Participatory Action Research (PAR) as a Research Approach …
693
jointly. A PAR researcher would combine participant observation with explicitly
recognized action objectives and a commitment to carry out the project with the
active participation in the research process by some members of the organisation
studied.
From the researcher’s point of view, the PAR approach brings about opportunities
to conduct development and facilitate social change within communities. Based on
the case study in Pulau Mantanani, the PAR methodology demonstrated both values
and limitations as a research approach in sustainable community development. This
paper also demonstrated that the PAR methodology provided the development actors
with an inclusive and robust process for communities to explore their own practices,
to define and agree to a consensus on actions or interventions to initiate a social
change, and eventually empowered to take actions to improve their livelihoods.
Compared to the traditional research approach, the PAR methodology truly reflects
inclusivity of all the relevant development actors. In all future studies of sustainable
development, and with the Sustainable Development Goals in place as a guide to
sustainability for all countries, the PAR method is a research approach that brings
out the stories of vulnerability in communities and empowers the same people to
address it. The value of vulnerability is immense and provides the researcher with an
insight that can assist in identifying elements to address and reduce the vulnerable
elements within a community to attain empowerment. This provides PAR with the
benefit of yielding richer knowledge and information that can bring about transformation in communities especially vulnerable and at-risk communities. A traditional
researcher may rely on the hardware and software approach of sustainable community development, on the other hand, a PAR researcher brings richness to community
development research as it adds the dimension of “heartware” into the equation of
sustainable development. In the opinion of the author, the “heartware” of community development is often less explored and understood yet forms the basis of all
development efforts towards sustainable development.
The concept of “leave no one behind” as emphasized by the SDGs illustrates the
need for community involvement in all sustainable community development efforts.
For inclusive community involvement to be incorporated in any development interventions would require the inclusion of a process, be it a research-based approach or a
development-based approach, in which provides the opportunity for the community’s
voice, vulnerabilities, ideas, vision, dreams and expectations to be heard, respected
and included in future interventions. From this case study, the PAR approach in
intervention planning, development and implementation for sustainable community
development demonstrated that the PAR method is a valuable empirical research process that is able to facilitate a more accurate and authentic analysis of social reality
in the areas of sustainable development. As the Sustainable Development Goals contain various social components that are critical to address in facilitating sustainable
development, it is hoped that the results of this case study contribute to strengthening
the case for the adoption of PAR methods in future areas of sustainable development
studies.
693
jointly. A PAR researcher would combine participant observation with explicitly
recognized action objectives and a commitment to carry out the project with the
active participation in the research process by some members of the organisation
studied.
From the researcher’s point of view, the PAR approach brings about opportunities
to conduct development and facilitate social change within communities. Based on
the case study in Pulau Mantanani, the PAR methodology demonstrated both values
and limitations as a research approach in sustainable community development. This
paper also demonstrated that the PAR methodology provided the development actors
with an inclusive and robust process for communities to explore their own practices,
to define and agree to a consensus on actions or interventions to initiate a social
change, and eventually empowered to take actions to improve their livelihoods.
Compared to the traditional research approach, the PAR methodology truly reflects
inclusivity of all the relevant development actors. In all future studies of sustainable
development, and with the Sustainable Development Goals in place as a guide to
sustainability for all countries, the PAR method is a research approach that brings
out the stories of vulnerability in communities and empowers the same people to
address it. The value of vulnerability is immense and provides the researcher with an
insight that can assist in identifying elements to address and reduce the vulnerable
elements within a community to attain empowerment. This provides PAR with the
benefit of yielding richer knowledge and information that can bring about transformation in communities especially vulnerable and at-risk communities. A traditional
researcher may rely on the hardware and software approach of sustainable community development, on the other hand, a PAR researcher brings richness to community
development research as it adds the dimension of “heartware” into the equation of
sustainable development. In the opinion of the author, the “heartware” of community development is often less explored and understood yet forms the basis of all
development efforts towards sustainable development.
The concept of “leave no one behind” as emphasized by the SDGs illustrates the
need for community involvement in all sustainable community development efforts.
For inclusive community involvement to be incorporated in any development interventions would require the inclusion of a process, be it a research-based approach or a
development-based approach, in which provides the opportunity for the community’s
voice, vulnerabilities, ideas, vision, dreams and expectations to be heard, respected
and included in future interventions. From this case study, the PAR approach in
intervention planning, development and implementation for sustainable community
development demonstrated that the PAR method is a valuable empirical research process that is able to facilitate a more accurate and authentic analysis of social reality
in the areas of sustainable development. As the Sustainable Development Goals contain various social components that are critical to address in facilitating sustainable
development, it is hoped that the results of this case study contribute to strengthening
the case for the adoption of PAR methods in future areas of sustainable development
studies.