Knowledge Democracy and Participatory Research

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://192.9.200.215:4000/handle/123456789/123

Welcome to the Knowledge Democracy and Participatory Research Community. This community serves as a comprehensive repository of resources on participatory approaches, community-based research, and collaborative inquiry methods. Our mission is to foster knowledge sharing and support initiatives that empower communities to contribute to research, ensuring their voices shape the knowledge that impacts their lives.

Explore a wealth of materials, including case studies, policy papers, training guides, and research publications that highlight the practice and principles of participatory research worldwide.

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Now showing 1 - 18 of 18

Action Research: Toward a Procedural Model
(Human Relations, 1976) Cunningham, Bart
This paper discusses the Action Research (AR) approach to organizational decision-making, where the entire organization identifies needs, solves problems, and implements decisions. The article outlines the key components of AR, including the Action Research Group and the Action Researcher. It highlights the importance of member participation, group dynamics, and social forces in facilitating effective organizational change. A procedural model for Action Research is presented, with detailed discussions on its phases, group development, and evaluation processes.
Action-Research: Assumptions and Practice
(Public Enterprises Centre for Continuing Education, 0000) Tandon, Rajesh
This paper discusses the assumptions and practices associated with action-research in social science. It critiques the classical enquiry approach, focusing on its assumptions about knowledge generation, objectivity, and the separation between researcher and subject. It explores the ideological, epistemological, and methodological aspects of action-research, highlighting its cyclical nature and the integration of understanding with change. The paper contrasts the traditional approach to research with action-research, emphasizing the value of subjective experience, experiential learning, and intervention in social systems as legitimate means of knowledge generation.
African Regional Workshop on Participatory Research, Mzumbe, 2nd - 7th July, 1979 – Group II Report on the Case Study on Rural Vocational Education
(1979-07-02)
This Group II report from the African Regional Workshop on Participatory Research (Mzumbe, 2nd - 7th July, 1979) discusses a case study on rural vocational education. The group expressed concerns over limited preparation time, noted the importance of understanding historical materialism (HM) to identify and solve research problems, and highlighted the need to align research findings with practical action. The discussion addressed the relationship between church ideology and liberation-focused research, the integration of education with economic and manpower needs, and the political context of research dissemination. The group also emphasized the importance of research credibility and strategizing to ensure findings lead to meaningful action.
An Action Research Paradigm for Increasing Employee Involvement
(Case Western Reserve University, 1981-06) Pasmore, William; Friedlander, Frank
This study explores the use of a participative action research method to enhance employee involvement in organizational problem-solving. Traditional organizational research methods often reinforce hierarchical structures, limiting the role of employees. By contrast, action research empowers employees through collaboration, sharing of knowledge, and joint problem-solving, fostering trust and equitable relationships. The article illustrates the application of this approach in a manufacturing plant addressing a stress-related injury problem, highlighting the benefits for organizational functioning and labor-management dynamics.
Clippings from ‘Cartagena
(0000)
This document provides insights and summaries from the World Congress on Participatory Action Research (PAR) held in Cartagena, Colombia, from May 31 to June 5. The Congress brought together over one thousand participants from 41 different nationalities, discussing the evolution and spread of Participatory Action Research globally. It highlights discussions on various PAR methodologies, challenges faced in participatory research, and future directions for fostering collaboration across knowledge, space, and time. The report includes key presentations and panel discussions, reflections on past pioneers, and a focus on issues such as democratic societies, justice, conflict resolution, and popular education.
Dialogue Across Difference?
(1997) Wadsworth, Yoland
This paper, presented at the 4th World Congress on Action Research, Action Learning, and Process Management, explores the evolution of participatory and action-oriented research methods. The author reflects on the journey from conventional social science to more participatory, dialogue-centered methodologies. It focuses on the importance of dialogue as a tool for mutual knowledge construction, especially in contexts marked by power imbalances and diverse cultural experiences. Case studies in psychiatric services evaluation and social services are discussed to illustrate the potential of dialogue across differences in fostering understanding, trust, and systemic change.
Introducing Professional Management in Public Systems: Some Observations from IIMA's Research on Management of Population Programme
(Public Systems Group, Health and Population Unit, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (India), 1980-03) Maru, Rushikesh; Murthy, Nirmala; Rao, T. V.; Satia, Jayant K.
Since 1976, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad's Health and Population Unit has been engaged in an experimental project to improve the efficiency of family planning programs in six districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Funded by the Government of India and the World Bank, the project explores better management practices for achieving national family planning goals. Key components include developing a Management Information System (MIS), improving work technology through action research, and implementing management development training programs. Despite challenges like resistance within the health bureaucracy, the project demonstrated notable success in enhancing supervision, control, and communication skills among field workers. However, systemic issues such as overemphasis on targets and fragmented reporting persist, necessitating further refinements and policy changes.
Learning from the Field-Focusing the Study and Analyzing the Data
(Sage Publications, 1984) Whyte, William Foote
Good field methods are necessary, but not sufficient, for good re search You may be a skilled and diligent observer and interviewer and gather "rich data," but unless you have good ideas about how to locus the study and analyze those data, your project will yield little of value. Finding the focus for a study using anthropological field methods is a different process than finding a focus for a survey. By its very nature, the survey must be focused that is, the problems defined and the variables specified-before beginning the data gathering process.
Participatory Action Research: Chronology
(0000)
