Toward social research as shared inquiry: A case of participatory research
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Date
1983
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Abstract
As social researchers moved into the 1980s with a growing vacuum created by the sagging influence of "the research tradition of searching for laws that govern relevant variables", exemplified in what are called "variable analytic studies" (Bormann, 1980), there has been a felt need to conceptualize afresh the approaches to social research. As part of the endeavor, we attempt here to compare traditional research, which we shall designate as social research for purposes of this paper, with participatory approaches in research, which we shall call shared inquiry.
Description
This paper contrasts traditional social research, which often treats people as subjects, with participatory or shared inquiry that involves communities as equal partners in knowledge creation. Through examples like the North Bonneville project, it highlights how participatory research empowers communities to define their own problems and solutions. It critiques the academic monopoly on research and advocates for an approach that is transformative, inclusive, and educative. The emphasis is on co-creating knowledge that aligns with the lived experiences and aspirations of marginalized groups.
Keywords
Critical Awareness, Educative Process, Social Transformation, Action-Oriented, Knowledge Co-creation
Citation
Alfonso, Herminia M. (1983). Toward social research as shared inquiry: A case of participatory research.