Our next moment: Putting the collaborative into participatory action research

Representation in research is about power (Hepi et al 2007; González & Lincoln 2006; Henry et al 2002) and where power imbalances exist due to socio-cultural, linguistic or economic difference, ethical practice requires the resolution of ethical conflicts. When the researcher is non-Indigenous and the research participants are Indigenous, as is the case in this study, the cross-cultural ethical challenges present an opportunity for a deeper consideration of the process. The journey itself becomes an important facet of the research.

Major reviews of appropriate cross-cultural research methodology in both Australia and the international context have highlighted the compatibility of qualitative research methods with the emerging directions of collaborative cross-cultural research (Ermine, Sinclair & Jeffery 2004; Henry et al 2002). Within qualitative research, there has been a prediction by Lincoln and Denzin (Denzin & Lincoln 2005, p.1123) that the next moment in qualitative research is one
where issues of representation will become a focal point of further developments in the field.

This paper explores the methodology of critical participatory action research and the use of collaborative thematic analysis to position cross-cultural research using video footage as part of this next moment. Through a reflective process, the author journeys through the ethics, the parameters and the opportunities of conducting ethical qualitative research in education in a cross-cultural context, to arrive at a posited ethical space that can be created through collaboration rather participation.
This paper details a theoretical framework to create this ethical and collaborative approach, thus providing a valuable contribution to the exploration of the work being undertaken by qualitative researchers in the use of innovative and visual methods to meet the challenges of representation.