Participation: Research is a participatory process that requires the equal and collaborative involvement of the ‘community of research interest’. (Walter, 2009).
The student focused aspect of participatory action research can support my future plans for object-based learning activities. Students, as part of the community for my project, can be involved in the review and revision of OBL activities. I can try an OBL activity with students, discuss the process and the learning before revising and re-planning the activity for a future workshop.
‘The key to PAR is in its name. The concepts of participation and action form the basics of the method.’ (Walter, 2009).
The development of the OBL activities can become what Walter describes as a ‘cyclical process of planning, acting, observing and reflecting.’
‘Within participatory action research the researcher is the tool for facilitating change, rather than the owner, director and expert in the research project’ (Walter, 2009). I will be facilitating changes in the methods of teaching by involving students in the design of the activities. We will collaborate through the design, planning and reviewing of these activities, engaging in reflection to further update and redesign.
During modules that I teach there are several opportunities for participatory action research linked to OBL. I will be able to introduce an activity at the start of a 10- or 12-week module and request student participation for further activities to be conducted through the module. Students have access to the module guide, outcome and scheme of work at the beginning of the module that gives visibility to the lecture topics and seminar activities that form the module.
Bibliography
Walter, M. (2009) ‘Participatory Action Research’, Social Research Methods. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/3563840/Participatory_Action_Research (Accessed: 5 January 2022).