Participatory Action Research

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African regional workshop on participatory research (1-7 July): "From clarity to Anarchy – Participatory research approach"
(PRIA, 1979-07) Tandon, Rajesh
Certificate in international perspectives in participatory research instructional guidelines
(PRIA & UVic, 2013) Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA); University of Victoria
Collaborative participatory research in gender mainstreaming in social change organizations
(Participatory research in Asia (PRIA), 2006-11-19) Tandon, Rajesh; Farrell, Martha
Unequal gender relations in societies, specially developing countries, have been focus of development programmes for decades. Much of this focus has been on changing gender relations in communities. However, organisations - governmental and private also reflect similar patterns of gender relations. Advocacy for gender mainstreaming in organisations has had limited success due to prescriptive approach. PRIA has adopted a learning process approach to gender mainstreaming in development NGOs in India. Collaborative Research methodology has been utilized towards this end. This paper describes one such case and draws implications for future research and practice.
Dialogue as inquiry and intervention
(1981) Tandon, Rajesh
From clarity to anarchy: Participatory research approach (A critique of "The methodology of the participatory research approach")
(1979) Tandon, Rajesh
This paper presents conceptual arguments to delineate the methodology of participatory research approach. After presenting an excellent analysis of the social and professional contexts of the origin of PRA, the authors describe various points of view which are broadly subsumed under PRA. The degree of researcher's political activism is seen as the main dimension on which these various points of view differ.
Involving communities in planning and assessing the impacts of development programmes: Report on a pacific NGO workshop on participatory approaches to development, Nadi, Fiji, 23–25 June
(2023-06-23) Quinn, Marion; Clark, Kevin
This report documents a Pacific NGO workshop on participatory approaches to development held in Fiji in 2003, aimed at strengthening the capacities of civil society organisations to use participatory impact assessment, stakeholder analysis, indicator setting, and community based monitoring in their own contexts. Its central concern is how development can move beyond expert driven models toward processes where primary stakeholders influence decisions, resources, and outcomes. The report covers practical sessions on identifying stakeholders, understanding gender relations, designing meaningful indicators, collecting and analysing data, and using participatory tools such as mapping, ranking, focus groups, seasonal calendars, and time use studies. Through examples from Pacific countries, it shows how communities can define priorities, generate knowledge, and evaluate change on their own terms. This report offers an important lesson that monitoring and evaluation are not merely technical exercises but democratic processes linked to power, voice, and accountability. It demonstrates that when communities participate from the beginning of a project cycle, development interventions become more relevant, more sustainable, and more responsive to local realities.
Linkage between participatory research, participatory evaluation and participatory training
(1983-05-05)
As participatory approaches gained ground in the early 1980s, questions emerged about how research, evaluation, and training might intersect in practice. This paper explores the close relationship between these three processes, showing how they often overlap and evolve within the same project rather than remaining separate domains. Through discussions of field experiences, it reflects on the complexity of roles that facilitators, educators, and community members assume, and the tensions that arise in balancing activism, research, and organizational structures. The study also considers the possibilities of applying participatory methods to diverse fields such as primary education, forestry, and women’s empowerment, while highlighting the constraints of time, resources, and institutional support. Instead of drawing final conclusions, it leaves the reader with open questions about how participatory practice can expand its reach while staying true to its empowering intent.
Lived realities of women sanitation workers in india insights from a participatory research conducted in three cities of India
(Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 2019-06) Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)
Participatory Evaluation and Research: Main Concepts and Issues
(Indian Social Institute, 1981) Tandon, Rajesh
From the days in the 1930s when the University of Bombay first introduced a post-graduate course in sociology, to our days, there has been a gradual change to the professionalization of the social sciences. With professionalization came specialisation and its acceptance as a science that can be considered objective by creating a distance between the researcher and the 'object' of study i.e., the people studied—actors in the social setting.
