Reflecting on participatory research in environmental education : some issues for methodology

We reflect on methodological issues arising in two of our own research projects as a form of practice, as a way of engaging in a praxis of project research. The projects chosen for this purpose are themselves concerned with teacher education and curriculum development in environmental education: they include participatory “reflective practice” processes in exploring issues relating to formal education in schools and informal education in communities and are grounded in the specific contexts of developing countries.
We discuss issues in participatory research such as:
• Whose research agenda gets to be explored?
• The importance of project partnerships
• Participants’ preconceptions about the nature of research
• What is “rigor” in participatory research in environmental education?
• The Colonialist Dilemma: Avoiding the “package or perish” mentality
• The Bigger Picture: Technocratic Rationality and Participatory Research.