Participatory Research

Dirk Schubotz grew up in Berlin and holds a Masters in Social Sciences (Dipl Soz) from Humboldt University Berlin and a PhD (Dr Phil) from Kassel University. Dirk has lived and worked in Northern Ireland since 2000. He initially held a Research Fellow post at Ulster University, before moving to Queen's University Belfast in 2003-first as a Research Fellow, and since 2012 as a lecturer/senior lecturer in Social Policy. Since 2003, Dirk has been a member of ARK (www.ark.ac.uk), directing ARK's annual Young Life and Times (YLT) study. Dirk's main research interests are children's young people's lives and their rights, sexual health, sexual and gender identities, and both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Dirk is particularly interested in participatory research methods and has undertaken a number of research projects with young people as coresearchers.

Introduction Part I: History, Theory and Ethics of Participatory Methods Chapter 1: The History and Nature of Participatory Research Methods Chapter 2: Theoretical Perspectives on Participatory Research Chapter 3: Approaches and Populations in Participatory Research Chapter 4: Research Ethics in Participatory Research Practice Part II: Applications of Participatory Methods Chapter 5: Participatory Action Research (PAR) Chapter 6: Participatory Approaches to Participant Observation Chapter 7: Group Discussion Methods in Participatory Research Chapter 8: Participatory Survey Methods In Conclusion

One unique feature of this text is the way it richly lays out how theory and practice can (and do!) come together in participatory research. It is chock full of case studies, examples and exercises to help the material come alive and engage learners in reflexive praxis. -- Sarah Flicker This book is a highly important and timely contribution to the field of research methods. It provides the reader with various approaches, illustrates their applications and is of great value to any student, researcher or practitioner interested in participatory research methods. -- Ingvill C. Mochmann This book offers students a secure introduction to participatory research: origins, theory, methods and most importantly ethics, including the specificity of situated ethics within a participatory design. Students are provided with practical strategies to help navigate participatory research projects. -- Niamh O'Brien Dirk Schubotz's book is impressive. He reveals theoretical, historical and ethical backgrounds of participatory approaches to research and his book is also useful in terms of practice. You can feel the author's strong empirical background involving children and young people as subjects in research projects. A strong parol for understanding research as practice of mutual understanding, collective action and social change. -- Timo Ackermann What a fantastic book! Comprehensive in scope, underpinned by important theoretical approaches, a great set of exercises and a deep commitment to the transformative possibilities of PAR! A must for all research students, researchers and transdisciplinary research teams. -- Maggie O'Neill