Principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR), Issues of Entre, and Internal Review Board (IRB) Challenges in Community/Agency/University Collaborations

A participatory action model of collaborative research is often described as a process of action and reflection. The authors, the Center for Hazards Assessment Response and Technology, believe the participatory action model to be the most appropriate with which to approach a community resilience enhancement and research project, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, this paper contends that the reflexive component of this model, especially in its relation to issues of community entrAAEAA(C)e and the challenges of the internal review board (IRB) process, is insufficiently represented in the current participatory/collaborative research literature. They propose that the absence of discussions of reflexivity within the literature potentially leads to their absence in practice. Therefore, it is crucial for collaborative researchers to write about their experiences with reflexive processes. This paper is such a document. By critically reflecting upon the entrAAEAA(C)e and IRB processes, we have found that university and agency collaborators in community-based research may come to a fuller understanding of the implications of their institutional power. Communities may also benefit from a more complete appreciation for entrAAEAA(C)e and IRB processes by deciding to enact a review process of their own. In an effort to promote such reflexivity, we suggest a decolonizational flip of the standard participatory model, wherein reflection would truly precede action. (authors)