Chapter 11 - Participatory Action Research: Role of Theory, Engaging with Populations That Are Represented & Inherent Challenges of PAR

Question 1

What is the role of theory in PAR?

Answer 1

• Guide and inform PAR
• Help make sense of the findings and identify action strategies

Theory plays a central role in informing PAR practices & theory can be generated through practice

Question 2

Why is it important to engage with populations of underrepresented?

Answer 2

The underrepresented possess unique experiential knowledge that PAR approaches aim to respectfully explore

Essential to include participants from diverse backgrounds; enhance understandings of phenomena & challenging limitations of research based solely on samples of western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic

Question 3

What is “Inherent challenges of PAR”?

Answer 3

It is difficult to provide specifics as to how researchers should work to address challenges as there is no singular way of doing PAR

Question 4

What are the challenges that are found in PAR?

Answer 4

1. Establishing and nurturing relationships
2. Ensuring ongoing participant collaboration
3. Identifying action

Question 5

What is establishing and nurturing relationships when it comes to challenges of PAR?

Answer 5

Establishing and maintaining trust and relationships are central to the success of PAR
* Without time = no rapport can be established
* A lot of other committments for researchers

Question 6

What is Ensuring Ongoing Participant Collaboration when it comes to challenges in PAR

Answer 6

Trying to foster a sense of shared ownership (researcher and participants) and control of research process and outcomes for participants

• Contributions of researchers and participants may vary depending on the specific phase of the research
• Critical to acknowledge that the researchers and participants have differing expertise and interests

Question 7

Why is Identifying Action an inherent challenge of PAR?

Answer 7

• The actions that were implemented or taken to fix the social issue is never really clearly articulated or never describes the impact the action had on the issue

Question 8

What are some factors that explain why “Identifying Action” is not clearly articulated in the research?

Answer 8

• Page restrictions - lack of space
• Researchers not being aware of various action initiatives or related impacts
• Very to little no action
• Might take place only after the study has already been published

Question 9

What does it mean when action occurs on various levels?

Answer 9

It means that the action can happen on an individual level, a broader societal level or even a policy-level

• Engaging in the research process itself may constitute indiviual-level action

Question 10

How does communication relate to taking action?

Answer 10

Communicating research findings to broad audiences through various outlets can be a form of action in that awareness is created

• Useful in developing policies necessary to address issues and injustices foundational to PAR