Lessons From the Field: Participatory Action Research in a Family Research Project

Strategies to ensure that that researchers conducting applied research studies address issues that are relevant to consumers may be simple to conceptualize but more difficult to put into practice. This paper, therefore, is intended as a guide for researchers who aim to include stakeholders in studies that can affect public policies and service systems. One frequently promoted strategy is participatory action research, in which researchers design and conduct a study in close collaboration with representatives of the various stakeholders whose lives (e.g., people with disabilities, parents, or family members) or work (e.g., service providers or policymakers) may be affected by the research. Within the field of developmental disabilities, reports have been issued on the use of participatory action research with people who have developmental disabilities (Heller, Pederson, & Miller, 1996; Sample, 1996; Ward & Trigler, 2001) as well as with culturally diverse families of children with...