We introduce participatory action research as a strategy for "consultation with." We elaborate the possibilities and limits of participatory consultation as a strategy that enables sustained relations with communities of material poverty and resilience wealth. Consulting with an activist organization, and dedicated to producing a…

Reflection, in a classroom setting, presents educators with a method for narrowing the theory-practice gap. Material from the practice environment can be brought into the classroom and used as the substance of learning from experience. Enabling students to understand and value reflection is an essential part of this process. It is also a process…

The human capabilities approach developed by the economist Amartya Sen links development, quality of life and freedom. This article explores the key ideas in the capability approach of: capability, functioning, agency, human diversity and public participation in generating valued capabilities. It then considers how these ideas relate specifically…

This project responded to the concerns of experienced community health workers who worked with people who had mental illness and resided in Supported Residential Facilities (SRFs) in South Australia. They had identified that urinary and faecal incontinence was common for this group of people and yet it was an issue that had not previously been…

Only recently have professionals recognized the importance of self-determination for young children and their families. Project SELF used the philosophy of self-determination in an interdisciplinary model to prepare graduate students to serve young children with disabilities and their families. Through Participatory Action Research (PAR) projects,…

Despite desegregation, and educational policies calling for increased inclusivity in higher education, students in South Africa generally continue to have homogenous social and learning experiences. This article reports on a collaborative student learning community across three disciplines at two universities. The e-learning project aimed to…

This paper describes a graduate administrator-preparation program at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan that is based on collaborative action research. Fifteen graduates from four cohort groups participated in a study of the program. Data were collected through individual interviews and analysis of students' reflective papers, critical…

Discusses how college instructors can make teaching more professional, productive, and intellectually satisfying in the classroom. The article suggests teachers focus on student needs and be classroom researchers. This relates to tribal colleges because they educate a unique group of students, and instructors must find unique ways to present…

Participatory research (PR) is a term that was first articulated in Tanzania in the early 1970s to describe a variety of community-based approaches to the creation of knowledge. Taken together these approaches combine social investigation, education and action in an interrelated process. The International Council for Adult Education provided a…

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the employment and career development concerns of postsecondary students with learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and (b) develop strategies for improving their post-graduation employment outcomes. Employing an established…

The State of the Science conference was held in May, 2007 as part of the ongoing series of national conferences, "Building on Family Strengths," conducted by the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health at Portland State University. The theme of this State-of-the Science conference was "Effective…

Action research, which, broadly defined, was one of the activities in which educators following in the footsteps of John Dewey engaged, emerged as a systematic approach for improving educational practice in the two decades following World War II. Action research then passed into relative obscurity. It has recently re-emerged in the educational…

This paper examines action research that has been carried out in organizations consisting of predominantly highly educated personnel. The paper revolves around discussion of the Scandinavian model of action research, asking to what degree this model, which has been developed within the framework of industrial democracy, might also serve as a…

This action research explored the relationship between community and learning. The essence of community was examined through informal conversations with Hawaiian parents, service providers, and students involved in advocating for family/community centers in the schools. Community was found to be inversely related to alienation and defined by…

This single case study, situated within a larger narrative inquiry project, closely examines the professional stories told by one Project Grow teacher. Project Grow is a 10-year-old collaborative interdisciplinary environmental education project at a New York City alternative public high school. Through the practice of an innovative …