Participatory Action Research

Taswell Solomons

2013

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION: PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH ............................................................ 1

1.1. Participatory research ..................................................................................................... 1

1.2. Action research ................................................................................................................ 1

2. CORE ELEMENTS OF PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH ...................................................... 2

2.1. Community of interest .................................................................................................... 2

2.2. Empowerment ................................................................................................................. 3

2.3. Social network ................................................................................................................. 3

2.4. Social support and community mobilisation ................................................................... 3

3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHODS OF RESEARCH ................................................ 4

3.1. Quantitative method of research .................................................................................... 4

3.2. Qualitative method of research ...................................................................................... 4

4. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 6

5. BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................ 7

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1. INTRODUCTION: PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Schurink (2010:490) explains that participatory action research (PAR) could be seen as a

research process where communities involved in the situation that is being studied are

empowered (in partnership with researchers and other sectors) and mobilised to become

actively involved in collective efforts to address and solve their social problems. The two main

traditions on which PAR draws from are participatory research and action research.

1.1. Participatory research

According to the Panel on Research Ethics (2013) participatory research is defined as “research

that includes the active involvement of those who are the subject of the research.

Participatory research is usually action-oriented, where those involved in the research process

collaborate to define the research project, collect and analyse the data, produce a final product

and act on the results.” Participatory research is furthermore a method of research which is

intrinsically linked to collaborative research and community-based research. The Panel on

Research Ethics (2013) define collaborative research as “research that involves the cooperation

of researchers, institutions, organisations and/or communities, each bringing distinct expertise

to a project”; and community-based research involves research which is “conducted at a

community site that focuses not only on individuals but on the community itself”.

Participatory research could therefore be noted to be a type of research that engages with the

subject of study through an open dialogue between the researcher and the subject.

1.2. Action research

The Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration (2008:155) defines action

research as “a research strategy that studies action with three goals: making that action more

effective and efficient; empowerment and participation; and developing scientific knowledge”.

The Handbook however notes that action research forms part of a family of methods rather

than a precise research methodology and includes three different varieties: action research as

a form of organizational development, participatory evaluation, and community development

(Yang and Miller, 2008:156). Action research could therefore be noted to be a type of research

which focuses on community matters wherein the researcher and subject commit to mutual

engagement.

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By evaluating the ‘participative’ nature and engaging orientation of participatory action

research one can deduce that PAR would generally be implemented at a large scale to improve

the quality of people’s organisation, communities and family lives. It specifically has a social

and community orientation and it focuses on research that contributes to emancipation or

change in our society. Therefore, PAR has great relevance in research which focuses on

community matters such as education, health, welfare, etc.

It is a form of research which, according to Elliot (2011:2), places researchers in the service of

community members, combining knowledge and action for social progress. Researchers

bestow knowledge upon the subject they’re studying; thus, in a sense, makes the subjects

researchers themselves. Additionally, PAR enables community members to become better

informed about the problem being researched and, according to Elliot (2011:16), purposefully

champions the community engaging in its own research. Participatory action research has

caught the attention of community development practitioners who sees it as an innovative

strategy for community-driven development in urban neighbourhoods and rural communities

(Schurink, 2010:493). It is a means by which people of a disadvantaged background is able to

empower themselves.

2. CORE ELEMENTS OF PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

PAR, according to Schurink (2010:490-491) has four core interrelated elements; namely

community of interest, empowerment, social network and social support and community

mobilisation. These are further discussed below.

2.1. Community of interest

According to Temmis and McTaggart (2000:272), action research began with an idea attributed

to social psychologist Kurt Lewin. Lewin advocated the notion of community action programs

to assist in the development of communities (Temmis and McTaggart, 2002:272). Schurink

(2010:491) explains that community participation can be defined as the creation of a

democratic system and procedure to enable community members to become actively involved

and to take responsibility for their own development, to share equally in the fruits of

community development and to improve their decision-making power. The idea of

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‘community of interest’ places the community at the forefront of initiating their own

development.

2.2. Empowerment

Schurink (2010:491) notes that empowerment can be described as the process of increasing

personal, interpersonal skills and political power, enabling individuals or collectives to improve

their life situation. Therefore it could be argued that both the skills of community members

and their opportunities for development are needed to empower people. Empowerment

could therefore be noted as an important outcome of PAR. Participatory action research could

be a suitable method of research to explore the results of government policies emphasising

empowerment for previously disadvantaged groups such as the policy of Affirmative Action.

Researchers researching the result/effects of AA can gain both insight into this policy and

further inform subjects regarding the basis of the policy which can provide further

opportunities to those who do not understand or know the benefits of AA. Quantitative

methods of research, on the other hand, will simply only aim to present AA results in a

statistical/data manner without really providing first-hand results.

2.3. Social network

Schurink (2010:491) describes a social network as a vehicle through which informal social

support is provided and notes that it is important to gain an understanding of social

networking and informal social support because these are important elements of a community

of interest. Professionals could utilise available support networks or mobilise new support

networks to enhance the social functioning and well-being of subjects.

2.4. Social support and community mobilisation

Broadly speaking the term “mobilisation” refers to simultaneous engagement of large masses

of people in activities that have a predominantly social or collective objective (Schurink,

2010:492). In recent years mobilisation has been accustomed to focus on strike action and civil

unrest by citizens. This being because citizens are viewing themselves more as clients of basic

services instead of recipients. Schurink (2010:492) notes that citizens nowadays see

themselves as incapable of taking charge of their lives and of the community and have been

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conditioned to wait for outside experts to fix their problems. They therefore do not see

themselves as being producers of their own services.

