scholarly journals Community Action Research in Disability (CARD): An inclusive research programme in Uganda

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-92
Author(s):  
Sally Hartley ◽  
Aisha Yousafzai ◽  
Maria Goretti Kaahwa ◽  
Harry Finkenflugel ◽  
Angie Wade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Research Teams ◽  
People With Disability ◽  
Disability Research

The ideology of Emancipatory Disability Research (EDR) reflected in the phrase ‘Nothing about us without us’, was first put forward in the 1990s. Although it aimed to place research control in the hands of the ‘researched’, i.e., people with disability, this rarely happens even today, 25 years later.The Community Action Research on Disability (CARD) programme in Uganda embraced and modified the EDR approach, recognising the need for including people with disability in the research process from concept to outcome, and nurturing participation and collaboration between all the stakeholders in achieving action-based research. The research teams always included people with disability and staff from Disability People’s Organisations (DPOs) as well as academics and service providers. It endeavoured to generate and carry out research around issues that mattered to people with disability and their families. Leadership roles were assigned by team members. The objectives of the CARD programme were: (1) to fund teams to carry out action-based research on disability in Uganda; (2) to develop research and administrative capacity to manage the initiative within the academic registrar’s office at Kyambogo University; (3) to incorporate new knowledge generated from the studies into the ongoing local community-based rehabilitation and special education courses; and, (4) to ensure wide dissemination of research findings to all stakeholder groups.CARD ran for 5 years, commissioning 21 action research studies in the field of disability and community-based services. This paper describes the process, presents the 12 completed studies, examines the extent to which the objectives were achieved and evaluates the experiences of the participating research teams, particularly in relation to the inclusion of its members with disability. It concludes with recommendations for future initiatives designed to promote validity, good value and inclusive approaches in disability research. 

Taking the road less taken: reorienting the state for periurban water security

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 528-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishal Narain ◽  
Pranay Ranjan ◽  
Sumit Vij ◽  
Aman Dewan
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Research Process ◽  
The State ◽  
The Road ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Building Community

This paper describes the intervention strategy to improve water security in Sultanpur, a village in periurban Gurgaon, India. Most approaches to improving natural resource management in periurban contexts focus on mobilising the community; little attention is paid to reorienting the state or strengthening the user-bureaucracy interface. This paper describes the action research process that was followed to reorient civic agencies engaged in the provisioning of water and to break from a situation of distrust and prisoners' dilemma between water users and service providers. The paper argues that the creation and provision of a platform for direct engagement between water users and service providers can be a key tool for improving periurban water security. These platforms can provide support in building community resilience to face challenges such as climate variability and urbanisation, both of which threaten periurban water security. The action research emphasises on building the community's capacity to ask for improved water supply and to negotiate with state service providers, rather than augmenting water supply physically.

scholarly journals Building communities of trust: Challenges for disability

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander M. Phiri
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
International Research ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Development Research ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
People With Disability ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Disability Research

This article asks questions about power and partnership in disability research in Africa. Research has been located too much in one type of organisation or another and not sufficiently in the interaction between a range of legitimate stakeholders. Across Africa and Europe, and government and civil society dialogues, the African development research agenda must be owned by Africans. Fully inclusive national and international research partnerships are crucial, but they must be driven from Africa. European constructions of and interventions concerning people with disability have often been inhumane, seeking to eliminate them from society. African cultures have also stigmatised people with disability. I call for a new African-driven research agenda that promotes the human rights of people with disability, and has people with disability not only participating in this research, but directing it. The Southern African Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD) Research Programme (SRP) is breaking new ground in this regard by allowing ‘the researched’ to become ‘the researcher’.

