Participatory Action Research: Involving “All the Players” in Evaluation and Change

"In so many evaluations,” said a program officer, “no one thinks to ask the users.” Participatory action research offers grantmakers a way to do so. It engages all parties in all aspects of an evaluation, from defining the problem to gathering and analyzing data to preparing recommendations. In this guide, learn about a unique evaluation method and how grantmakers used it to evaluate programs in agriculture, early childhood development, and immigration. Highlights of this guide include: ensuring a rigorous approach and objective results; developing trusting partnerships as part of an evaluation; building the conditions for a successful PAR evaluation; and two mini-case studies.