Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and native bee species have ecological, economic, social, and cultural importance to smallholder coffee farmers. While the ecological contributions of bees to the sustainability of coffee systems are well documented, particularly in relation to the coffee crop, fewer studies have examined socio-economic dimensions of beekeeping for honey as an agroecological diversification strategy for coffee producers. Yet, understanding the multiple values of different diversification strategies is important as many coffee farmers in different parts of the world are finding it increasingly difficult to make a living on coffee alone and are adopting alternative strategies, such as on-farm diversification. In this Participatory Action Research (PAR) study, we examined the opportunities, limitations, and trade-offs of beekeeping (with A. mellifera) as an agroecological diversification option for smallholder coffee farmers in Chiapas, Mexico. We applied a mixed-methods approach, which consisted of monthly surveys with 25 beekeepers of Campesinos Ecológicos de la Sierra Madre de Chiapas (CESMACH)/Apicultores Miel Real del Triunfo (ART) producer cooperatives for 12 months and five focus groups between 2018 and 2019. We found that beekeeping is less labor-intensive than coffee, and there are opportunities to integrate beekeeping into the annual farming cycle of coffee and maize production without causing competing labor demands or additional time pressures. We also found that beekeeping could generate economic gains for peasant families; however, profitability hinged on various factors, such as the price for honey, yield per hive, and the number of beehives. Our results further show that beekeeping yielded multiple non-monetary benefits by contributing to the nutrition and health of farmer families and their communities, serving as a vehicle for horizontal learning and relationship building, and contributing to the emotional well-being of beekeepers. Finally, producers who hoped to gain economically from beekeeping were generally interested in growing their apiaries but expressed concerns about limited technical knowledge and the impacts of climate change. Given the multiple social, economic, and ecological benefits of beekeeping, it has great promise as a part of agroecological food and farming systems. We argue that efforts to promote beekeeping as a diversification strategy should take a holistic approach, underscoring the potential of apiculture to enhance the well-being and resilience of beekeeping families and strengthen food sovereignty and local economies (including solidarity economies) in peasant communities. These findings can be useful in supporting beekeepers and their organizations in strategic planning for enhancing the long-term sustainability of beekeeping.

This Participatory Action Research (PAR) investigates the integration of informal music learning in Macau’s educational context, guided by the Model of Generative Change (Ball, 2009). Engaging the participating college students (N = 41), this study explores how learners perceive the formal–informal learning continuum (Folkestad, 2006) through the four stages of informal learning experiences: awakening, agency, advocacy and efficacy (Ball, 2009). Through multiple data collection methods and qualitative analysis, students experienced (a) autonomous learning, (b) joyful peer learning, (c) creative exploration and skill development and (d) resilience through challenges. Moreover, the study highlights the stages of awakening, introspection and critique from the students’ perspectives. Notably, a subset of students, predominantly those with prior formal instrumental training, expressed critiques concerning informal learning, predominantly regarding its perceived lack of systematic structure and foundational skills. These insights suggest a need to further embed informal music learning in Macau to foster a dynamic change towards generativity and a ‘multileveled cultural world’ (Law & Ho, 2015). The implications point to a broader pedagogical shift that values diverse learning experiences, which may enhance the development of a more adaptable, innovative and well-rounded musical skill set within the student population in Macau.

Public agencies routinely collect administrative data that, when shared and integrated, can form a rich picture of the health and well-being of the communities they serve. One major challenge is that these datasets are often siloed within individual agencies or programs and using them effectively presents legal, technical, and cultural obstacles. This article describes work led by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) with support from university-based researchers to establish enterprise-wide data governance and a legal framework for routine data sharing, toward the goal of increased capacity for integrated data analysis, improved policy and practice, and better health outcomes for North Carolinians. We relied on participatory action research (PAR) methods and Deliberative Dialogue to engage a diverse range of stakeholders in the co-creation of a data governance process and legal framework for routine data sharing in NCDHHS. Four key actions were taken as a result of the participatory research process: NCDHHS developed a data strategy road map, created a data sharing guidebook to operationalize legal and ethical review of requests, staffed the Data Office, and implemented a legal framework. In addition to describing how these ongoing streams of work support data use across a large state health and human services agency, we provide three use cases demonstrating the impact of this work. This research presents a successful, actionable, and replicable framework for developing and implementing processes to support intradepartmental data access, integration, and use.

