This book addresses a key issue in higher learning, university education and scientific research: the widespread difficulty researchers, experts and students from all disciplines face when trying to ...contribute to change in complex social settings characterized by uncertainty and the unknown. More than ever, researchers need flexible means and grounded theory to combine people-based and evidence-based inquiry into challenging situations that keep evolving and do not lend themselves to straightforward technical explanations and solutions.
In this book, the authors propose innovative strategies for engaged inquiry building on insights from many disciplines and lessons from the history of Participatory Action Research (PAR), including French psychosociology. The ongoing evolution of PAR has had a lasting legacy in fields ranging from community development to education, public engagement, natural resource management and problem solving in the workplace. All formulations have in common the idea that research must be done ‘with’ people and not ‘on’ or ‘for’ people. Inquiry of this kind makes sense of the world through efforts to transform it, as opposed to simply observing and studying human behaviour and people’s views about reality, in the hope that meaningful change will happen somewhere down the road.
The book contributes many new tools and conceptual foundations to this longstanding tradition, grounded in real-life examples of collective fact-finding, analysis and decision-making from around the world. It provides a modular textbook on participatory action research and related methods, theory and practice, suitable for a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as working professionals.
Introduction: Engaging with Participatory Action Research
1. Action Research History 2. Society, Experience, Knowledge
Module One: Grounding and Uncertainty
3. Creating an Action Learning System 4. Managing Complexity 5. Mapping the Process 6. Walking the Talk
Module Two: Fact Finding and Listening
7. Reinventions of the Wheel 8. Seeking Evidence and Consensus
Module Three: Exploring Problems
9. Getting to the Root 10. Factors and Reasons
Module 4: Knowing the Actors
11. Stakeholder Identification 12. Stakeholder Analysis 13. Positions and Values
Module Five: Assessing Options
14. Blue Sky Thinking 15. Into the Future
Module Six: Understanding Systems
16. Contributing to Change 17. System Dynamics 18. Domain Analysis 19. Breaking the Dependency on Tobacco Production
Conclusion: Rethinking Higher Education and the Discovery Process
"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, Executive Director, UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternative), Dhaka, Bangladesh
" This exciting and innovative book shows the patterns and processes that connect people and their social, practical and conceptual worlds in action. Its key themes of interdependence, relationship, and the need for dialogue make it a book today for tomorrow’s world. It should be on all reading lists as a key resource for developing socially-oriented pedagogies for a more peaceful, productive and interconnected world." – Jean McNiff, Professor of Educational Research at York St John University, York, UK and author of 'Action Research: Principles and Practice', now in its third edition (Routledge, 2013)
"...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, Professor in the Division of Management at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA and Editor of the journal Action Research
Jacques M. Chevalier is Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
Daniel J. Buckles is Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, and an independent consultant.
Governments are becoming increasingly aware of the important contribution that high performance universities make to competitiveness and economic growth. This book explores what are the challenges ...involved in setting up globally competitive universities, also called elite, or flagship universities.
Research is an integral component of any undergraduate healthcare course, and is also vital for continuing professional development (CPD). This book is an invaluable guide for students and ...practitioners who need to acquire a wide range of relevant skills, and it will equip them not only to assess the quality of published studies and apply findings to clinical practice, but also to undertake research themselves. An experienced team of contributors provide detailed explanations of the main concepts and methods used in critical appraisal of published research, and guide the reader in integrating these quality indicators into their own studies to ensure rigour in planning, design, and execution. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the authors write with an emphasis on the development of sound research skills through case-based illustrative examples and scenarios, with helpful summaries and practical exercises throughout. They also give advice on writing abstracts, presenting papers at conferences, and liaising with publishers. Ultimately, this text will enable readers to have full confidence in understanding, undertaking, and disseminating empirical research.
There is a growing interest in, and acceptance of, qualitative research approaches in the health science disciplines, both as standalone methodologies and integrated with quantitative designs in ...mixed methods approaches. This comprehensive text provides deeper knowledge and application of a wide range of methodologies, methods and processes, enabling readers to develop their qualitative research skills.
