Teaching Participatory Action Research: Fostering Impact

Participatory action research (PAR) investigates issues through collaboration and cooperation between academics and non-academic community members. Recently, awareness of such approaches has increased as the need for transformative research and contribution to social goods has become clear. However, participatory methods have been deployed unevenly within the Humanities and Social Sciences and opportunities for engagement have been explored unevenly. This article seeks to assist colleagues in teaching PAR methods by reflecting upon our practice of working with Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to identify, explore and deploy participatory methods in ways that foster genuine social change and meaningful research trajectories.