Two Common Methods Used In The Field Of Social Work

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Participatory action research (PAR) and positivist research models are two common methods of research that are used within the field of social work. PAR is defined as a collaborative effort of the researcher and the participant working towards improving or changing a desired behavior or action, through planning, implementing, observing, evaluating, and redesigning (McTaggart, 1997). PAR was derived from the original idea of action research. Therefore, PAR is based on the researcher and the participant seeking a better understanding of the issue being researched and acting on the knowledge obtained; while learning about themselves during the process (Wagaman & Sanchez, 2015). This is a key aspect and strength of PAR because it truly sets itself apart from other research methods, such as positivist research methods. However, the main weakness to PAR is that the primary purpose is to incorporate a collaborative effort between the participant and the researcher. If the participant does not comply and go through the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating then the research outcomes will not be significant. …show more content…

The strength to using this research method approach is that it is based on data and observation, whereas PAR research can start with very little information to begin. Jackosben (2013) explains that the real world as areas that are uniform and in order to gain knowledge about these uniformities, a researcher must observe and obtain data. Unfortunately, positivist approaches, such as experimental and non-experimental methods consist of methods and generalized rules that limit a researcher. This is a key weakness for positivist research methods, because PAR allows a researcher to be open for planning, evaluating and then redesigning if need be to fit the needs of the