Divided into two parts, focusing first on methodologies and then on methods and processes, the text also includes revision of essential aspects of quantitative research as they apply to mixed methods research and a discussion of the uptake of qualitative research in the health sciences.
The methodologies covered include: Grounded Theory; Historical Research; Ethnography; Phenomenology; Narrative Inquiry; Case Study Research; Critical Ethnography; Action Research and Mixed Methods.
The methods and processes covered include: Interviewing and Analysis; Group Work and Analysis; Narrative Analysis; Discourse Analysis.
Using accessible language to help extend readers' practical research skills, this is a thorough and reliable text to guide advanced students and researchers from all health-related disciplines - including nursing, midwifery, public health and physiotherapy - to the best use of qualitative research.
Developing and Delivering Practice-based Evidencepromotes a range of methodological approaches to complement traditional evidence-based practice in the field of psychological therapies. Represents ...the first UK text to offer a coherent and programmatic approach to expand traditional trials methodology in the field of psychological therapies by utilizing evidence gained by practitioners Includes contributions from UK and US scientist-practitioners who are leaders in their fieldFeatures content appropriate for practitioners working alone, in groups, and for psychological therapy services
For knowledge to benefit research and society, it must be trustworthy. Trustworthy research is robust, rigorous, and transparent at all stages of design, execution, and reporting. Assessment of ...researchers still rarely includes considerations related to trustworthiness, rigor, and transparency. We have developed the Hong Kong Principles (HKPs) as part of the 6th World Conference on Research Integrity with a specific focus on the need to drive research improvement through ensuring that researchers are explicitly recognized and rewarded for behaviors that strengthen research integrity. We present five principles: responsible research practices; transparent reporting; open science (open research); valuing a diversity of types of research; and recognizing all contributions to research and scholarly activity. For each principle, we provide a rationale for its inclusion and provide examples where these principles are already being adopted.
This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of different methods and sources of information-gathering for peace and conflict students and researchers, as well as the challenges presented by such ...work.
Research on conflict-ridden societies carries special challenges for the collection and evaluation of information about the conflict and its actors. First, due to the nature of information emerging, incentives to misrepresent and propaganda is common. News coverage is sometimes poor and reporting is often incomplete, selective and biased. Second, the sensitivity of the topic and the questions posed in peace and conflict research means that access to and the security of informants can be a problem.
Peace and conflict research as a discipline encompasses a number of different approaches for obtaining empirical information which serve as a basis for analyzing various research topics. This book provides a comprehensive overview of different methods and sources of information-gathering for students and researchers, as well as the challenges presented by such work. It offers:
tools for evaluating sources and information
suggestions on where different types of information can be found
advice on using different types of sources, including news reports and written narratives
practical guidelines for constructing large-scale datasets
insights and guidelines for comparative fieldwork, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and surveys
reflection and discussion on important ethical concerns in peace research
This book will be of much interest for students and researchers of peace and conflict studies, conflict resolution, war and conflict studies, development studies, security studies and IR, as well as for NGO workers/researchers.
Kristine Höglund is Associate Professor
What ethical dilemmas face researchers who work with young children?
Researching Young Children's Perspectives critically examines the challenges and complexities of rights based, participatory ...research with children. Rather than approaching these dilemmas as problematic issues, this book positions them as important topics for discussion and reflection.
Drawing from their own rich experiences as research collaborators with young children in internationally diverse settings, the authors consider the ethical, methodological and theoretical frameworks that guide best-practice in research with young children. Each chapter poses points for consideration that will inform and challenge both the novice and experienced researcher, such as:
How 'participatory' can research be with infants under eighteen months?
When should listening through observation stand alone?
What is the distinction between methodologies and methods?
How can all young children be assured of a voice in research?
The authors also present seven separate case studies which demonstrate exemplary research with young children. Each study is accompanied by insightful commentary from the authors, who highlight the issues or difficulties faced and propose potential solutions.
If you are a student at undergraduate level and above, this book will give you all the confidence you need to conduct your own high quality research with children.
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