Participatory Action Research

Folk Education Network, 2022-2025

Conducted in partnership with Fielding Graduate University and funding by an AmeriCorps Office of Research and Evaluation FY2022 National Service and Civic Engagement grant #22REACA001

Three U.S. regional community hubs investigating and scaling Folk Education methodologies and practice to strengthen community cohesion and collective agency across differences.

Community-based Participatory Action Research

Stage One: Community and university researcher team formation
Stage Two: Team dialogue and action research planning
Stage Three: Community-based research implementation
Stage Four: Analysis, interpretation and results, findings dissemination and planning for long-term action.

• Community-based Participatory Action Research approach investigating three folk schooling contexts implementing  differing folk education methodologies.

• The two main vehicles for sampling and data collection are  two "Dialogue Conferences” (Gustavsen, Hansson, Qvale, 2008) and a network of three CBPAR hubs hosted by folk schools in  the Upper Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Southern Appalachia.

• Targeted sample participants for the study are community  partner leaders and folklife-folk education practitioners.

• Logic model component tables document planned strategies,  community generated research questions, data collection,  methods, and intended impact.

• Create long-term, strategic collaborations between folk schools and the African American Craft Alliance

• Scale the use of Community Singing, a social cohesion methodology, through U.S. based folk schools

• Develop and test a model for scaling folk schooling through an AmeriCorps State program