scholarly journals Participatory Action Research and Participatory Evaluation. Analysis of Two Methodological Approaches to Promote Youth Agency and Participation

2021 ◽  
pp. 28-52
Author(s):  
Héctor NÚÑEZ ◽  
Asun LLENA BERÑE ◽  
Núria FABRA FRES ◽  
Miquel GÓMEZ SERRA
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Young People ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Participatory Evaluation ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Construction Of Knowledge ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Social Entities

Participatory action research and participatory evaluation are two approaches used to involve people in public affairs, fostering the shared construction of knowledge. Recent decades have seen an increase in the involvement of agents in public activity, a trend that is also evident among young people. Experiences based on youth participatory action research and participatory youth evaluation are discussed in the literature. The main aim of this article is to define these two methodological approaches, and discuss: the role played by agents, the functions implemented, and the main stages. To this end, we have used a systematic documentary analysis of databases and specialist journals between 2010-2021. The results produce a map of internationally published articles regarding participatory action research and participatory youth evaluation. Secondly, a check-list is provided of the two methodological approaches to youth participation; this compiles the functions of the agents involved and the stages involved in both approaches. The article aims to be of use to public administrations and social entities with decision-making powers over actions that favour the involvement of young people in public affairs.

Allyship and solidarity, not therapy, in child and youth mental health: Lessons from a participatory action research project with psychiatrized youth

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Liegghio
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Young People ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Research Project ◽  
The Social

While globally advances have been made to recognize children as social actors in their own right, for psychiatrized young people their experiences of distress are often seen as a limitation and thus used as a justification for denying their meaningful participation in matters of concern to their lives. However, what would it mean if ‘mental illness’ was not seen as a ‘limitation’, but rather as an ‘epistemological position’ from which the social world is experienced, understood and acted upon? What would it mean if our theories about ‘distress’ and ‘helping’ were premised on the subjugated knowledges of psychiatrized children and youth? The consumer/survivor-led research movement has made significant gains in answering these questions for the adult, but not necessarily for the child and youth mental health field. The purpose of this article is to critically examine the significance of psychiatrized young people setting and executing their own research and, ultimately, practice agendas. Presented are the outcomes of an evaluation of a participatory action research project examining the stigma of mental illness conducted with seven psychiatrized youth, 14 to 17 years old. The outcomes suggest our roles as practitioners and researchers need to shift from being ‘agents’ working on behalf of to ‘allies’ working in solidarity with young people to change the social conditions of their marginalization. The article concludes with the limits of consumer/survivor-led research for addressing adultism and, instead, ends with a call for decolonizing children’s mental health.

scholarly journals Analysing participatory video through the capability approach – A case study in Quart de Poblet (Valencia, Spain)

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Boni ◽  
Aurora López-Fogués ◽  
Gynna Millán ◽  
Sergio Belda-Miquel
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Young People ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Capability Approach ◽  
Participatory Process ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Participatory Video ◽  
The Capability Approach

The aim of this paper is to analyse participatory video as a participatory action research method through the lenses of the capability approach. In order to do this, we used a participatory video experience that took place in the municipality of Quart de Poblet (Valencia, Spain) from February to March 2014. The participants were 11 young people between 16 and 24 years of age, severely affected by the economic crisis that has hit Spain in recent years. To develop our analysis, we introduced the participatory video as a technique and a process within the participatory action research methods. Then, we analysed the participatory process to verify the extent to which it had contributed to expanding the capabilities and agency of the participants. The evidence revealed a significant expansion of the awareness capability and, in some cases, of the capability for voice. In contrast, the capability to aspire and the agency of the participants were not expanded, due to contextual factors and the limitations of the process itself.

scholarly journals Action research with young people: possibilities and ‘messy realities’

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3-2019) ◽  
pp. 255-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Percy-Smith ◽  
Morena Cuconato ◽  
Christian Reutlinger ◽  
Nigel Patrick Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Young People ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Youth Research ◽  
Funded Project ◽  
Informal Settings

This paper reflects on our experiences of using participatory action research (PAR) with young people as part of an EU H2020 project exploring the spaces and styles of youth participation in formal, nonformal and informal settings. The paper outlines key tenets of action research and provides a brief review of the literature concerning the use of PAR in youth research. Drawing on three case studies, we provide an honest account of some of the messy realities involved in realising the promise of participatory action research in practice. The central focus is on how the action research played out in practice, the challenges of undertaking PAR within the context of a funded project with predefined deliverables, the power relationships between researchers and young people and how agendas are negotiated in action research. We conclude with some critical reflections on lessons learnt, highlighting the importance of acknowledging the exploratory nature of PAR and the critical role of the researcher as facilitator.

scholarly journals Participatory action research and oral history as natural allies in mental health research

2021 ◽  
pp. 146879412110399
Author(s):  
Verusca Calabria ◽  
Di Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Mental Health Settings ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
The Uk

This article explores the similarities and differences between oral history and participatory action research (PAR) as two qualitative research methods that both accord with an interpretivist paradigm. It examines how combining these two methodologies can benefit mental health research, offering opportunities for reflection and reciprocity. Drawing from the authors’ respective knowledge and experience of using oral history and PAR methods within social care and mental health settings in the UK, the article considers these opportunities in relation to key concepts, namely, the sharing of power, reciprocity and positionality that are inherent in both methodological approaches. The article concludes that PAR-led oral history offers a trans-disciplinary methodology that can offer fresh insights for improving practices and social outcomes and for reducing inequalities.

scholarly journals Talk About Self-Harm (TASH): participatory action research with young people, GPs and practice nurses to explore how the experiences of young people who self-harm could be improved in GP surgeries

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Bailey ◽  
Linda Kemp ◽  
Nicola Wright ◽  
Gabriella Mutale
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Young People ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Practice Nurses ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Data Statistics

Abstract Background The incidence of self-harm in young people in primary care is increasing dramatically, and many young people who self-harm visit their GP surgery as a first point of contact for help. Objective To explore with young people, GPs and practice nurses (PNs): (i) why young people present with self-harm to primary care and (ii) whether young people, GPs and PNs can take steps to have more helpful consultations about self-harm in GP surgeries that include self-help materials developed by young people being used to support such consultations to take place. Methods Participatory action research with GPs, PNs and young people employed mixed methods to collect statistical and narrative data. Statistics from 285 young people’s medical records were captured, including more detailed analyses of a random sample of 75 of these records. A series of 24 focus groups with a total of 45 GPs, PNs and young people, with an average number of eight participants in each group, was conducted. Statistical data were subject to descriptive and inferential analyses, and thematic analysis was applied to the transcripts from the focus groups. Results and conclusion The type of self-harm young people presented with influenced whether they would see a GP or PN. While self-help materials were welcomed and deemed helpful, young people, GPs and PNs were ambivalent about using these in short consultations where time was an overriding constraint. More research is needed on the feasibility of adopting self-help assisted interventions in GP surgeries.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document