Step 1: What is participatory action research?

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When thinking of conducting research, perhaps the image comes to mind of a very time-consuming and extensive job. Participatory Action research is different. It is research that is carried out with members of the community. There is room to experiment and test outcomes. This means you are constantly moving and improving as part of the research. That is why we speak of ‘participatory action research’. In Asia, it is also called ‘Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)’.

Participatory action research consists of four phases, which succeed each other in a circular process of taking action and reviewing what the action does for the stakeholders. It seeks to constantly increase the positive impact of the action for the beneficiaries.

• Planning phase
• Action phase
• Analysis phase
• Conclusion phase

In this toolkit, you will learn how to plan and implement a participatory action research.