Participatory evaluation in adult education
(Society for Participatory Research In Asia, 1994-11) Tandon, Rajesh
Participatory impact assessment. August 20- 25, 2001
(Particiaptory Research in Asia (PRIA), 2001-08-25) Dwivedi, Anju
How can development interventions be made more accountable to the people they are meant to serve? In this paper, Anju Dwivedi examines how participatory impact assessment can reframe conventional approaches to evaluation by placing communities at the center of the process. She begins by tracing shifts in development thinking from a focus on economic growth in the 1950s to an increasing emphasis on participation and human development by the 1990s, where people’s involvement became central. Dwivedi argues that social development is not a linear process that can be captured through simple output and outcome measures. Impact must instead be understood as change from a given starting point, including intended and unintended effects on people’s lives. Participatory impact assessment therefore becomes a continuous process across the project cycle, engaging communities and other stakeholders in defining indicators, collecting data, and interpreting findings. The paper also foregrounds the importance of integrating a gender lens to understand differentiated impacts. For practitioners and researchers, this paper offers a grounded way to rethink impact assessment as a political and learning process rather than a technical exercise.
Participatory research as a methodology of development
(Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), 0000) Tandon, Rajesh
Participatory research in Asia
(1980) Tandon, Rajesh
Participatory research, educational experience and empowerment of adults
(Society for Participatory Research in Asia, 1985-01) Tandon, Rajesh
Participatory research, educational experience, and empowerment of adults
(PRIA, 1985-01) Tandon, Rajesh
Participatory training and self development
(0000) Acharya, Binoy; Verma, Shalini
How should training be undertaken to encourage critical thinking and instill confidence in people? In this article, Binoy Acharya and Shalini Verma discuss the growing emphasis on training within the development sector while questioning approaches that reduce training to the mere transfer of information or techniques. They argue that many people, especially the poor and marginalised, experience the systematic devaluation of their own knowledge and capacities which weakens self confidence and participation. For this reason, simply providing more skills cannot by itself lead to empowerment, though external knowledge may still be useful. The focus of training, they argue, must be to foster critical thinking so that people can analyse their own realities, articulate their experiences, and identify what they need to learn further. Participatory training is highlighted as a process that breaks the culture of silence, restores faith in people’s own knowledge, and builds confidence for collective action. Social development, the authors emphasise, begins with the development of the self.
Participatory training for promotion of social development
(1996) Acharya, Binoy; Verma, Shalini
How can participatory training and learning be undertaken with disadvantaged groups? In this article, Binoy Acharya and Shalini Verma discuss approaches to training that move beyond the mere transfer of information and place people’s confidence, experience, and critical awareness at the center. They argue that many marginalised communities have long experienced the devaluation of their own knowledge and capacities, which weakens participation and self belief. Therefore, participatory training must begin by helping people analyse their own realities, articulate their experiences, and recognise what they need to learn further. The article highlights the important role of grassroots trainers in understanding why people do not participate- including fear, exclusion, low confidence, and past experiences of being ignored. Training is therefore presented as a process of creating safe spaces for dialogue, reflection, and collective learning. Drawing from training designs adopted by Gujarat based NGOs, the authors show how structured modules on facilitation, group dynamics, self development, and training methods can build local leadership. Participatory training is thus presented as a means of fostering critical thinking, restoring confidence, and strengthening people’s capacities for social change.
Proposal for the study of participatory research, evaluation and training efforts in India
(PRIA, 0000) Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)
This proposal outlines a study to document, analyze, and synthesize participatory processes in research, evaluation, and training across diverse settings in India. It highlights the shift in development strategies toward bottom-up, participatory approaches emphasizing empowerment, organizational building, and integration of popular knowledge. The study aims to fill gaps in documentation and provide accessible insights to grassroots activists and professionals. The methodology includes selecting case studies, engaging with stakeholders, and conducting field observations and workshops to generate actionable findings. Key questions include exploring control dynamics, knowledge creation, praxis, and empowerment in participatory processes. The study aims to produce a final report in multiple languages for wide dissemination.
Refreshing consumer welfare in India: Opportunities for participatory democracy
(0000) Tandon, Rajesh
Report of the sixth state finance commission of Sikkim: Report for the award period 2025-26 to 2029-30
(State Finance Commission (SFC), 2023-10) State Finance Commission (SFC)