Garcia

Participatory Action and Drought as a Symbolic Context: The Case of Aldama Chihuahua, Mexico

Dr. Sara S. Garcia, Santa Clara University, CA, USA

Abstract

This paper presents a field-based project and a theoretical framework for work with an Action Research paradigm. The complexities of process are illustrated and synthesized in two theoretical models. The design of the study required constant change in the focus of projects as a result of the action produced from genuine involvement. As a result a working template of the execution of the action research projects involving multiple educational institutions was generated by bi-national collaborations. Participants were ecological researchers and schoolteachers, actively engaged in schools and in the education of the community at-large on the effects of drought in their lives. Through formal and informal field based observations, group narratives and technological communication systems, distinct sources of results illuminate an on-going spiraling venue using drought as a symbolic system. This project documents transformative knowledge in education to enhance multidisciplinary approaches toward social change and ecological awareness.

Keywords

Bi-national; Collaboration; Drought; Symbolic Context; Multidisciplinary; Transformative