Participatory Action Research as a Catalyst to Enabling Conditions Conducive to Sustainable Learning in Economics

This study sought to explore the potential of participatory action research (PAR) as a catalyst for enabling conditions conducive to sustainable learning in economics, focusing on the experiences of secondary school learners and teachers in Thabo-Mofutsanyane Education District. Critical emancipatory research (CER) was adopted for this study based on its objective of engaging marginalised individuals so that their voices can be heard and respected. CER contributed to advance the agenda of human emancipation regardless of status and strives to attain peace, freedom, hope, social justice, and equity in all its forms. The study was conducted based on a qualitative methodology, grounded in a PAR framework. Ten purposively sampled participants from a high school in Free State Province in the Thabo-Mofutsanyane Education District, South Africa were selected for the study. Data were generated using the free attitude interview technique, which incorporated dialogue and focus group discussions. The collected data were then analysed using critical discourse analysis (CDA). The findings indicated that collaborative learning, parental involvement, motivated teachers and learners and lesson preparation as key conditions conducive to sustainable learning in economics. Recommendations included schools and educators actively fostering a collaborative/supportive classroom atmosphere, teacher and learner motivation, effective lesson preparation, and encouraging parental participation in the learning process to promote sustainable learning.