2acces.org - Participatory Action Research

A spectrum of research methodologies

Below is a list of research approaches which can be considered to range in terms of how much participation there is of the people concerned in a study. It is not a hierarchy because the approach taken really depends on the circumstances. For some subjects, it is not possible to do participatory type research. For others, the subject matter strongly suggests it. BOTON----Private research has limited access for the public. It may serve for public benefit, but is generally motivated by commercial interests. For example: research by pharmaceutical companies; marketing studies.

Academic research increases the body of knowledge in a field or fields.

Applied research is intended to have a direct impact in some capacity. For example: an ecological study of wolf populations in park.

Advocacy work is intended to benefit the client. It is based on the ethic that research should be motivated by appeals for truth and justice for those who have been marginalized. For example: anthropological research on land tenure in support of First Nations land claims

Participatory methodologies can incorporate a variety of research tools which involve the people concerned, such as social mapping, workshops or group interviews. They are used in studies that may or may not be based on local people instigating the research and owning the results. For example: participatory rural appraisal.

Participatory action research is carried out by members of a community or social group and the process of investigation is considered to be as important as the results. Participatory action research is intended to directly contribute to community organizing and action. For example, local researchers from Quebec’s Lower North Shore were hired to carry out a survey on waste (by the Quebec-Labrador Foundation), which then stimulated local promotion of a recycling program.

It is a cyclical process that integrates action, evaluation, reflection, communication and planning. For example: for his M.A. thesis, Brian Sarwer-Foner coordinated a participatory action research project with environmental groups, about communication strategies. The results were based on back-and-forth exchanges between collective analysis, individual reflection, and the planning and action of the groups involved.

Ideally in PAR, a community sets the problem, does the research and controls the results. Outside researchers with specialized training are involved, by building local capacity for analysis and action in a process where they are committed participants rather than detached observers. For example: the Dene Cultural Institute created a formal process for studies on traditional law, medicine and ecology (including direction from an elder’s committee and hiring of local researchers, with assistance from other researchers such as anthropologists).

Some observations...
Any of these approaches can result in either sound or unsound research, in accordance with the validity of the methods employed and the accuracy of reporting strived for. Many of the more participatory and advocacy research methodologies have been critiqued for lacking objectivity, for having an “agenda”. This critique implies that other research is necessarily objective and lacks ideological underpinnings. By clearly stating research goals, we can achieve a greater though still relative objectivity.

There are good examples of the combination of methods. For example, university research linked with popular education which identifies local needs for research and provides forums for communication.BOTON----University-community collaborative research is where university researchers (students and/or professors) work with non-governmental organizations to carry out research that is useful for the organization while also providing benefit for the academic in his or her advancement of research or learning. Student research can be linked to real needs (e.g. with community groups). Accessible communication of results is important, and ideally should be included in assessment of student’s work. Collaborative research can integrate several approaches (e.g. applied/ advocacy/ participatory methods/ participatory action research). For example: University courses with outreach/research component ( see also Partnerships and Other Partnerships ).