A radical holistic edge-fusion learning space with a collection of really useful collaborative tools for making social-ecological just change.
A radical holistic edge-fusion learning space with a collection of really useful collaborative tools for making social-ecological just change.
Workshops
HEdge Space
A Holistic Do-it-Together Tool kit.
Praxis tools to support people bring about just change, together
ABOUT
Participatory Action Research (PAR)
The Research Methodology
PAR is a collaborative democratic research approach which is about acting on social and environmental problems rather than answering a research question.​ PAR originated from radical adult education and social movements of the global south. Its philosophy of knowledge making (epistemology) challenges the way knowledge is produced in academic contexts which is decontextualised from the lives of ordinary people effected by the issues being researched. This field questions who benefits from this approach to knowledge making, who can produce knowledge, and what is valid knowledge. Therefore, in PAR, people outside of academic contexts can take a leading role in research as active collaborative decision makers informing the research direction drawing from their own lived experience of these issues, rather than simply being participants in a research study responding to set research questions posed by a researcher.
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PAR was selected as the research methodology for this project to enable the proposed holistic learning for action tools to be co-created with the public, not just for the public. This makes the research outcomes more relevant to the public who will ultimately use them, and aligned with the mantra 'NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US', which originated from the dis/ability movement. ( ) Charlton, J. (1998) Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment
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PAR places emphasis on ‘collective self-reflective enquiry,
the co-construction of knowledge, and the development of skills for speaking back to power and organizing for change with others’
(Kemmis and McTaggart 1998, p. 5).
'PAR is collaborative research, learning & action used to gather information to use for change on social or environmental issues. It involves people who are concerned about or affected by an issue taking a leading role in producing and using knowledge about it (Pain et al., 2011, p 2).
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PAR is distinct because:
• it is driven by a group of people who have a stake in the social and environmental issues being researched
• it offers a democratic model of who can produce, own and use knowledge,
• it can be collaborative at every stage, involving discussion, pooling skills and working together.
• it is intended to result in some action, change or improvement on the issue being researched' (Kindon 2008).
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PAR is complex as it must be both open and responsive to the research needs of the group, which may not be known at the start of the research, whilst also building in experienced support (scaffolding) for the group to undertake their inquiry and action activities together as they become known.
Praxis (Freire, 1970) is an iterative process approach used in PAR & Radical Adult which enables groups of learners/researchers to figure out what they want to do & why.
It is the core process that underpins this research it holds all the other practices, the people, events and analysis of the research together. ​​
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PAR places emphasis on ‘collective self-reflective enquiry,
the co-construction of knowledge, and the development of skills for speaking back to power and organizing for change with others’
(Kemmis and McTaggart 1998, p. 5).
'PAR is collaborative research, learning & action used to gather information to use for change on social or environmental issues. It involves people who are concerned about or affected by an issue taking a leading role in producing and using knowledge about it (Pain et al., 2011, p 2).
​
​
PAR is distinct because:
• it is driven by a group of people who have a stake in the social and environmental issues being researched
• it offers a democratic model of who can produce, own and use knowledge,
• it can be collaborative at every stage, involving discussion, pooling skills and working together.
• it is intended to result in some action, change or improvement on the issue being researched' (Kindon 2008).
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PAR is complex then as it must be both open and responsive to the research needs of co-researchers, which may not be known at the start of the research, whilst also building in experienced support (scaffolding) for the group to undertake their inquiry and action activities together as they become known.
Praxis (Freire, 1970) is an iterative process approach used in PAR & Radical Adult which enables groups of learners/researchers to figure out what they want to do & why.
It is the core process that underpins this research it holds all the other practices, the people, events and analysis of the research together. ​​
Giselle Harvey: Digital Illustration of Praxis, 2022
Praxis is often undertaken through verbal communication.
In this research a holistic approach to praxis was taken, using embodied and experiential tools such as making art, craft, technology,
and working in, or with, nature, as a less verbal approach to praxis.
Praxis is a form of experiential learning specifically orientated to emancipatory social justice change making. Without this explicit orientation it is not Praxis in the Freirean tradition.
PAR is
collaborative research, learning & action used to gather information to use for change on social or environmental issues. It involves people who are concerned about or affected by an issue taking a leading role in producing and using knowledge about it.
​
• it is driven by a group of people who have a stake in the social and environmental issues being researched
• it offers a democratic model of who can produce, own and use knowledge,
• it can be collaborative at every stage, involving discussion, pooling skills and working together.
• it is intended to result in some action, change or improvement on the issue being researched. (Kindon 2008).
Resources