Pre-conference Workshop 1

Workshop on developing Participatory Action Research

Thursday, 20th October, 10:00 - 12:30

• Prof. Dr. Hilde Bastiaens (UAntwerp)
• Dr. Annelies Colliers PhD (UAntwerp)

The participatory action research (PAR) approach has three essential features: participation, action and research. It’s being increasingly used in health care research to enhance the successful implementation of scientific evidence into daily practice. It has the goal to lead to bottom-up democratic action, and contributes simultaneously to positive change in practice, social knowledge and research. PAR aims to investigate ‘real life problems’ and create solutions for these challenges through an action-oriented focus together with the local stakeholders as co-researchers. It allows participants to be in control of the process and to develop an understanding of the problem, and to determine possible solutions together with researchers.

In this workshop we will share the basic features and theory of PAR, we will share lessons and experiences from our own PAR projects, and we will work interactively on how to apply PAR in your own research projects.