Participatory action research and popular education in Latin America
Title:
Participatory action research and popular education in Latin America
Author:
Torres, Carlos Alberto
Appeared in:
International journal of qualitative studies in education
Paging:
Volume 5 (1992) nr. 1 pages 51-62
Year:
1992-01
Contents:
One of the signal developments in educational reform over the past two decades in Latin America has been the ascendancy of popular educational participatory action research. Popular education and participatory action research are two central traditions of nonformal education in Latin America. Popular education is highly critical of mainstream education, seeking to empower the marginalized, the disenfranchised, and the poor. Participatory action research combines research, educational work, and social action. These paradigms share a number of epistemological, theoretical, methodological, and political elements, and both paradigms have been influenced by the works of the Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire. This article discusses the origins of participatory action research, its basic premises, its main differences compared with nonparticipatory research, and some practical and critical conclusions that can be derived from these origins, theoretical-political premises, and epistemological foundations.
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