Reflection on the Purposes of Research, Action, and Scholarship: A Case of Cross-Cultural Participatory Action Research

Beginning with some basic principles of participatory action research, the author draws upon personal experience to identify the ways in which the experience of the practice of participatory action research creates forms of publication somewhat different in intent and nature from conventional forms of research. The experience selected involves cross-cultural research, and the particular problems of representation of the “other” in such settings are engaged. The overall experience is then drawn upon to identify some of the key “qualities” of action research which differ both from other forms of research and from some of the advocacies for action research.