Participatory Action Research: A View from Xerox

Participatory Action Research and MSW Curricula

“…This outcome means that at the same time that students and practitioners are involved in a professional arena that increasingly requires more collaborative approaches to practice, social work research, as taught in the curricula of graduate schools, is still treated as the exclusive provence of the professional. How does one make sense of these findings, particularly in view of the fact that for the last two decades, various models for participatory research have been available in the literature of related disciplines such as social development, public policy, organizational development, grassroots organizing, community education, and women's studies (Argyris, Putnam & Smith, 1985;Brown, 1985;Cancian, 1992;Cantrell and Walker, 1993;Chesler, 1991;Fernandes, 1989;Fernandes & Tandon, 1981;Gaventa, 1991;Gaventa & Horton, 1981;Greenwood, 1993;Hall, 1975Hall, , 1981Hall, , 1992Kahn, 1982;Maguire, 1987;Pace & Argona, 1991;Tandon, 1981Tandon, , 1988Turnbull & Turnbull, 1991)?…”

“…Within social work and related literature, the following appear to be the most frequently cited varieties: action research, action science, community-based action research, participatory action research, and a group of general strategies known alternatively as collaborative research, co-operative inquiry, or simply participatory strategies. Action research (or action science) has found widespread support in many businesses and industrial settings (Brown & Tandon, 1983;Pace & Argona, 1991;Reason, 1994;Santos, 1991;Whyte, Greenwood & Lazes, 1991). Based on Kurt Lewin's insight that one understands something best in trying to change it, action research is a strategy for workers to improve their performance through investigating or experimenting with interventions into their own practice (Lewin, 1946;Reason, 1994;Argyris, Putnam & Smith, 1985;Argyris & Schon, 1991;Schon, 1983).…”

Toward solidarity as the ground for changing science education

“…Not surprisingly, therefore, change has turned out to be much more effective when the people producing and reproducing a situation also are involved in redesigning it. As the examples of participatory action research at Xerox and many other industrial companies have shown, shop floors become more efficient and productive when the workers are in control of defining the problems and together with the foremen design and propose changes in the processes (e.g., Pace and Argona 1991). Much of my own early teacher-researcher work had impact because they involved students centrally in the redesign of the curriculum and gave them active voice in the publications either through member checking procedures or as co-authors.…”

An Essay on Research Methodology: An Alternative Approach to Incident Command Research Through Participatory Action Research

“…Second, victims and responders are typically candid, cooperative and willing to talk in ways far more difficult to get later (Quarantelli, 2002). The possibility of involving participating first responders in the research process is still to be explored, but experience from organization development and worker participation is very good (Emery & Thorsrud, 1976;Pace & Argona, 1991;Whyte, Greenwood, & Lazes, 1991). Defusing and debriefing are concepts in crisis management that could be particularly powerful in the development of research strategies, experience transfer and discussion of results.…”