To counteract this negative community mobilisation Schurink (2010:492) explains that a

researcher acting as a change agent could utilise community mobilisation as a strategy for

community development. In this way communities can begin to assemble their strengths into

new combinations, build new structures of opportunity, utilise new sources of income and

control, and filter new possibilities for development.

3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE METHODS OF RESEARCH

3.1. Quantitative method of research

Quantitative research includes statistical processes and experiments and is primarily done to

do quantitative studies of people and their behaviour by means of surveys, interviews,

experiments and field experiments (Cameron and Milne, 2010:560). This type of methodology

is of importance to Public Administration where there is an increasing demand by a number of

actors for measuring results. Yang and Miller (2008:142) explain quantitative methods of

research originated from the natural sciences such as physics and chemistry and are objective

and can be used to establish causal relationships in general to a wider population. It

additionally forms part of a type of research that stresses hypothesis testing based on

theoretical deduction. It is therefore intrinsically a research methodology that factors

primarily on statistics, data and numeric information.

3.2. Qualitative method of research

Qualitative methods were rooted in arts and humanities and clinical research, with an

emphasis on the interpretation of human cognition and action. It has certain assumptions on

ontology (reality), epistemology (knowledge), and methodology (tools) (Yang and Miller,

2008:142). Therefore it could be argued that a research method is qualitative if its intent and

focus is on interpretation and understanding rather than - in the case of quantitative methods -

explanation and prediction.

According to Schurink (2010:499) participatory action research forms part of the anti-

positivistic qualitative research methodology which asserts that the researcher is inherently

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part of the world being studied. In this sense participatory action research goes further than

merely revealing an understanding of the life of research subjects; it interrelates

understanding and action by enabling communities to take action after they have gained

knowledge of their situation. PAR is therefore more aligned to the qualitative method of

research as it emphasises the methodology of qualitative studies such as being participative in

the research process through open dialogue between the researcher and subject.

There are times when participatory action research may not be appropriate, and there are

times when it is the best choice. One criterion in deciding is the amount of time you have to

do the research on the issue or intervention. Participatory action research may take longer

than traditional methods, because of the need for training, and because of the time it often

takes for community researchers to adjust to the situation (i.e. to realise that their opinions

and intuitions are important, even if they may not always be right, and that their conclusions

are legitimate). If time is limited PAR may not be the correct research methodology.

Morrell (2006:7) lists the following problems/goals which PAR is best suited for:

Domestic Violence

Conditions of Refugees

Educational Equity

Self-determination

Reclamation of culture

Self-expression

Social Justice

Environmental Justice

Prevention of drug addiction

To add to the above, one could consider the problem/goal of youth matters, access to health

care services, and skills development. Morrell (2006:9) also notes that it is probably best and

most effective to use PAR when:

There is time to properly train and inform community researchers.

The research and analysis necessary relies on interviews, experience, knowledge of the

community, and an understanding of the issue or intervention from the inside, rather

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than on academic skills or an understanding of statistics (unless you have the time and

resources to teach those skills or the team includes someone who has them).

You need an entry to the community or group from whom the information is being

gathered.

You are concerned with buy-in and support from the community.

Part of the purpose of using PAR is to have an effect on and empower the community

researchers.

Part of the purpose of using PAR is to set the stage for long-term social change.

4. CONCLUSION

This essay has described participatory action research and has explained that this research

method came into existence by combining the methodology of participatory research and

action research. This essay has also explained the core elements of participative action

research and has described the methodology of qualitative and quantitative research in

relation to participatory action research.

From the descriptions and explanations above one can conclude that participatory action

research is a form of research that is to be used in cases where community issues are of focus.

Researchers using the method of participatory action research become both instruments of

research as well as instruments of information, by empowering subjects with the knowledge of

the research topic. It could therefore be said that this form of research is vital in matters

where government policies affect the lives of communities.

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5. BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Cameron, R. and Milne, C. 2010. A critical analysis of public administration doctorates

in South Africa 1994-2007. In “Journal of Public Administration”, Vol 45, no.3. Pg. 560.

2. Elliott, P W. 2011. Participatory Action Research: Challenges, Complications,, and

Opportunities. Canada: Centre for the Study of Co-operatives. Pp. 2-16.

3. Kemmis, S. and McTaggart, R. 2000. Participatory Aciton Research: Communicative

Action and the Public Sphere. Pg. 272.

4. Morrell, E. 2006. ritical Participatory Action Research and the Literacy Achievement of

Ethnic Minority Youth. 55th Annual Yearbook of the National Reading Conference. Pp.

6-9.

5. Panel on Research Ethics. Participatory research. Available online:

http://www.ethics.gc.ca/eng/policy-politique/initiatives/tcps2-eptc2/glossary-

glossaire/ (Accessed 1 September 2013).

6. Schurink, E. 2010. Participatory Action Research as tool for sustainable public

governance. In “Journal of Public Administration”, Vol 45, no.3. Pp. 490-499.

7. Yang, K. and Miller, G. 2008. Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration.

New York: Auerbach Publications. Pp. 142-156.