Development Action Research

Reflexibility

As researchers work with people, listen to them and observe the ways they define and analyze the issues they investigate, research facilitators or animators increase their knowledge dramatically. Not only are they able to understand the complex local dynamics in which they are enmeshed, but their understanding of theoretical and methodological issues increases significantly. This not only provides development researchers and practitioners with increased expertise and understanding but also enables them to share their knowledge gain in one context with people in another context in which they work.

PAR works through collective exploration of self-inquiry and problem-solving mechanisms. This helps one to unpack problems from a multidimensional and multi-stakeholder perspective. This exchange thus not only helps explore subjectivities as opposed to objective or scientific ways of problematizing an issue but also helps develop an epistemology rooted in intersubjectivities, that is, a discursive practice that emerges around collective experience that is debated and negotiated by individuals brought together by a common purpose but holding different opinions and perspectives. This therefore lays the ground for contestation as well as consensus building.

The core point of departure here with other epistemologies is the centrality of action. Since the solution has to be in the form of a collective action, as social practice or engaging transformational positions and politics, the predispositions and grounds for such action are already explored and hence can lead to effective social practices and policies. The process of praxis is also important in this respect. Praxis relates to the cyclical process of reflection-action-reflection, whereby practice and policies may not only evolve through reflection but feedback as responses from action into reflection—in other words further knowledge building. This last aspect enables theory building from the ground as opposed to theorizing from above.

Process Orientation

The success of many development initiatives is determined by results defined in terms of outcomes, outputs and impact. PAR, however, recognizes that many development activities need to evolve over a long period of time and through various phases and organizational abilities. Hence, it is essential to record and document the processes in a development initiative to register differential organizational capacities and relations between stakeholders that lead to valued results. This may take the form of best practices, success stories as well as the challenges faced during the endeavour.

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