Participatory Action Research

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

1 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.

2 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

3 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

4 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 antipositivistic qualitative research methodology which asserts that the researcher is inherently

5 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

6 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.

7 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/glossaryglossaire/ (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.