Considerations in participatory action research when working cross-culturally

Professionals from minority world nations are increasingly consulting with majority world nations to develop intervention and educational training programs, yet minority world programs cannot be simply transferred to majority world countries. Participatory action research (PAR) provides a methodology that can be used to facilitate the development of programs that are useful for and sustainable by the majority world communities. This article describes the principles of PAR and gives examples of the ways that cultural values and behaviors may influence interactions between minority and majority world persons. An understanding of these cultural variations in values is essential for the successful implementation of PAR and will reduce miscommunication and incorrect interpretations of behaviors. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel.