By Pranom Somwong

1. “Linking Feminist Framework with Participatory Action Research“Why and How FPAR is different with PAR ? By PranomSomwong

2. PAR :Some of the major principles to this approach are • common values such as the value of local knowledge and a commitment to non-violent social change • ownership of the research lies with the community involved • participants are to be included at every stage of the research and special effort should be made to include groups not usually included

3. Methods and outcomes • research methods are selected based on their appropriateness to the situation and should be taught to local participants so that they can continue the inquiry process independently of the researcher • outcomes are intended to benefit the community • ownership of product in terms of methods used, interpretation of results, dissemination of results.

4. Proposes a feminist participatory action research framework consisting: Reid (2004) • true collaboration of participants at all stages of the research, along with a critical analysis of who is and is not participating, and why; • individual and collective action to improve participants’ well being and social situation • can not claim to speak for all women, but can provide new knowledge grounded in the realities of women’s experiences and actively enact structural changes in the social world( Vernie : first training )

5. Inclusion of diverse topics that centre marginalized women’s perspectives and concerns • social change at the systemic level to redistribute power to participants’ communities • researcher reflexivity, both about our biases and assumptions, and about our social and role power and how these influence our interactions with participants.

6. Arose at the same time and out of similar critiques of the traditional research paradigm. As a result, the two share many similarities. • Both recognize “objective” knowledge as socially constructed, and both value situated and experiential knowledge. • Both advocate researchers’ meaningful, holistic and personal engagement with research participants and their communities.

7. Continue …. • Both are suspicious of traditional research’s preoccupation with generalizations and control. • Both promote the self-determination of oppressed people, and aim to contribute to resistance against systems of dominance and oppression.

8. But these similarities in values do not extend to the research process • that early participatory researchers failed to incorporate the insights of feminism, to attend to the experiences of women in their projects, and to ensure women’s access to the process and products of research • Meanwhile, feminist theorists had largely failed to articulate how epistemology translates into concrete matters of method and process in research. (Maguire (1987)

9. The most important contribution of feminist participatory research ? • its attention to the interplay of race, class, and gender, among researchers, between researchers and participants, and within researched communities (Brydon-Miller (2004) • dis/ability, sexuality, citizenship/legal status , and other forces in the context of globalization, militarization ,colonization and imperialism ( APWLD !!)

10. We seeks to include feminism • the process, to focus on the meaning women give to their world while recognizing that research as a process is contained within the same patriarchal relations , uses feminist principles throughout all stages of research, from choice of topic to presentation of data. These feminist principles also inform and act as the framework guiding the decisions being made by the researcher.

11. feminist research challenges • more actively experiments with ways to make the process, not merely the products, empowering for both the researched and researcher, the goal of producing knowledge • Critique : Though FPAR provide useful models for putting feminist participatory research into practice but how the actual projects could do l to support marginalized communities/women’ struggles against devastating injustices ???

12. Feminist participatory researchers • must choose to act, learning from our mistakes and successes (p.15). Mutually-influencing cycles of action and critical reflection are fundamental to feminist participatory research (Reid, 2004; Williams & Lykes, 2003).

13. There are many varying and diverse interpretations of what feminist PAR is and should be • The only agreement seems to be to have no agreement - to revel in the diversity and recognize that these differences facilitate and permit different knowledges to be put forth.

14. The quantitative or qualitative values of a variable ( DATA ) Primary Data Secondary Data Data collected from a source that has already been published in any form is called as secondary data Secondary data can be less valid but its importance is still there. Sometimes it is difficult to obtain primary data Published Printed and electronic Sources ect Unpublished Personal Records Government Records • Data that has been collected from first-hand-experience • has not been published yet and is more reliable, authentic and objective • cannot be neglected • Survey:((Questionnaire , Interview, Observations