Pedagogy in Action

While anthropology students may receive general instruction in the debates and critiques surrounding public and/or engaged anthropology, attention to the growing intersection between participatory action research (PAR) and anthropology is often overlooked. I contend that to think of PAR as a complementary approach to conventional anthropological fieldwork (i.e. interviews, participation observation, and focus groups) is problematic in that it runs counterintuitive to the former’s transformative logic. Drawing from my work co-leading a radio-based partnership project with urban Inuit organisations in Montreal and Ottawa, I repurpose Sol Tax’s ‘action anthropology’ to discuss an attitudinal shift that our team’s use of PAR has provoked, reconceptualising the aims and practice of our ethnographic enquiry in the process. I consider the effects of this shift for anthropological training and pedagogy in PAR projects and propose the use of ‘training-in-character’ as an organising principle for the supervision of student research.

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Online-based intervention on LGBTI+ health promotion in Brazil: development and preliminary impacts

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckab164.875 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽

Author(s):

M Signorelli ◽

M Polidoro ◽

D Canavese

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Action Research ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Participatory Action Research ◽

Formal Education ◽

National Policy ◽

Course Evaluation ◽

Public Healthcare ◽

Participatory Action ◽

High Interest

Abstract Background Brazil reports public healthcare gaps concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) people. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are online-based teaching interventions, however their use is still scarce in Brazil. We aim to describe the development and to analyze preliminary impacts of the first online-based intervention through MOOCs for LGBTI+ health promotion in Brazil. Methods We adopted mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches, based on participatory-action research: 1) to design the content and format of the MOOC, we conducted 10 focus groups during 2018 and 2019 with key stakeholders in three different Brazilian State capitals, identifying needs and challenges and linking it with guidelines of the National Policy for Comprehensive Health of LGBTI+ people; 2) based on step 1, we developed the MOOC, producing reading content, video-classes and multimedia; 3) we quantitatively analyzed, through a survey, its impact and reach after six months. Results The results showed that: a) focus groups were essentials to inform the priorities to design a tailored MOOC; b) the MOOC had 30 hours of autonomous learning activities divided into two modules, with problem-based evaluation; c) the first ten-month of the course had a total of 5,000 people enrolled with a completion rate of approximately 30%; d) 1,700 successfully completed the course; e) 582 participants joined the survey post-course evaluation and for 370 (63.6%) of them, this was the first training activity on LGBTI+ health. Conclusions Results point to a high interest in LGBTI+ health and high demand for training on this topic among health professionals. The MOOC format was successful and reliable in enabling the teaching-learning process. Key messages Participatory action research was able to inform the content of the first MOOC for LGBTI+ health in Brazil. The MOCC had high interest, and for the majority of concluding participants it was the first activity and formal education about LGBTI+ health.

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Talk About Self-Harm (TASH): participatory action research with young people, GPs and practice nurses to explore how the experiences of young people who self-harm could be improved in GP surgeries

Family Practice ◽

10.1093/fampra/cmz006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 36 (5) ◽

pp. 621-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Di Bailey ◽

Linda Kemp ◽

Nicola Wright ◽

Gabriella Mutale

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Action Research ◽

Young People ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Participatory Action Research ◽

Participatory Action ◽

Practice Nurses ◽

Self Help ◽

Self Harm ◽

Data Statistics

Abstract Background The incidence of self-harm in young people in primary care is increasing dramatically, and many young people who self-harm visit their GP surgery as a first point of contact for help. Objective To explore with young people, GPs and practice nurses (PNs): (i) why young people present with self-harm to primary care and (ii) whether young people, GPs and PNs can take steps to have more helpful consultations about self-harm in GP surgeries that include self-help materials developed by young people being used to support such consultations to take place. Methods Participatory action research with GPs, PNs and young people employed mixed methods to collect statistical and narrative data. Statistics from 285 young people’s medical records were captured, including more detailed analyses of a random sample of 75 of these records. A series of 24 focus groups with a total of 45 GPs, PNs and young people, with an average number of eight participants in each group, was conducted. Statistical data were subject to descriptive and inferential analyses, and thematic analysis was applied to the transcripts from the focus groups. Results and conclusion The type of self-harm young people presented with influenced whether they would see a GP or PN. While self-help materials were welcomed and deemed helpful, young people, GPs and PNs were ambivalent about using these in short consultations where time was an overriding constraint. More research is needed on the feasibility of adopting self-help assisted interventions in GP surgeries.

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P093: Sound check: quality in point of care ultrasound in rural and regional Saskatchewan through participatory action research

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2017.295 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (S1) ◽

pp. S109-S110

Author(s):

A.I. Moshynskyy ◽

M. Kapusta ◽

R. McGonigle ◽

L. Miller ◽

J.M. O’Brien ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Action Research ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Participatory Action Research ◽

Acute Care ◽

Emergency Care ◽

Online Survey ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Rural Setting ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Participatory Action

Introduction: In the rural setting, Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) can dramatically impact rural acute care. In Saskatchewan, many rural clinicians have undertaken POCUS training, but widespread integration into rural emergency care remains elusive. We aimed to explore of the obstacles limiting adoption and their possible solutions to inform the development of a robust and innovative rural POCUS program in Saskatchewan. Methods: We conducted a mixed methods Participatory Action Research (PAR) study using surveys and focus groups. Our rural co-investigators identified 4 key realms relating to rural POCUS use: equipment, access to training, quality assurance (QA), and research. These guided the design of an online survey sent out to rural clinicians throughout Saskatchewan. Results of the survey informed the development of three approaches (centralized, hub-and-spoke, and decentralized) to training, QA, and research which were discussed at focus group sessions held at Saskatchewan’s Emergency Medicine Annual Conference (Regina, SK. 2016). The focus groups were facilitated by the study investigators. Responses were analyzed using a simple thematic analysis to identify relevant themes and subthemes. Results: 34 rural clinicians responded to the online survey. There was general agreement that POCUS is valuable in rural acute care, training is difficult to access and should be standardized, and that QA and research are desired but impractical in the current environment. 11 rural clinicians attended the focus groups. Analysis of focus groups yielded seven distinct themes/needs: infrastructure needs, peer networks, common standards, both local and regional training opportunities, academic support, access to resources, and culture change. Seventeen sub-themes were identified and noted as having either a positive or negative and direct or indirect effect on the above themes. Broadly speaking, participants supported a distributed “spoke-hub” model where training, research and QA occurs within distributed, regional hubs with support from academic sites. Conclusion: The adoption of POCUS for emergency care in rural Saskatchewan faces significant opportunities and obstacles. There is interest on the part of rural clinicians to overcome these challenges to improve patient care.

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