She outlined the contribution that participatory approaches have made in creating more inclusive forms of knowledge production. Because of its practicality and appeal, PRA has grown popular with development agencies throughout the world, yet it is often practiced without deeper reflection on its complex, and perhaps competing, philosophical underpinnings. While some PRA approaches stem from a phenomonological worldview, others can be traced to positivist positions. It is important, Kane believes, for practitioners to understand the differences in such positions and be reflective about their methodological choices in the field. By surfacing deeper assumptions about particular tools, the tools can be challenged, improved, and modified for various cultural contexts.
Participatory research is a hybrid that calls for continued work in the garden of ideas.
Eileen Kane led a workshop on participatory research for the CIE community. The workshop focused on several PRA tools, including seasonal calendars, pie charts and matrices. Kane led participants in the use of the tools and discussed related research issues. Each tool has many possibilities for effective use as well as limitations which must be carefully considered. Kane also showed a video of participatory research in the Gambia.