E.A. Hills and M.K. Schneeberger.
Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA.
Scientists who seek to use their skills to serve the public interest may find that traditional modes of research are not conducive to public interest science. To more effectively serve the public, we suggest an alternative paradigm for conducting research, known as Participatory Action Research (PAR), which is based upon the principles of democracy.
As a constructive basis for working with and for the public, PAR is centered around a mutually agreed upon problem focus. Because of the communal nature of the problems that are addressed with PAR, it is necessarily a cogenerative process of inquiry where community members and action researchers work as a team to conduct meaningful research and improve the community's situation. In this collaborative approach to problem identification and solving, multiple faces and forms of knowledge - not just scientific or academic knowledge - are accepted, valued, and utilized. With this comes a democratic transfer of skills and knowledge both from the action researcher to the community members and vice-versa. Through this process, action outcomes are devised, implemented, and evaluated in situ through a continual cycle of action and reflection.
In order for PAR to be effective, action researchers must be prepared to step outside the bounds of their traditional training and utilize skills in community organizing, communication, negotiation, and mediation in addition to the skills employed in traditional research. The process of PAR can be a challenging framework to work in, particularly when the practical skills necessary for action research have not traditionally been incorporated in prior research or training. However PAR can result in a process of action research that is rewarding for all participants and can form a sustainable basis for science conducted in the public interest.
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