Participatory Action Research: Theory and Methods for Engaged Inquiry

434 Pages·2019·17.606 MB·English

by  Jacques M. Chevalier, Daniel J. Buckles

“This groundbreaking book is a rich resource of concepts and tools for all who are engaged
with the practice and theory of Participatory Action Research. Drawing on their lifetimes of
experience and innovation, the authors take an open and inclusive approach to strengthen-
ing the foundations and diversifying the methods of engaged research. The extraordinary
scope of this book and the new perspectives it offers, together with an accessible style,
will inform, provoke and inspire field practitioners and academics alike to creatively design
research for the many challenges of the 21st century.”
Robert Chambers, Institute of Development Studies,
University of Sussex, UK
“Chevalier and Buckles have improved on an already exceptionally helpful book that I used
in my teaching at Cornell University, with great success. They now combine thoughtful
explorations of mid-range theories on problem-solving, stakeholder analysis, risk assessment
and other foundational concepts with a wide variety of practical methods and tips for
designing meaningful research. Their overview of PAR theory and guidelines on how to
bridge distinct traditions now offer a well-rounded and complete teaching text.”
Davydd J. Greenwood, Goldwin Smith Professor of
Anthropology Emeritus, Cornell University, USA
“This is a wonderful book. Its overview of participatory action research, including the
insights of French psychosociology, is unparalleled. It bridges traditions that have operated
in silos for far too long. Chevalier and Buckles also provide a wide range of ‘skilful means’ to
effectively meet and reconcile the requirements of democratic participation, transformative
action in concrete settings and the advancement of general knowledge.”
Christian Michelot, École Centrale-Supélec, France
Praise for the first edition
“This book is a must for anyone seriously committed to research that ensures the authentic
participation and empowerment of people from all walks of life, be they from oral or textual
traditions, women or men, old or young, articulate or hesitant, outspoken or reserved.”
Farida Akhter, UBINIG (Policy Research for
Development Alternative), Bangladesh
“. . . a wonderful compendium, replete with practical tools and techniques that bring
rigour and vigour to the international dialogue among action researchers . . . This is a
serious volume worth the time of any action researcher who is curious about how western
(including francophone) perspectives on PAR come alive. This volume makes a significant
contribution to the collective craft of scholarly practice among action researchers.”
Hilary Bradbury-Huang, Oregon Health & Science University, USA

Participatory Action
Research
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.
Jacques M. Chevalier is Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology
and Anthropology at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, and an independent consultant.
Daniel J. Buckles, formerly with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC),
is Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at
Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, and an independent consultant.

Participatory Action
Research
Theory and Methods for
Engaged Inquiry
Second Edition
Jacques M. Chevalier and
Daniel J. Buckles
Second edition published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 Jacques M. Chevalier and Daniel J. Buckles
The right of Jacques M. Chevalier and Daniel J. Buckles to be identified
as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Routledge 2013
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Chevalier, Jacques M., 1949– author. | Buckles,
Daniel, 1955- author.
Title: Participatory action research : theory and methods for engaged
inquiry / Jacques M. Chevalier and Daniel J. Buckles.
Description: Second edition. | Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY :
Routledge, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018047276 (print) | LCCN 2018059060 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781351033268 (eBook) | ISBN 9781138486232 (hbk) |
ISBN 9781138491328 (pbk)
Subjects: LCSH: Action research. | Participant observation. |
Social sciences—Research—Methodology.
Classification: LCC H62 (ebook) | LCC H62 .C3757 2019 (print) |
DDC 001.4—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018047276
ISBN: 978-1-138-48623-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-49132-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-03326-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Stone Sans
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
List of illustrations xii
Acknowledgements xvi
Introduction 1
Module 1: Advancing theory 9
1 Ins and outs of participatory action research 11
Exploring the big tent 11
United against positivism 15
Lewin’s action research 19
The three pillars of PAR 21
2 Pragmatic, psychosocial and critical PAR 37
Instrumental, expressive and communicative reason 37
Rational-pragmatic PAR 40
Psychosocial-transformative PAR 44
Critical-emancipatory PAR 47
Perspectivism and engaged research 51
Technê and the art of inquiry 55
Globalization and the digital shift 60
vii
Contents
Module 2: Design and facilitation 69
3 Planning systems that learn 71
Meaningful research and pragmatism 71
Action, Research, Training (ART) in Honduras 73
Order and Chaos 76
Fighting Katkari eviction 78
Activity Mapping 83
Planning in the middle 85
4 Participatory action monitoring and evaluation 88
The eight rules of PAME 88
Planning, Inquiry, Evaluation: rethinking the evaluation
culture in international development organizations 107
5 Measuring with measure 115
Free List and Pile Sort and the millennials in Quebec 115
Ranking and Rating 120
The Socratic Wheel 125
Educating for ‘gross national happiness’ in Bhutan 130
Strategic planning by a Katkari association 133
6 Skills, process design and ethics 139
Process design 139
Developing and applying the skills 143
PAR ethics and codes of conduct 151
Anonymity and transparency 154
To share or not to share 159
Module 3: Exploring problems 165
7 Getting to the roots 167
Problem Tree and the Tree of Means and Ends 167
The Ishikawa diagram and quality control 173
Timeline and Rupa Lake, Nepal 176
Causation and fighting for a cause 180
viii
Contents
8 Participatory mapping and Citizen Science 186
Citizens and science 186
Ottawa’s ancient oaks 191
Scaling up animal health surveillance in Indonesia 194
9 Factors at play 200
Force Field: back to Lewin 200
Prevention of Atrocities Act, India 204
Gaps and Conflicts and malnutrition in Mali 208
10 Paradox 213
Reasons for ignoring reason 213
Accident causation and prevention theory 216
Health and safety among construction workers in France 226
Module 4: Knowing the actors 241
11 Stakeholder basics 243
The stakeholder shift 244
Stakeholder Rainbow: adult education in the Canadian north 246
12 Critical stakeholder thinking 254
Making social analysis simple, but not any simpler 254
Whose voices count? 256
Somewhere between pragmatics and utopia 260
13 Social Analysis CLIP 264
Assessing the conditions for Katkari success 265
Social Analysis CLIP: the tool and its conceptual foundations 272
Towards a more civil society 277
14 Positions and values 282
The weight of moral values 282
Values, Interests, Positions: conflict over the control of timber in Bolivia 285
ix