Participatory research is the source of power and connectivity. It holds different types of methodologies with unique ideological perceptions. The core principle of participatory research is to involve different partners in the inquiry process with proper dignity, value and respect. It generates unique connectivity between two cores; the researcher and the examined. In participatory research, the researchers perform as mediators and are ready to act to achieve both relationships’ equilibrium. In this research type, the overall process has been given to the research participants. They assess all the data and information researched by specific processing.
What is Participatory Research?
It refers to a specific scientific assessment with different perspectives; however, the important are political and educational perspectives are important. In the participatory research method, the researcher is not all in all and is bound to work with other populations. The targeted community is the base of the researcher’s assessment, and most of the community members are ready to participate in the given research criteria. In most cases of participatory research, there is a discussion, survey, interview, and other kinds of public opinion. Investigated topics are related to small community issues, such as pollution, environmental degradation, water supply issues, children’s schooling, unionization, and other community-based issues.
The community-based people participate according to their time and skills in the participatory research process. They always show their willingness to participate in different levels of research. Different community members choose different jobs. They sort out the results of interviews gathered from community members and are ready to take surveys. However, often it is difficult for new researchers to find the right participants. Therefore, getting dissertation help online can be the right decision for participatory research.
Key Elements to Know about Participatory Research
People Being Researched Are Doing Research
According to the its process, researchers play an important role in the research process. People are not highly trained in participatory research; however, they are well informed about their job roles, participation and doing research in given perspectives. As it is about small issues, political and administrative approaches and based on political will, people are ready to be researched and also work with the researchers. In the same way, the researcher collaborates with community members, stakeholders, end-users, and other community administrators to attain the research results.
Awareness of Common Knowledge in Indigenous People
It is true in participatory research that community partners or participants (which, at the same time, are also being researched) are indigenous people. They have proper local knowledge and hold information about the community’s petty issues. The level of their participation with researchers is beneficial for both community and the researchers. Such a research-based partnership always involves better opportunities for the people and equal prospects between different groups or individuals.
Their collaborative work is for knowledge generation, and they equally share information about the research material. Indigenous people provide more knowledge and details to pursue common issues and purposes. Participative research also involves those individuals who can recognize as local community members or indigenous partners. They are working with research-like partners between the community members and research agency. In participative research, the community members are involved in solving petty problems and different awareness programs.
Empowerment and Power Attention in Participatory Research
Power attention and empowerment in participatory research are connected. Though they have different criteria, both are interdependent to establish a proper purpose and concept. Participation means some actions or any component of the action; for example, the decision-making process is not a decision, as participation is not complete action. In this research type, empowerment means control sharing and the capability to participate according to the given resources by the research organizers. Empowerment establishes through planning, thinking, acting, and assessing the situation and issues.
Being empowered is taking control and participating in the decision. In participatory research, empowering is developing, cooperating, establishing, and sharing powers while working together with researchers. The fact is that participants and researchers can work in collaboration to comprehend different community and social issues and take action for their solutions. The basic purpose of this type is to practice the issues by both dissertation researchers and participants. There are several principles involved in every research; however, in participatory research, the main principles are policy-level change in society, empowering those who have no power and establishing sustainable solutions to meet the needs of the poor community members.
Participants’ Consciousness and Awareness
In participatory research, a higher level of consciousness and awareness of the participants is necessary. Participants are not lifeless objects; they are human beings with full rights to take awareness, especially ethical awareness. The level of raising consciousness is also like a power. With several group discussions and typical projects, attempts are required to maintain a level of awareness of participants. It is further beneficial for the researchers to prevent themselves from self-blame feelings and emotions of incompetency. If the level of participant awareness is high, the unequal power distribution can reduce in society. In several cases, community members are highly confident but shy to speak out in gatherings and public discussions. Participatory research can give them confidence and teach them skills and relevant technical knowledge.
Political Will
Political actions are considered important factors in participatory research. It includes those actions which promote “Critical Political Awareness” and maintains through structural change. In participatory research, there must be specific actions which can minimize the inequality in the community and raise social transformation issues. The research participants cultivated several research skills and information about political change in society, working under stressed conditions and much other relevant information.
Conclusion
Participatory research covers different structures, approaches and research designs which can use in specific systematic inquiry for a particular purpose or action. It included surveys, personal life stories, interviews, group discussions and public document assessments. The major method involved in participatory research is the qualitative method, which refers to the community.