ABSTRACT
Action research is often denigrated and devalued in academia as a non-rigorous and, thus, as a non-scientific approach to research. This chapter explains that in fact action research, particularly of a participatory nature, has to be more rigorous than traditional qualitative approaches. This is because action researchers are working closely with people over a period of time on matters that have the potential to change their lives, for better or worse. If as researchers we do not hold ourselves accountable to democratic, participatory and caring values in our practice, we can cause more harm than good. This requires participatory action researchers to continually reflect on the influence they are having within the project and on how power relations are being played out. They also have to be constantly on the lookout for any negative, unintended outcomes emanating from the change process. Action research aims not only to generate conceptual theory; its validity has to be grounded in claims of positive transformation, ideally at personal, professional and systemic/policy levels. This chapter explains the different ways that action researchers can validate claims to knowledge emanating from a PALAR process and provides practical, real-life examples from various studies.