This participatory action research (PAR) aimed to understand the health implications of guidelines impacting social isolation among frail community-dwelling older adults and their family and formal caregivers during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) of data collected from 10 policy/procedural documents revealed four themes: valuing principles, identifying problem(s), setting priorities, and making recommendations. Interviews with 31 participants from Peterborough, Ontario, also revealed four themes: sacrificing social health, diminishing physical health, draining mental health, and defining supports. Recommendations to decision makers were finalized at a knowledge exchange event involving participants and members of Age-friendly Peterborough. Key findings demonstrate the need for Canadian governments and health and social service agencies to enhance access to technology-based interventions, and educational and financial resources for caregivers. Meaningful communication and collaboration between older adults, caregivers, and decision makers are also needed to reduce the gap between policy and practice when addressing social isolation.

Participatory methods have become essential for research with Indigenous Arctic peoples. To understand how researchers use such methods, we conducted a scoping review of participatory action research (PAR)—a classic qualitative methodology—with Inuit communities. Although other systematic reviews exist on participatory methodologies in the Arctic, our scoping review is the only one focusing only on the Inuit.

We reviewed 11 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2019 in peer-reviewed journals. Most of them had been conducted with Canadian Inuit. Although the authors came from a variety of disciplines, the studies were mostly about the health and well-being of Inuit communities. The authors did not use the same definition of PAR, but their definitions did share some key components: Inuit participation, Inuit engagement and a goal of social change. There were also a variety of methodologies of research and forms of Inuit participation, although the photovoice method was frequent.

Scoping reviews are most often used in the natural sciences. This one was a challenge because we were using it in the social sciences and because it concerned PAR, an approach with different definitions and uses. A remaining question is how to assess such a method, either by peers or by other stakeholders.

En este trabajo estudio la institucionalización de la investigación indígena, considerando los conflictos políticos, epistemológicos y ontológicos que intervienen en su desarrollo. Analizo y comparo cuatro instituciones afiliadas al Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (CRIC) de Colombia, una de las organizaciones indígenas que más ha avanzado en este proceso en Latinoamérica. Basándome en conversaciones con los y las intelectuales orgánicas del CRIC —investigadores/as indígenas y colaboradores/as— y en documentos institucionales, argumento que las diversas formas de concebir y practicar la investigación dan cuenta de un proceso de ontologización que implica un cambio radical respecto del sentido, los sujetos y las relaciones involucradas en su desarrollo. Planteo que dicho proceso obliga a redefinir la noción moderna de investigar, pero indago, al mismo tiempo, en las tensiones que esta tendencia presenta al interior del CRIC.

This case study examines the role of a university and academics in improving the learning experiences of BAME students, drawing on student-led participatory action research with Social Sciences BAME students at Bournemouth University (BU henceforth) between 2018-2020. The paper seeks to illuminate the critical role of the university by focusing on three inter-related facets at macro, meso and micro levels (Bronfenbrenner, 1979): financial and temporal/spatial support for students; collaboration between academic staff at departmental and faculty levels to address any issues that arose from student meetings; and its consequential impact on student wellbeing, self-worth and their overall engagement in their learning. I argue that to achieve the utmost improvement in BAME students’ learning experiences, these different levels of the support system need to work together. I further argue that maximising the potentiality of ‘ethnic capital’ (Modood, 2004) could be a powerful resource that could bring significant changes to the experiences of BAME students and subsequent outcomes of their learning during and after university.

Using post-colonial theory, we sought to determine what current falls prevention recommendations are offered by local falls prevention programmers (LFPPs) to reduce fall rates among Inuvialuit Elders in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada, and to understand how falls prevention programs for Inuvialuit Elders can be co-created with participants to be culturally safe. The findings showed that Inuvialuit Elders and LFPPs in Inuvik recommend adding environment assessments and modifications, physical activity, and education for Elders and caregivers to existing programs. They also felt that for culturally safe falls prevention programs to occur, LFPPs must include the following strategies: establishing trust and rapport within the community, including both Indigenous and non-Indigenous interventions in falls prevention programs, and training others on cultural safety practices.