Participatory Action Research William T. Oswald, Ph.D. October 2011

What is Participatory Action Research? All research is the gathering of information in a systematic and objective way Academic Research: To Understand Participatory Action Research: To Inform action

PAR is Political PAR challenges the status quo by bringing a new voice to the table Politics is the art of translating the ideal into the real Who gets to decide what the “Ideal” is? Who gets to decide how that “Ideal” is translated into the “Real” – Public Policy

Challenges  You can’t just do it. Requires an “organized “Community of Interest”  Community of Interest runs the program – not the researcher  Community moves at different pace than “professional” and/or “academic” world  Researcher has different role: teaching the skill, guiding and facilitating the process

Why PAR? Policy Truly Understanding Policy requires looking at it from three angles: 1. What is the intent? 2. How is it to be implemented? 3. How is it to be received? The voice of the recipient is rarely included in policy analysis

Geology of Community Large institutions that have investments in the community but are not part of the community - colleges, universities, hospitals, large foundations, some federal and state programs, etc. Local county and municipal government, some foundations, and some state and federal programs, etc Nonprofit agencies that have programs within the community. These organizations are typically referred to as "community-based organizations”. Community-owned institutions as well as the unorganized members of the community. It is a broad band in that ranges from relatively large, stable organizations to small, unfunded community efforts and activities. This layer also includes those residents who live below the Clay Line.

What do we mean by “Clay Line?” Below the Clay Line Not a scientific term Think of community as garden. On the top the soil is soft and easy to work with. Eventually, however, you dig down deep enough to reach the clay line. The soil at that point is like cement and very difficulty to work with. Essentially they are people whose present situation and status in society present significant barriers to their engagement in the public dialogue, e.g., people living near or below the poverty line, people who are disabled, immigrants, refuges, victims of domestic violence, etc.

Where you stand depends on where you sit Community Partners Typically defined as the people you work with from the layer the layer below The public health department decides it needs “community partners” so they pull together a group of nonprofit organizations – generally already under contract with the county for services. Layer 2 works with layer 3. A university gets a grant to study obesity. It partners with a local teaching hospital and together, they partner with the local public health department. The public health department is their “community partner.” Layer 1 works with layer 2. This is generally where the reach for “community partners” stops. The nonprofits claim to speak for Layer 4 and the call for “community input” is met without ever having a dialogue with the “community.”

Real Politics Not always welcome at the table Power viewed as finite – means an increase in community power is a loss in someone else’s power All systems resist change – the bigger the system, the bigger the resistance PAR provides legitimacy to community voice Research shows community & agencies define problems differently. Agencies see need for service. Community sees needs for resources

Methodology Meet about issue - describe experience Confirm Consensus on description Consensus on Issue 1 Is experience unique or common? Introduce: Reliability, Validity, Generalizability Generate questions to ask in order to answer question #1 Come to consensus on questions and format Identify source of sample and type of sampling 2 Instrument Developed Workshop on interviewing Pilot testing of survey Finalize instrument 3 Trained Interviewers

Methodology Collect data Monitor process & sample Adjust process as necessary Present data to group Introduce statistics as appropriate [e.g., mean, median, mode, correlation, etc.] Develop the meaning of data, i.e., interpret the data 4 5 Data set collected Data Interpreted Draw conclusions from the data Develop consensus on set of recommendations Identify institution (s) with authority to respond to recommendations 6 Recommendations Developed

Methodology Present the findings and recommendations to the broader community - assessing for consensus on the issue - and engaging them in the issue Develop and implement strategy/campaign to press for carrying out of recommendations Assess impact of campaign Identify next steps Celebrate 7 8 Campaign Launched Evaluate & Celebrate

Closing No one has the corner on TRUTH. Reality is a social construction and PAR brings a new and important voice to the table Where you stand depends on where you sit – policy does not impact everyone equally Systems don’t change from the inside. The law of inertia holds: “Things in motion tend to stay in motion. Things at rest tend to stay at rest.” PAR is about bringing change.