There are many programs within local communities seeking to address issues that impact the local citizens and beyond. Participatory action research (PAR) uses summative and formative evaluation to study the actions and efforts of a group with the goal for improving services and perhaps changing structures to become more effective. Utilizing additional viewpoints, the researcher incorporates the expertise of individual stakeholders, participants, and researchers to propel change. Therefore, we consider PAR to be cyclical and collaborative across many dimensions. With this information consider the following for discussion:

What topic or subject matter will you research? What is your interest in that issue? How is it currently being addressed in your local community?

Please you this topic as the research matter; A study of youth homelessness
in the District of Columbia

Ethical Challenges

The Center for Collaborative Action Research provides examples of projects that are incorporated with some evaluation of the results of the action research. It identifies resources, strategies, and professional development resources as well.

The plan of PAR that you create should allow you to share knowledge and skills, provide assessment of your progress, and evaluate your approach as necessary in the inquiry. Your personal skills and development of knowledge and experience through this interaction on the local level can help in assessing the need for your additional education, ethical knowledge, or practical approaches in the field of human studies. The social aspect of PAR will allow you to collaborate and integrate information altering your focus or strengthening your ability to collect and document information through interviews, collections of photos, historical documents, et cetera to help further extend the possibility of change in the community.

What ethical challenges do you anticipate encountering in this local research? To whom, if given the opportunity, would you provide information concerning the outcomes of your research and why would this report be integral to further development of change within the community? What specific personal skills and knowledge do you feel will be helpful in your work at the local level?

http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/ccar/