This document provides a comprehensive historical chronology of Participatory Action Research (PAR), from its origins with Jacob Moreno in 1913 through its development by key figures like Kurt Lewin, Paulo Freire, and Budd Hall. It traces the social, educational, and cultural contexts in which PAR methodologies evolved, highlighting the contributions of international scholars and practitioners. The chronology spans critical periods from the 1940s through the 1970s, offering insight into the role of PAR in social change, community engagement, and educational reform globally.
Participatory Learning and Action: Principles and Systemic Learning Process
(International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 1995-02) Pretty, Jules N.
This document outlines principles of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) with a focus on participatory rural appraisal (PRA). It emphasizes the systemic learning process, the importance of multiple perspectives, group inquiry, context-specific adaptation, and facilitative roles of experts. Common myths surrounding PRA are addressed, as well as considerations for training and community engagement. The document serves as a guide for facilitators to foster sustained action through locally adapted participatory methods.
Participatory Research and Action in India
(Indian Social Institute, 0000) Fernandes, Walter
This paper examines the evolution and current state of participatory research in India. By analyzing historical and social contexts from the 1950s to the 1970s, it highlights the role of middle-class students, social movements, and voluntary action groups in shaping a response to socio-economic challenges. The disillusionment with capital-intensive and elitist development models, and the emergence of non-party political forces, underscores the need for participatory approaches as tools for empowerment and societal transformation. The study also discusses various experiments and reflections on land-grabbing movements, awareness-building, and political activism.
Principles for Participatory Action Research
(Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 1989-09-27) McTaggart, Robin
This paper explores a theoretical framework for participatory action research (PAR) articulated through a set of principles. It examines the value of principles, critiques their misuse, and emphasizes their role in distilling knowledge and guiding practice. The author elaborates on the foundational ideas of PAR, distinguishing it from other forms of research, and highlights its focus on authentic participation, informed practice, and collaborative inquiry. Through an analysis of participation, the paper differentiates between authentic participation and mere involvement, underscoring the importance of ownership and agency in the research process. It also situates PAR within broader intellectual traditions and discusses its application across various fields, including agriculture, social work, education, and community development.
Research Action: Organizational Feedback, Understanding, and Change
(1972) Brown, L. Dave
This article explores the synergistic and complex relationship between research and action, challenging the traditional separation of the two. Using a case study of a private boys' boarding school, the author examines how mutual information exchange between investigators and respondents fosters better understanding and change. Results indicate that shared information enhances trust, improves diagnosis quality, and strengthens relationships. The implications of combining research and action for achieving effective organizational change are discussed, grounded in the principle that understanding a system can also facilitate its transformation.
The Historical roots and contemporary tendencies in Participatory Research: Implications for Health care
(0000) Tandon, Rajesh
This paper delves into the historical roots and contemporary tendencies of participatory research (PR), particularly in the context of health care. It examines the evolution of PR as a critique of traditional social science methodologies and as an educational process rooted in adult education practices. Drawing on the works of Paulo Freire, Ivan Illich, and others, the paper highlights the epistemological shifts brought about by PR. It discusses how PR legitimizes experience and action as bases for knowing and integrates these into a framework of popular education. The implications of PR for addressing inequalities in health care and fostering community participation in knowledge creation are also explored.
The World Congresses 4th on Action Research, Action Learning and Process Management, and 8th on Participatory Action-Research
(1997) Organizing Committee of the World Congresses
The 4th World Congress on Action Research, Action Learning, and Process Management, along with the 8th World Congress on Participatory Action-Research (PAR), held in Cartagena, Colombia, in 1997, focused on addressing global issues such as poverty, migration, maldevelopment, and racism through participatory methods. The congress aimed to break the positivist hold on science by promoting knowledge production by and with the people for social transformation. The discussions covered participatory approaches to learning, evaluation, and action in various sectors like education, government, and business, emphasizing the importance of global collaboration to solve pressing issues. The congress also explored how participatory methods could be integrated into various fields to foster justice, equity, and cultural diversity, with a focus on the convergence of intellectual and practical trends across regions.
The World Congresses 4th on Action Research, Action Learning, and Process Management, and 8th on Participatory Action-Research, Convergence in Knowledge, Space, and Time
(1995-12)
This document outlines the general orientation, aims, and thematic structure for the 4th World Congress on Action Research, Action Learning, and Process Management, and the 8th World Congress on Participatory Action-Research, held in December 1995 in Bogotá, Colombia. The congresses focus on convergence in knowledge, space, and time, addressing themes such as methodology, evaluation, and future projections of work in the fields of action research, participatory learning, and social transformation.
What is Participatory Action Research?
(1998-11) Wadsworth, Yoland
This paper explores the concept of participatory action research, identifying its main characteristics and contrasting it with conventional research methods. Wadsworth discusses the social science assumptions and values driving participatory research and reflects on the cycle of inquiry, raising questions and making new sense of everyday research processes. The article is a comprehensive review of participatory action research as both a methodology and a way of engaging with people in meaningful, collective inquiry.
What Participatory Action Research is - and is not!
(0000)
This paper delves into the essence of Participatory Action Research (PAR), differentiating it from conventional research methods. It highlights that PAR is not merely research followed by action but a cyclical process of action that is researched, modified, and re-researched collaboratively. The paper emphasizes PAR as a democratic and inclusive approach that actively involves all relevant parties in examining and improving problematic situations. The discourse reflects on the historical, political, and socio-economic contexts of PAR, underscoring its alignment with the "new paradigm science" in social and physical sciences. Challenges in fully implementing PAR are discussed alongside its characteristics under participation, action, and research, presenting it as a transformative and collective inquiry method.