Patricia Maguire
Patricia Maguire

Feminist Participatory Research

Educational and Teacher Action Research

“Near the end of class, Heather asked, ‘Why don’t we keep research journals?’
I had no answer. Although we only had five minutes left, we did five minutes
of sustained writing. Another student teased, ‘We didn’t really mean it.’
But I think they were pleased that I’d listened.” (Maguire journal, 2001).
So began the implementation of action research journals.

The Western New Mexico University - Gallup Graduate Studies Center (GGSC) was my academic home for nearly 25 years. In this section you can access resources for teaching action research with a feminist and social justice stance. Over the years I taught other graduate courses in the Counseling and Education programs, including Theories of Personality, Life Themes and Stages, Psychology of Learning, and History and Philosophy of U.S. Education. As you can see, I was the go‐to‐person for putting theory into action. My philosophy and practice of teaching was informed in part by bell hooks (Teaching to Transgress), Paulo Freire (Education for Critical Consciousness; Teachers as Cultural Workers), David Kolb (Experiential Learning); and Herbert Benally (Diné or Navajo Philosophy of Learning and Pedagogy).

Below you can download the syllabus from the last action research course I taught. The materials accessed in this section were developed over the years I taught or co-taught a feminist-informed teacher action research graduate course. The course evolved as I learned from students’ feedback and reflection. When complete, this section will include many of the materials I used to teach a two-semester action research course. Now, it is a work in progress. Please check back for additions.

A side note: our Masters of Elementary, Secondary, and Special Education programs were framed by the Adams, Blumenfeld, Castañeda, Hackman, Peters, and Zuñiga text, Readings for Diversity and Social Justice.

Laboring in the field of possibility: Teachers doing action research (2005) is a collection of teacher action research projects produced by graduate students who took the action research course.

 ~ Maguire – Teaching Resources ~ 
 ~ Links to Action Research Resources ~ 
ALARA ALARA – The Action Learning, Action Research Association is a global network interested in using action learning and action research to generate collaborative learning, training, research and action for transformation. See the list of AR Networks Around the World.
ARNA Action Research Network of the Americas ARNA unites college and university students and faculty conducting practitioner inquiry into teaching and learning with action researchers throughout the Americas,fgender and promotes AR conducted with a commitment to honesty, integrity, inclusiveness, multi-vocality, engagement, and achievement within sustainable democratic societies.
CARN Collaborative Action Research Network encourages and supports AR projects, accessible accounts of action research projects, and contributions to the theory and methodology of action research. See the new CARN PRAXIS Journal, designed specifically to support publication by practitioners and new researchers.
Parfem Trailblazers Participatory Action Research Feminist Trailblazers and Good Troublemakers – companion site for the PAR Feminist Trailblazers podcast. Conversations with feminist participatory and action research trailblazers about their work, struggles, and successes bringing feminist values and ways of being to PAR. Resources for PAR informed by intersectional feminisms. Click for podcast episodes.
Center for International Education Center for International Education engages in implementation and research activities in international development of educational institutions and systems – especially in conflict or crisis contexts. CIE works to provide professional development and capacity building, education policy and leadership, nonformal and popular adult education, higher education, and internationalizing U.S. education. See CIE publications related to Participatory Research & Practice.
GPFR Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (IGSF) at McGill University, the IGSF supports cutting-edge research, teaching and outreach activities in gender, sexuality and feminist studies. Download Miriam Gervais, Sandra Weber, Caroline Caron (2020) Guide to Participatory Feminist Research, Abridged Version, English. The Guide presents key elements of feminist participatory research and explains how to plan and implement a PAR project inspired by its guiding feminist principles. Also access the complete version in French and the FemStep Guide to Participatory Visual Methodologies.
ParFem PARticipatory FEMinism developed by Dr. Nimat Hafez Barazangi to accompany the Cornell Participatory Action Research Network (CPARN) 2002 Conference: Feminisms and the Academy... Going out of business?
Social Publishers Foundation Social Publishers Foundation — Practitioner Research. SPF provides support for practitioner-research projects for improved individual and social wellbeing within communities and to disseminate completed projects around the world. See the open access knowledge base of practitioner research.
UKPRN
United Kingdom Participatory Research Network embraces the philosophy, principles and potential of participatory research. See the UKPRN Resources page.