Participatory Action Research as/in Adult Education

Participatory Action Research as/in Adult Education: Offering Three Methods Anchored in Vivencia, Praxis, and Conscientization

Authors

• Meagan Call-Cummings, George Mason University, USA
• Melissa Hauber-Özer, George Mason University, USA

Description

Participatory action research (PAR) is an embodied form of inquiry that engages those most affected by an issue or problem in creating knowledge and developing solutions. PAR epistemology intersects with the critical approach to adult education, particularly the belief that programs, methods, and content must be relevant to learner needs and challenges and ought to lead to greater social justice. The purpose of this paper is to offer a review of three critical, participatory inquiry methods that are anchored in three concepts foundational to PAR and to present readers with a useful description of how to implement these methods in diverse contexts.