Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR) for Community Engagement: A Theoretical Framework

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to make a new genre of action research accessible to readers in theory and practice that is distilled from my forthcoming work (in Zuber-Skerritt, Kearney, & Fletcher, 2015). Here the focus is on participatory action learning and action research (PALAR), a conceptual integration of lifelong action learning and participatory action research. PALAR is conceived as a philosophy, a methodology, a theory of learning, and as a facilitation process for community engagement. The paper explains the meaning, significance, benefits, effectiveness, applications, successes, and challenges of PALAR with regard to community engagement. The Appendix provides practical guidelines for strategic team design of a PALAR project.