Looking through the magnifying glass: A duoethnographic approach to understanding the value and process of participatory action research with LGBTQ youth

Participatory action research is a method intended to shift the power of the “researcher” and “researched.” This paper presents the results of a duoethnographic exploration and analysis of experiences working on a participatory action research team. The authors participated in a research team, made up primarily of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer -identified young adults, which studied intra-community bigotry. Duoethnography is a qualitative method that reflects on a shared experience or cultural event from two different viewpoints in order to juxtapose perspectives without attempting to resolve differences or converge into conclusions. Through duoethnography, the authors identified three praxes that offer guidance for qualitative social work researchers. The praxes include negotiating power, engaging in iterative learning and knowledge production, and sharing the burden of vulnerability. These praxes create an opportunity for qualitative researchers to consider the value of participatory action research as a reflective research process that aligns with social work principles of self-awareness and social justice, and to identify participatory and reflexive strategies that can be incorporated into a variety of qualitative methods.