This article focuses on the practical, ontological, and epistemological similarities and differences between global education and participatory action research (PAR). The paper starts by presenting classical definitions of action research, highlighting their similarities with the ideas of global education. Considering the aim of global education is to promote social justice and to improve the social and educational chances of groups at risk of marginalization, participatory methods can help to involve such groups in research in an ethical and effective way. The paper ends with two examples in formal and non-formal education that show that PAR can be used to address the underlying transformative and social action principles of global education, but the principles must be adjusted to meet the needs of the participants and the context.