Ideology and Political Economy in Inquiry

: Action research and participatory research. (1983). L. David Brown & Rajesh Tandon. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 19 (3), 277-294. DOI: 10.1177/002188638301900306

The authors examine two traditions of applied behavioral science inquiry--action research and participatory research. They argued that both espouse similar values and employ common methods in different settings.

They pointed out that action research, formulated by Lewin, which consists of cycles of analysis, fact finding, conceptualization, planning, implementation, and evaluation to simultaneously solve problems and generate new knowledge. They observed that action research took place in the Global North in business firms and educational organizations. Yet, academia social scientists had not accepted it as fully as applied researchers in organizations.

On the other hand, participatory research emerged from the work with the oppressed in the Third World, where problems of adult education and social oppression are particularly acute, in various forms, such as Freire's conscientization and other work in Africa and Asia. The international network of participatory researchers was formed in 1978 sponsored by the International Council for Adult Education. Here the characteristics of participatory research were summarized:

Hall (1981, Convergence, p.7) defined participatory research as "an integrated activity that combines social investigation, educational work and action."