In professional practice there are highlands, where the practice issues are easily resolved through theory and the application of technical research, and there are swamp lowlands, where the educational community identifies problems with greater concern and views easy solutions and magic recipes with skepticism. The aim of this article is to overcome this gap and propose participatory action research as a strategy that, implemented through Physical Education, allows for the reconciliation of theory and practice to transform the socio-historical conditions of the educational communities where it is implemented. The article explores the typology of paradigms and traditions in Physical Education research and characterizes action research as a tool for social transformation. It particularly focuses on participatory action research for its effectiveness in improving specific problems of specific individuals in specific places.