692
Y. Rasyid
zations and development policy makers and practitioners including government and
donors. The PAR methodology provides development actors such as government and
NGOs to reach out to communities as partners (also known as co-researchers or critical friends) rather than as resources to achieving the sustainable development agenda.
The PAR methodology, in the perspective of the researcher is a flexible approach to
sustainability science as it offers both quantitative and qualitative tools to be applied,
as such fits the transdisciplinary areas of sustainable community development.
For academics, dilemmas arise in the use of PAR because it is time consuming
and unpredictable, unlikely to lead to a high production of articles in refereed journals and its somewhat “messy” nature means it is less likely to attract competitive
research funding. Acceptance of PAR as a legitimate research methodology will
require change from sustainability journals, funding bodies, and universities in the
way that they judge research performance. There must be an emphasis on real-life
experiences in research, and the ability of a researcher to bring about real change to
the quality of life and sustainable development must be taken into account.
7 Conclusion
Based on the application of the PAR method in sustainable community development research in Pulau Mantanani, it is evident that the PAR approach exemplifies a
stark contrast compared with the traditional research model. In a traditional research
model, the researcher would be required to compile and collect data and information
aimed at presenting empirically-based responses which later provide the basis for
recommendations and decision-making especially for policy makers, and NGOs. If
the research on sustainable community development involves determining the facts
in a given geographic boundary, the application of the traditional research model
provides scientific legitimacy and provides valuable information to sustainability
practitioners. For a PAR researcher, the traditional research approach may be lacking in rich data and information. Often a PAR researcher, who is studying the process
of sustainable community development is curious about the elements that are critical
to facilitate the process of social change within a community. As such the traditional
research model albeit the empirical advantages, lacks in its capability to generate
in-depth knowledge or for determining the course of social change in a community.
In a traditional research model, the researcher typically adopts the dominant role
in shaping decision-making. The focus is on the traditional researcher to describe and
analyse the behaviour of the subjects of inquiry (e.g., respondents) as it would occur
without the researcher’s presences. In this case, the subjects of inquiry are only require
to promote the needed information to the researcher, and often the respondents lack a
feeling of ownership especially in decision making. In a traditional research approach,
the dependent position of the subjects reduces their possibilities of continuing to
learn from the process. On the contrary, a PAR researcher would take the approach
of collaborating with the subjects of inquiries (e.g., community members) to co-learn
and mutually inquire about the issues of concern and develop the proposed decisions
Y. Rasyid
zations and development policy makers and practitioners including government and
donors. The PAR methodology provides development actors such as government and
NGOs to reach out to communities as partners (also known as co-researchers or critical friends) rather than as resources to achieving the sustainable development agenda.
The PAR methodology, in the perspective of the researcher is a flexible approach to
sustainability science as it offers both quantitative and qualitative tools to be applied,
as such fits the transdisciplinary areas of sustainable community development.
For academics, dilemmas arise in the use of PAR because it is time consuming
and unpredictable, unlikely to lead to a high production of articles in refereed journals and its somewhat “messy” nature means it is less likely to attract competitive
research funding. Acceptance of PAR as a legitimate research methodology will
require change from sustainability journals, funding bodies, and universities in the
way that they judge research performance. There must be an emphasis on real-life
experiences in research, and the ability of a researcher to bring about real change to
the quality of life and sustainable development must be taken into account.
7 Conclusion
Based on the application of the PAR method in sustainable community development research in Pulau Mantanani, it is evident that the PAR approach exemplifies a
stark contrast compared with the traditional research model. In a traditional research
model, the researcher would be required to compile and collect data and information
aimed at presenting empirically-based responses which later provide the basis for
recommendations and decision-making especially for policy makers, and NGOs. If
the research on sustainable community development involves determining the facts
in a given geographic boundary, the application of the traditional research model
provides scientific legitimacy and provides valuable information to sustainability
practitioners. For a PAR researcher, the traditional research approach may be lacking in rich data and information. Often a PAR researcher, who is studying the process
of sustainable community development is curious about the elements that are critical
to facilitate the process of social change within a community. As such the traditional
research model albeit the empirical advantages, lacks in its capability to generate
in-depth knowledge or for determining the course of social change in a community.
In a traditional research model, the researcher typically adopts the dominant role
in shaping decision-making. The focus is on the traditional researcher to describe and
analyse the behaviour of the subjects of inquiry (e.g., respondents) as it would occur
without the researcher’s presences. In this case, the subjects of inquiry are only require
to promote the needed information to the researcher, and often the respondents lack a
feeling of ownership especially in decision making. In a traditional research approach,
the dependent position of the subjects reduces their possibilities of continuing to
learn from the process. On the contrary, a PAR researcher would take the approach
of collaborating with the subjects of inquiries (e.g., community members) to co-learn
and mutually inquire about the issues of concern and develop the proposed decisions