A Typology of Participation
in Participatory Research
Sarah Fathallah
@sft7la
Advancing Research Conference 2023

unjust
control
2

unjust
control participation
3

What is participation?
4

5
Arnstein (1969) 'A Ladder Of Citizen Participation.’

6
Clockwise: Connor (1988), Potapchuk (1991), Hart (1992), Choguill (1996), Rocha (1997), Bruns (2003), Chan (2016), Halliday et. al. (2018), Rodrigues (2022)

7
aspiration

Clockwise: Hall (1975), Kemmis & McTaggart (1988), Kemmis & Wilkinson (1998), Zuber-Skerrit (2001), Coghlan & Brannick (2005); McIntyre (2008), Loewenson et. al. (2014) 8

Dick (2015) 'Action Research — A Thumbnail Sketch.’ 9

10
temporality

What makes
research
participatory
vs. not?
11

yes
vs. no
12

Is this
research
participatory?
13

When
and how
participatory
is this research?
14

15
When
and how
participatory
is this research?

16
When
and how
participatory
is this research?

17
sites of participation

18
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition

19
degrees of participation
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition

20
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
nonparticipation

21
assemblage of participation
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

22
Fathallah & Sullivan (2021), Away From Home: Youth’s Experiences of Institutional Placements in Foster Care.

23
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

24
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

25
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

26
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting
data
collection
analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

27
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

28
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

29
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

30
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting data collection analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

31
research
planning
outreach and
recruiting
data
collection
analysis and
synthesis
post-research
action
problem
definition
delegating
collaborating
involving
consulting
informing
nonparticipation

If research is participatory,
it means it’s better, right?
32

If research is participatory,
it means it’s better, right?
Being participatory = engaging more people in the process.
33

If research is participatory,
it means it’s better, right?
Being participatory = engaging more people in the process.
≠ caring for them.
≠ valuing them.
≠ relating to them with mutuality.
34

Participation can be
an ethical commitment.
35

Participation can be
an ethical commitment.
36
Participation shouldn’t be
the only ethical commitment.

Thank you!
Questions?
Feel free to connect:
sarah.fathallah@thinkof-us.org
@sft7la