Universal Methods of Design

RESEARCH METHOD • SYNTHESIS / ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE • RESEARCH DELIVERABLE

60 Participatory Action Research (PAR)

PAR is a cyclical, collaborative research process that seeks to intentionally change the community or other aspects that are the focus of the inquiry.¹

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is differentiated from many “objective” methods of research inquiry that seek only to describe, understand, and explain, in its explicit mission to actually change the community, parties, or policies under study. With an overtone of empowerment, emancipation, and activism, the approach has been popular in arenas such as education, feminist research, ...