A participatory action research process with a rural Indigenous men's group: monitoring and reinforcing change

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Komla Tsey ◽  
Mark Wenitong ◽  
Janya McCalman ◽  
Mary Whiteside ◽  
Leslie Baird ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Group Leaders ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Health Group

Since 2001 a team of academic researchers and medical practitioners have been collaborating with Yarrabah Men?s Health Group leaders to implement a participatory action research (PAR) process designed to support the men to (in their own words) ?take their rightful place? in contemporary Australian society. The formative stages of the PAR process and progress over the first 12 months have been documented in previous papers in order to provide much needed direction for others interested in undertaking similar community action-oriented research (Tsey, Patterson, Whiteside, Baird, & Baird, 2002; Tsey et al., 2004). The present paper addresses the need for innovative evaluation methodologies to enable participants in the PAR process to monitor and reinforce the small improvement they are making towards achieving their goals, and to maintain their vision for the future. Participation in men?s group activities resulted in modest but significant change in the men?s personal development and growth and in their response to family responsibilities. Men had the opportunity to dialogue and reflect on their gender responsibilities such as housework, which constitutes a major source of conflict in the family. Several men also gained the confidence and motivation to stand for local government. The study highlights the value of demystifying and making research more relevant to people?s day-to-day living experiences.

Community-Based Participatory Research

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey Marie Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Partnership Approach

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) embraces a partnership approach to research that equitably involves community members, organizational representatives, social workers, and researchers in all aspects of the research process. CBPR begins with a research topic of importance to the community and has the aim of combining knowledge with action and achieving social change. It is community based in the sense that community members become part of the research team and researchers become engaged in the activities of the community. Community–researcher partnerships allow for a blending of values and expertise, promoting co-learning and capacity building among all partners, and integrating and achieving a balance between research and action for the mutual benefit of all partners. Various terms have been used to describe this research, including participatory action research (PAR), action research (AR), community based research (CBR), collaborative action research (CAR), anti-oppressive research, and feminist research.

Community-based island tourism: the case of Boa Vista in Cape Verde

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra M. Sánchez-Cañizares ◽  
Ana María Castillo-Canalejo
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Cape Verde ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects

Purpose – This paper tries to explore the possibilities of developing sustainable, community-based tourism (CBT) in Boa Vista in Cape Verde, Africa. Island territories are generally considered preferential tourist destinations. However, the negative effects of tourism in these destinations should not be overlooked, among them environmental concerns and impacts on the culture of the island’s inhabitants. The development of CBT takes on special relevance, as it based on planning schemes in conjunction with the local community who share the positive effects derived from tourism. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology used consisted in designing two surveys: one focusing on the supply side and another on the demand side of tourism to define and analyse the current status of this sector in Boa Vista. The survey on tourism supply was distributed among a panel of experts formed by tourism service providers located in Boa Vista. The statistical results of the responses and the discussion carried out by the panel of experts permitted the development of a SWOT matrix. The survey on demand was administered to foreign tourists in different parts of the island. A total of 202 valid surveys were obtained. Findings – The main results of the fieldwork are twofold. On the supply side of tourism, the community is making an enormous effort to actively participate in the development of sustainable tourism, efforts which are often constrained by the geographical barriers of Boa Vista (sandy soil, poor accessibility to other islands) and the institutional and political situation of the island. As regards the demand side of tourism, the vast majority of tourists stay at the island’s all-inclusive resorts, whereas few tourists require the services provided by the community, mainly because they are unaware that such services exist. Originality/value – Certain island destinations are more appropriate for tourists wishing to flee mass tourism enclaves due to their natural environment, relative isolation and the traditional culture of their inhabitants. For this reason, it is important to develop a CBT model for these destinations in which initiatives are planned in conjunction with members of the local community who participate in decision-making processes and benefit equally from the positive effects of tourism. Although several case studies have been reported in the research on CBT initiatives, few studies have been carried out on CBT in island territories. This is the main contribution in this paper.

scholarly journals Shifting Gears: Lessons Learnt From Critical, Collaborative, Self-Reflection on Community-Based Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lulza Olim de Sousa ◽  
Emerentia Antoinette Hay ◽  
Schalk Petrus Raath ◽  
Aubrey Albertino Fransman ◽  
Barend Wilhelm Richter
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Self Reflection

