Participatory Action Research: Theory and Methods for Engaged Inquiry

Fully revised and updated, this second edition of Participatory Action Research (PAR) provides new theoretical insights and many robust tools that will guide researchers, professionals and students from all disciplines through the process of conducting action research ‘with’ people rather than ‘for’ them or ‘about’ them. PAR is collective reasoning and evidence-based learning focussed on social action. It has immediate relevance in fields ranging from community development to education, health, public engagement, environmental issues and problem solving in the workplace. This new edition has been extensively revised to create a user-friendly textbook on PAR theory and practice, including: updated references and a comprehensive overview of different approaches to PAR (pragmatic, psychosocial, critical); more emphasis on the art of process design, especially in complex social settings characterized by uncertainty and the unknown; developments in the use of Web2 collaborative tools and digital strategies to support real-time data gathering and processing; updated examples and stories from around the world, in a wide range of fields; critical commentaries on major issues in the social sciences, including stakeholder theory, systems thinking, causal analysis, monitoring and evaluation, research ethics, risk assessment and social innovation. This modular textbook provides novel perspectives and ideas in a longstanding tradition that strives to reconnect science and the inquiry process with life in society. It provides coherent and critical treatment of core issues in the ongoing evolution of PAR, making it suitable for a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. It is intended for use by researchers, students and working professionals seeking to improve or rethink their approach to co-creating knowledge and supporting action for the well-being of all.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Module 1: Advancing Theory 1. Ins and outs of Participatory Action Research 2. Pragmatic, psychosocial and critical PAR Module 2: Design and Facilitation 3. Planning systems that learn 4. Participatory Action Monitoring and Evaluation 5. Measuring with measure 6. Skills, process design and ethics Module 3: Exploring Problems 7. Getting to the roots 8. Participatory mapping and Citizen Science 9. Factors at play 10. Paradox Module 4: Knowing the Actors 11. Stakeholder basics 12. Making social analysis simple, but not any simpler 13. Social Analysis CLIP 14. Positions and values Module 5: Assessing Options 15. Thinking outside the box 16. Reconciling differences 17. Anticipating the future Module 6: System Thinking 18. System Dynamics 19. Domain Analysis 20. Breaking the dependency on tobacco production Conclusion