The case of Colgate University is used to argue that community-based research can be a vibrant and effective form of service learning, especially in rural communities. However, community-based research is difficult to execute well. There is little flexibility and high consequences for failed projects. As such, community-based research requires…

Compares seven multi-institutional community-based research networks in Appalachia; Colorado; District of Columbia; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Philadelphia; Richmond, Virginia; and Trenton, New Jersey. After reviewing the histories of the networks, conducts a comparative SWOT analysis, showing their common and unique strengths, weaknesses,…

A participant-observation study in a South African mining company that used self directed work team training identified organizational constraints that hindered training effectiveness: lack of materials, machinery breakdown, decentralized budget, and imposed standards. Miners more often used improvisation and initiative to solve daily problems,…

Presents a theoretical framework for teaching and learning research literacies. Describes a classroom demonstration involving graduate student cohorts in appreciative inquiry into practitioners' ways of writing. Addresses the issues of human subjects, informed consent, and the ethics of representation. (Contains 49 references.) (SK)

Of three extension models--top-down technology transfer, farmers-first approach, and participatory research--the latter extends elements of the other two into a more comprehensive analysis of a problem and specification of solution strategies. An Australian integrated pest management (IPM) example illustrates how structured workshops are a useful…

Compares action technologies on eight dimensions: purpose, primary focus, theoretical foundations, ideological focus, key strategies, facilitator role, research aim, and validity criteria. The technologies are action learning, action research, action science, popular education, participatory action research, and collaborative inquiry. (SK)

The colonial nature of relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people undermines effective adult education programs. A genuinely participatory mode of program development that enables Aboriginal communities to control their own education is essential. (SK)

This study adopted an interpretivist model as a basis for parents and researchers to cocreate a discourse, using repertory grid methodology, that outlines life experiences as they relate to parenting a child with an intellectual disability. A model of five interrelated systems of issues that impinge upon the perceptions of parents is proposed.…

Outlines the participatory self-evaluation methods of the People's Participation Programme of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. Benefits, six steps for introducing the method, and problems of language, comparability of numbers, and objectivity are described. (SK)

Describes the nature of participation within the context of people-centered development. Presents a framework for monitoring and evaluating participation in development, using participatory methodology. (SK)

Participatory research with American Indians with disabilities was extended to Mexico. Interviews with 232 indigenous persons with disabilities revealed a low level of education, high unemployment, and a majority of children not in school. Access to education, rural outreach, and increased employment opportunities were recommended. (SK)

A family literacy program used television soap operas as a starting point for investigating home and community literacy practices. Parents participated as co-researchers, comparing media portrayals of literacy events with their own everyday practices. (SK)

Defines co-operative inquiry as a radically participative form of inquiry in which all involved are both co-researchers and co-subjects. Introduces methodology in a layperson's guide. Reflects on the learning process of an inquiry group, especially the process of research cycling, importance of peer group, and the paradoxical self-reflexive…

This article contrasts the traditional relationships between researchers and subjects in traditional rehabilitation evaluation and research with relationships between researchers and clients-consumers in new methodologies. Collaborative research, characterized by shared power and non-hierarchical authority between client-consumers and researchers…

Examines the impact of violence on high school dropouts in their relationships with peers, family, teachers, and school structure. The resistance to school and violence in schools are seen as the result of schools' and society's resistance to dealing with diversity and the impact of various types of violence inherent in this resistance. (MMU)