Participatory Research

…methods that offer “the ability to speak up, to participate, to experience oneself and be experienced as a person with the right to express yourself and to have the expression valued by others”

(Abma et al., 2019, p. 127).

Participatory research is a collaborative approach that engages various stakeholders—such as community members, researchers, policymakers, and artists—as active contributors in the research process. Unlike traditional research, which often positions research participants as passive subjects, participatory research involves them in every stage, from identifying research questions to analysing results and implementing solutions. This approach values local knowledge, promotes mutual learning, and ensures that research outcomes are responsive to the needs and priorities of those most affected by the problems trying to be solved. In doing so, participatory research methods create more inclusive, relevant, and impactful studies that support equitable change. The resources provided in this module define and explain what participatory research is and how it has been used within the One Ocean Hub to explore and better understand how to achieve transformative ocean governance.

Using the work of the One Ocean Hub as a case study, this learning pathway will lead you through the process of using some participatory research methods. Under the One Ocean Hub, participatory research has been used to engage communities across Ghana, Namibia, South Pacific and South Africa to better understand and co-develop sustainable and equitable ways to enjoy, care for and manage ocean resources. This approach broadly falls under the transdisciplinary methods the Hub has adopted and incorporates, among other outputs, the Transdisciplinarity Learning Pathway on the One Ocean Learn platform. This learning pathway goes into more detail about the actual methods that can be used to carry out transdisciplinary research.

By incorporating local knowledge and priorities, the aim of the Hub is to co-develop with local communities the sustainable ocean governance strategies that are culturally sensitive, context-specific and scientifically robust, ensuring fair and inclusive decision-making for a healthy ocean whereby people and the planet can flourish. This is with the aim to decenter knowledge hierarchies that have constructed dominant Western-oriented knowledge systems as ‘rational’ and ‘objective’ in contrast to non-Western knowledge systems. The goal of participatory methods is to to support ethical, empathetic, and rigorous knowledge co-production that meets the needs of all (see this paper for more detail on the Hub’s outlook on knowledge hierarchies in ocean biodiversity governance).

This learning pathway provides relevant resources that demonstrate examples of participatory research projects and methods that researchers have used both within and outside of the Hub.

Theme: participatory research methods; arts-based participatory research methods; research with and not on co-researchers; meaningful participation

Time required for the completion of the full pathway: 3.5 hours

NOTE that you need not complete the entire learning pathway in one session.

Learning objectives

By the end of this learning pathway, you will have an understanding of:

What participatory research is? (Module 1)
Some of the methods and art-forms used to carry out participatory research (Module 2)
Some of the potential impacts or outcomes that participatory research can have for transformative ocean governance (Module 3)
The need to work carefully and wisely when using participatory research methods in order to avoid negative, unintended consequences in the name of ‘impact’ (Module 4)

This learning pathway was developed by Nina Rivers, a One Ocean Hub ocean governance and knowledge integration researcher and research fellow at Nelson Mandela University, South Africa.

Pathway Content

Module 1 Module 1: What is participatory research?

Participatory research is a research-to-action approach that actively involves and recognises the agency and distinctive knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples, small-scale fishers, local community members including women and children, as well as other stakeholders, in the research process. This is essential to ensure that their perspectives, knowledge, and needs shape the study's goals, methods, and outcomes. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership among the stakeholders and ensures that the research is relevant and beneficial to those most affected by its results. The breadth of terms describing participatory research is vast, but they share in common a value in doing research with those who are typically the subjects of research, rather than on them.

Module 2 Module 2: Arts-based participatory research methods and products

How do we carry out participatory research? We usually use appropriate research methods. A research method is generally a way to collect or generate data. Traditionally, research methods are classified as quantitative (eg.surveys and questionnaires), qualitative (eg. interviews and focus groups), or a blend of both which are then referred to as ‘mixed methods’ research. These methods can differ greatly and may involve written, visual, verbal, observational, arts-based, and interactive approaches. Out of the many different kinds of participatory research methods, One Ocean Hub researchers have intentionally chosen to use and contribute to developing arts-based participatory research methods that draw on artforms like theatre and song, photography, storytelling, animated films and illustrated children’s books. Arts-based research methods have useful approaches and techniques for shaping equitable and inclusive public dialogue forums that can engage and respond to the marginalisation of coastal communities who have historically not had much say in ocean governance decisions. The resources provided in this module are examples of just some of the artistic research products in the One Ocean Hub that were co-developed with communities and stakeholders as co-researchers, largely through projects that adopted arts-based participatory research methods ranging from digital storytelling through photography, group discussions, in-situ walking journeys and semi-structured interviews, and expressed through various art forms: from photo exhibitions to performance and film, to name a few.

Module 3 Module 3: Potential impacts of participatory research methods for transformative ocean governance

Participatory research methods are powerful tools that have the potential to transform ocean governance by including diverse voices, especially from marginalised coastal and other ocean-dependent communities. By involving these knowledge-holders directly in research and decision-making processes, these methods can ensure that governance is inclusive, culturally informed, and addresses local needs alongside global environmental goals. This collaborative approach not only enriches governance frameworks with alternative knowledge systems (ie. not just Western scientific knowledge) but is required to foster more regenerative ocean management practices rooted in equity and local expertise. The resources provided in this module give examples of the potential impact that arts-based participatory research methods can have to support transformative ocean governance processes.

Module 4 Module 4: Important things to consider before deciding to do participatory research

Before adopting participatory research methods for research, it is essential to assess whether you, and your co-researchers, have sufficient time and resources (funding) to ensure genuine collaboration. Reflect on whether the engagement is truly participatory or risks creating an “illusion of inclusion.” Involving community members should avoid research fatigue and not feel obligatory, particularly where cultural contexts shape willingness to participate. Finally, consider where power lies in your research—aiming to shift control to communities when possible and ensuring all voices, especially including women, youth and senior citizens, can meaningfully shape the research outcomes. In many ways, the same considerations should be taken into account that are highlighted in Module 2 (When to do transdisciplinarity) of the Transdisciplinarity Learning Pathway of ensuring enough time, resources and openness to learning is accounted for.

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