Playing with Participatory Action Research (PAR): The Role of Digital and Audio-Visual Tools

A myriad of new tools have been integrated into participatory action research (PAR). This article reviews the role and effectiveness of Photovoice and Participatory Videos as tools for conducting PAR. Advocating for experimentation and innovation in research, the authors discuss the process of adapting new media and creative techniques to PAR. Although integrating new tools provides a big opportunity in PAR, the authors suggest that it is important not to get carried away by the tools, but rather maintain focus on the ethos and intention of PAR, and use any tool towards a more inclusive and profound way of understanding ‘research'.