participatory action research in a developmental mathematics course

This paper explores the value of participatory action research in a community college developmental mathematics course. The authors used the framework of critical mathematics education in order to understand the critical conversations of students about their learning experiences, and also to help the instructor of the course develop the curriculum that attended to student experiences. The authors also draw on Michel de Certeau’s ideas about strategies and tactics to understand how students responded to their past learning experiences. Data results from the study show that students can gain a better understanding of their own learning and subsequently develop deeper content knowledge when they are more involved in the teaching and learning process. Lastly, the authors conclude that as adult learners grow in their understanding of the learning processes and of the content being presented, participatory action research can play an important role in the entire development of thinking and intellectual engagement.

Looking through the magnifying glass: A duoethnographic approach to understanding the value and process of participatory action research with LGBTQ youth

Participatory action research is a method intended to shift the power of the “researcher” and “researched.” This paper presents the results of a duoethnographic exploration and analysis of experiences working on a participatory action research team. The authors participated in a research team, made up primarily of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer -identified young adults, which studied intra-community bigotry. Duoethnography is a qualitative method that reflects on a shared experience or cultural event from two different viewpoints in order to juxtapose perspectives without attempting to resolve differences or converge into conclusions. Through duoethnography, the authors identified three praxes that offer guidance for qualitative social work researchers. The praxes include negotiating power, engaging in iterative learning and knowledge production, and sharing the burden of vulnerability. These praxes create an opportunity for qualitative researchers to consider the value of participatory action research as a reflective research process that aligns with social work principles of self-awareness and social justice, and to identify participatory and reflexive strategies that can be incorporated into a variety of qualitative methods.

Changing Ourselves, Changing the World: Assessing the Value of Participatory Action Research as an Empowerment-Based Research and Service Approach With LGBTQ Young People

LGBTQ youth and emerging adults are a population for which little is understood with regard to the effectiveness of interventions and service approaches. This study explores the value of participatory action research (PAR) as an empowerment-based research and service approach with LGBTQ young people. Based on analysis of audio-recordings and reflections of a research team of LGBTQ young people between the ages of 18 and 24, the researcher identified primary aspects of PAR that align with empowerment at the individual, group, and community levels. Findings suggest that PAR offers a model that supports empowerment-based outcomes in research and service delivery.

Choosing Employment: Factors That Impact Employment Decisions for Individuals With Intellectual Disability

Little is known about the factors that shape the employment-related decisions of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Findings from qualitative interviews with individuals, their family members, and employment-support professionals from four community rehabilitation providers throughout Massachusetts were reported. Recognizing the value of participatory action research, we also included a co-researcher with intellectual disability who participated in all facets of the research process. Findings revealed a collection of people and factors considered influential in employment-related decision-making. The family in the formative years, school-based staff and early employment experiences, the culture of the community rehabilitation providers, the job developer, and personal preferences all influenced participants' decisions. Through understanding these persuasive elements, we offer recommendations to those in the intellectual and developmental disabilities field to optimize employment choices and outcomes.

“Big Organisations” Supporting “Small Involvement”: Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina on Enabling Community‐Based Participation of Children Through PAR

The article presents the process and the outcomes of child participatory action research (PAR) conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), as part of UNICEF activities in this country. The study was implemented through children acting as co-researchers, organised in so-called Children's PAR Groups, initiated in three BiH municipalities. Children collaborated with a Support Group in each of the municipalities, comprised of adults who helped children implement their activities. Children chose to focus their research on community participation and ensured a number of outcomes in a relatively brief period. The value of PAR in the development of child participation was highlighted by children and adults who took part in the study. Prejudices that children have toward adults, and vice versa, were issues identified as main barriers for wider children's participation. This article also reviews a number of ethical challenges highlighted in the study, such as the organisational barriers to children's participation and project-based support for its development.

The value of participatory action research in clinical nursing practice

This paper demonstrates the value of participatory action research (PAR) and promotes its use by nurses in clinical practice. PAR has gained popularity in nursing and health-care research, offering a way of developing practice-based knowledge that can improve nursing care. PAR is described in detail: what PAR is, how to use PAR in clinical practice, and the steps in the PAR cycle as applied during an exemplar study in which nurses used PAR to address their concerns and develop, implement and evaluate a model of care in an acute medical ward. The authors advocate PAR as a collaborative means to improve the nursing care for patients in varied clinical practice settings.

Including excluded perspectives in participatory action research

In this paper I argue that participatory action research offers the potential for challenging the normative production of knowledge by including excluded perspectives and engaging those most affected by the research in the process. I report on a participatory action research project ‘Makes Me Mad: Stereotypes of Young Urban Womyn of Color’ that I developed with six young women from New York. In my discussion I address key principles of participatory action research (PAR) including the significance of building collective capacity and creating a community of researchers, the value of PAR as a research methodology, issues of audience, and the presentation of research findings (beyond the journal article) so they are ‘received’.

Integrating Catchment Ecosystems and Community Health: The Value of Participatory Action Research

ABSTRACT Understanding links between catchment management and community health demands consideration of complex bio‐physical, socio‐economic, and public health relationships. These relationships cut across a spectrum of health, environment and development considerations and highlight the need for appropriate and integrative modes of inquiry and decision making. What can Participatory Action Research (PAR) contribute towards achieving an integrated approach to catchment management and community health issues? In addition to a methodological overview of Participatory Action Research, this paper reviews other participatory, community, action, and ecosystems‐based methods. Commonalities in principles and methods are highlighted across a number of fields of research and practice including rural and community development, public health and health promotion, natural resource management, environmental health, and integrated ecosystem‐based approaches. Lessons learned from application of Participatory Action Research are described in relation to a catchment and community health project, based in the Taieri River catchment, New Zealand. The case study emphasizes the importance of both horizontal and vertical connections between diverse coalitions of catchment stakeholders and the contribution of PAR cycles of inquiry, reflection, and action, toward this type of integration. Both generic and location‐specific examples highlight the value of participatory methods that respond to the challenge of how to integrate the complex social and bio‐physical processes that characterize human and ecosystem health.

Advancing scientific knowledge through participatory action research

This paper aims to demonstrate the value of participatory action research (PAR) for advancing scientific knowledge as well as for solving practical problems. The article supports the argument through brief summaries of three PAR cases in industry: Norwegian shipping, Xerox Corporation, and the FAGOR group of the Mondragón cooperatives. While noting the practical gains achieved through PAR, the author concentrates particularly on the advances in substantive knowledge and theory that would have been unlikely to emerge out of more orthodox sociological research. The author suggests finally that wider use of participatory action research can have a stimulating effect upon the future development of sociology.

Usable Knowledge: Social Science and Social Problem Solving.Charles E. Lindblom , David K. Cohen

<i>Usable Knowledge: Social Science and Social Problem Solving.</i>Charles E. Lindblom , David K. Cohen