Develop your knowledge and skills to bring participatory action research into your social change work.
Please note, we are also running a Participatory Monitoring & Evaluation for Learning course, which is for project and programme staff, and academics whose focus is evaluation. The Using Participatory Action Research to Improve Development Practice course looks at participatory research more broadly – its principles, design and facilitation – and does not go in depth into evaluation.
Participatory action research (PAR) is a way of engaging and working with people who are living in poverty or experience other forms of marginalisation, as agents of change.
Interest in PAR has surged recently in the international development sector, as it challenges the power dynamic inherent in traditional research approaches. This is why it is key that professionals and practitioners in the sector engage with the latest thinking and address any skills gap within their organisations.
It is of particular importance to development practitioners and researchers today, as it can ensure their interventions are relevant, appropriate and inclusive. It is increasingly relevant for NGOs working in the Global South or North, as they shift towards a more people-centred way of developing, delivering and assessing their projects and programmes of work.
The people who are affected by issues are rarely have rarely been included in researching them, finding solutions, designing indicators or assessing change. This approach has been problematic, as it not only disempowers communities, but ignores the first-hand knowledge the possess about barriers to change, and potential solutions.
PAR provides a way of changing this, offering an inclusive community-led approach to development. This can empower communities and ensure that the suggested solutions are realistic, and able to be managed by local actors once infrastructure has been set up.
It is also an effective way of building participatory learning into the processes of organisations that are trying to support development and social change. This is critical for organisations who want to provide the resources and knowledge to put community members in control.
A facilitated process of participatory evidence gathering, and collective analysis can lead to actions in different arenas: actions at the grassroots which support mutual aid and collective action; actions at the organisational level which inform NGO programme change and enable evidence-based contributions to policy development.
Through a range of programmes and over many years, IDS has been developing processes and methods to enable this to happen at scale both in organisations and across communities. This is why we are in the strongest position to be able to offer the most up to date theory and best practice on PAR in this short course.
Please note that in our PAR work, we engage with very marginalised communities. This work demands us to be power aware in our facilitation. You may find some of the case studies and exercises during the course challenging and / or triggering. All sessions are optional if you do not wish to participate. Please contact the course coordinator by emailing [email protected] to discuss further, and to allow us to accommodate your needs.
Our in-person course will equip you with the conceptual and practical tools to design and carry out Participatory Action Research (PAR) in your own organisations, projects, or with partner organisations. You’ll also gain a practical understanding of how to achieve rigour using participatory methods.
Participatory action research (PAR) is a way of engaging and working with people who are living in poverty or experience other forms of marginalisation, as agents of change. By putting people at the centre of research processes, we are shifting power and creating space for them to have agency. This shift is fundamental for transforming research and practice in ways which build sustainable partnerships and decolonise research relationships.
It is also important for development practitioners and researchers today, because when data are gathered and analysed by the people who are affected by an issue, the knowledge generated is more likely to be relevant and actionable.
A facilitated process of participatory evidence gathering, and collective analysis can lead to actions in different arenas: actions at the grassroots which support mutual aid and collective action; actions at the organisational level which inform programme change and enable evidence-based contributions to policy development.
IDS has pioneered participatory research and development approaches for many years and is considered one of the leading centres for participatory research globally. Our processes and methods have enabled change to happen at scale both in organisations and across communities. This makes us uniquely positioned to offer the most up-to-date theory and best practice in this area.
To equip you with the conceptual and practical tools to design and carry out PAR in your own organisations, projects, or with partner organisations. You’ll also gain a practical understanding of how to achieve rigour using participatory methods.
This course is interactive, inclusive, participatory and applied. Prior to the course, you’ll be asked to think of a critical question that you are dealing with in your work, or relating to your organisation’s practice.
Over the week you will explore this question and, with the support of the facilitators, identify a PAR process appropriate for addressing your question, and learn how to develop and manage this process, and reflect on the ethical challenges.
You’ll learn about a range of methods, and develop your ideas into a detailed plan that you will be able to operationalize on returning to your organisation. This will enable you to bring fresh perspectives back to your workplace on how to address this question.
The course comprises a series of interactive sessions, blending some theoretical and conceptual learning with practical sessions which enable experiential learning and sharing. These interactive sessions allow participants to knowledge share with other international development professionals, which provides space for the generation of new ideas and solutions.
As an additional benefit, course directors will provide a post-course webinar to assist participants in embedding their learning within their organisation.
Session 1: Introduction to the theories and key approaches of PAR; analysis of the key concepts (in particular, participation, complexity, change); introduction to ethics and care in PAR. We will relate these concepts to your own practice.
Session 2: Discussions of case studies using action research in international development and in the UK context. These are likely to draw on: dialogic cooperative inquiry to build inclusion and accountability in Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, Uganda and India; participatory video processes and PAR in India and Kenya; systemic action research to address slavery and bonded labour in India, and to address marginalisation in the UK. Please note that the content of these case studies could be triggering to some participants.
Session 3: You’ll present and discuss your own question in small groups. This will be followed by training and practical sessions for designing your own action research process, with the support of peers and facilitators.
Session 4: Further practical training in managing the participatory research process including facilitation, recording, analysis, planning and monitoring.
All sessions are optional – you are welcome to discuss in advance with the course coordinator whether all will be suitable for you.
After completing this course you will be able to:
This course is ideal for NGO practitioners, facilitators, and persons involved in processes of social change as well as donors developing evidence-based programmes. It is also valuable to researchers and postgraduate students wishing to orient their work within the PAR paradigm.
This is an in-person short course, so please visit our contact page for information on how to get to IDS. Please also check the building accessibility information if required.
24 March 2025
20 March 2025
19 March 2025
