This special section examines the enactment of participatory action research (PAR) across three distinct educational contexts: a public library program for teens, an after-school program in Japan, and a prison-based adult language and literacy program. This introduction provides an overview of the principles associated with PAR and outlines potential tensions and challenges associated with partnering with the community as co-researchers. Building on the interest in anthropology to challenge traditional research approaches, these studies emphasize how PAR can provide opportunities to positively impact the communities that are the focus of the research, including how PAR impacts those community members who become co-researchers. Additionally, these three studies critically examine the challenges and tensions introduced through PAR, challenging romanticized notions of PAR with the reality of the demands that participating in research placed on community members.

中文翻译：

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教育中的参与式行动研究：不同背景下的益处和紧张关系

本节特别探讨了参与式行动研究 (PAR) 在三种不同教育背景下的实施情况：青少年公共图书馆计划、日本的课后计划以及监狱成人语言和识字计划。本介绍概述了与 PAR 相关的原则，并概述了与作为共同研究人员与社区合作相关的潜在紧张局势和挑战。基于对人类学的兴趣以挑战传统研究方法，这些研究强调 PAR 如何提供机会对作为研究重点的社区产生积极影响，包括 PAR 如何影响成为共同研究人员的社区成员。此外，这三项研究批判性地研究了通过 PAR 引入的挑战和紧张局势，