P
PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH
Kalle Matso
NERRS Science Collaborative, Department of Natural
Resources and the Environment, University of New
Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
Synonyms
Action research; Collaborative research; Communitybased participatory research; Transdisciplinary research
Definition
Participatory research is a methodological approach that
emphasizes not only greater involvement of parties
affected by the issue in question but also the sharing of
power with those same participants (Cornwall and
Jewkes, 1995). This is in contrast to the more traditional
research approach wherein the power – within the
research project itself – resides predominantly or wholly
with the scientists and the project team.
Description
The espoused benefits of participatory research on estuaries have to do both with ethics and pragmatism. Ethically,
participatory research can be seen as being more equitable,
especially in situations where the issues being researched
involve real-world societal problems and questions of justice, such as in the areas of community development,
health policy, and environmental conservation.
Pragmatically, many argue that participatory research is
more efficient and more liable to produce useful results.
When those who are affected by the research are involved
as colleagues in the research, helping with research design
and implementation, the results are likely to be more
relevant and trusted.
Since relevance is a key attribute in participatory
research, it follows that most estuarine research conducted
in this manner is what natural resource scientists refer to as
“applied,” as opposed to curiosity driven. In the health
field, the corresponding terms are “knowledge for action”
versus “knowledge for understanding.”
Participatory research remains fairly controversial and
misunderstood, both by scientists and nonscientists, many
of whom consider it “soft” or less rigorous. However,
there is nothing about participatory research that, by
definition or actual practice, makes it softer or less
rigorous. What is key about participatory process is the
location of power. Since power tends to be shared by
many, participatory research efforts are often complicated
and challenging to implement.
Bibliography
Cornwall, A., and Jewkes, R., 1995. What is participatory research?
Social Science and Medicine, 41(12), 1667–1676.
PATHOGENS
Monia El Bour
Marine Microbiology Unit, Department of Marine
Biotechnology and Biodiversity, National Institute of Sea
Sciences and Technologies (INSTM), Tunis, Tunisia
Synonyms
Infectious agent
Definition
A pathogen is an infectious agent or, more
commonly, a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host. There are several substrates and
M.J. Kennish (ed.), Encyclopedia of Estuaries, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4,
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016
PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH
Kalle Matso
NERRS Science Collaborative, Department of Natural
Resources and the Environment, University of New
Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
Synonyms
Action research; Collaborative research; Communitybased participatory research; Transdisciplinary research
Definition
Participatory research is a methodological approach that
emphasizes not only greater involvement of parties
affected by the issue in question but also the sharing of
power with those same participants (Cornwall and
Jewkes, 1995). This is in contrast to the more traditional
research approach wherein the power – within the
research project itself – resides predominantly or wholly
with the scientists and the project team.
Description
The espoused benefits of participatory research on estuaries have to do both with ethics and pragmatism. Ethically,
participatory research can be seen as being more equitable,
especially in situations where the issues being researched
involve real-world societal problems and questions of justice, such as in the areas of community development,
health policy, and environmental conservation.
Pragmatically, many argue that participatory research is
more efficient and more liable to produce useful results.
When those who are affected by the research are involved
as colleagues in the research, helping with research design
and implementation, the results are likely to be more
relevant and trusted.
Since relevance is a key attribute in participatory
research, it follows that most estuarine research conducted
in this manner is what natural resource scientists refer to as
“applied,” as opposed to curiosity driven. In the health
field, the corresponding terms are “knowledge for action”
versus “knowledge for understanding.”
Participatory research remains fairly controversial and
misunderstood, both by scientists and nonscientists, many
of whom consider it “soft” or less rigorous. However,
there is nothing about participatory research that, by
definition or actual practice, makes it softer or less
rigorous. What is key about participatory process is the
location of power. Since power tends to be shared by
many, participatory research efforts are often complicated
and challenging to implement.
Bibliography
Cornwall, A., and Jewkes, R., 1995. What is participatory research?
Social Science and Medicine, 41(12), 1667–1676.
PATHOGENS
Monia El Bour
Marine Microbiology Unit, Department of Marine
Biotechnology and Biodiversity, National Institute of Sea
Sciences and Technologies (INSTM), Tunis, Tunisia
Synonyms
Infectious agent
Definition
A pathogen is an infectious agent or, more
commonly, a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host. There are several substrates and
M.J. Kennish (ed.), Encyclopedia of Estuaries, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4,
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016