This article reflects the learning of five researchers in higher education in South Africa who took part in a participatory action research project to educate teachers how to integrate climate change issues into their teaching and learning. It was the first time any of the researchers had used participatory action research. We are all from natural science backgrounds and now involved in education for sustainable development. We had been trained in more traditional, objective, and researcher-driven methodologies grounded in a positivist paradigm. The purpose of this article is to share our learning about the changes we had to make in our thinking and practices to align with a participatory paradigm. We used reflective diaries to record our journey through the action research cycles. A thematic analysis of our diaries was supplemented by recorded discussions between the researchers. The analysis revealed that, while it was challenging to begin thinking in a different paradigm, we came to appreciate the value of the action research process that enabled teachers to integrate climate change issues into their teaching in a participatory way. We also concluded that we require more development to be able to conduct participatory research in a manner true to its values and principles. The conclusions we came to through our collaborative reflections may be of value to other researchers from similar scientific backgrounds who wish to learn what shifts in paradigm, methods, and processes are needed to be able to conduct community-based research in a participatory way.

scholarly journals Ethical Issues in Conducting Community-Based Participatory Research: A Narrative Review of the Literature

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal Kwan ◽  
Christine Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Institutional Review Boards ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Community Based

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a methodology increasingly used within the social sciences. CBPR is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of research methodologies, including participatory research, participatory action research, feminist participatory research, action research, and collaborative inquiry. At its core, they share five key attributes: (i) community as a unit of identity; (ii) an approach for the vulnerable and marginalized; (iii) collaboration and equal partnership throughout the entire research process; (iv) an emergent, flexible, and iterative process; and (v) the research process is geared toward social action. While there is no shortage of literature that highlights the benefits and potential of CBPR, relatively little discussion exists on the ethical issues associated with the methodology. In particular, current gaps within the literature include ethical guidance in (i) balancing community values, needs, and identity with those of the individual; (ii) negotiating power dynamics and relationships; (iii) working with stigmatized populations; (iv) negotiating conflicting ethical requirements and expectations from Institutional Review Boards (IRBs); and (v) facilitating social action emerging from the findings. For CBPR’s commendable goals and potential to be realized, it is necessary to have a more fulsome discussion of the ethical issues encountered while implementing a CBPR study. Further, a lack of awareness and critical reflection on such ethical considerations may perpetuate the very same problems this methodology seeks to address, namely, inequality, oppression, and marginalization. The purpose of this article is to provide a narrative review of the literature that identifies ethical issues that may arise from conducting CBPR studies, and the recommendations by researchers to mitigate such challenges.

Participatory Research in Basarwa Settlements: Shifting Development Paradigms

1999 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances Riemer
Keyword(s):  
Participatory Research ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Southern African Country ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Typical Scenario

As anthropologists, applied researchers, and action researchers, we have long explored the relationship between researcher and researched; many of us have tried to reconceptualize these roles to make informants more equal partners in the research process. In the Southern African country of Botswana, Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRAs) have become the favored way to involve community members in applied-research. PRAs assist communities gather and document information about their surroundings, build rapport between the local community and extension officers, and plan development efforts through a series of facilitator-led activities. A PRA exercise results in a community-action plan, in which community members outline what will be done, when, how, and by whom. But while PRAs have been developed to help community members create a village profile and needs assessment, the research protocol itself tends to be a standardized "fill-in-the-blank exercise." In the most typical scenario, community members, with the guidance of outside facilitators, supply the missing information. The popularity of PRAs, coupled with this fixed, externally-driven format, raises questions about the meaning of participation in participatory research, and the degree to which community members can be expected to participate in researching their own lives. As part of my own examination of these issues, I recently co-facilitated a different model of participatory research in Botswana, in which the tools for data collection were fully designed and used by community members to research their own communities. In this article, I write about my own experiences, and those of the men and women who became participant researchers, in order to examine the power that active participation in research generates among community members and to describe the social and political dilemmas that arose from that participation.

scholarly journals Implementing community-based health promotion in socio-economically disadvantaged areas: a qualitative study

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 839-847
Author(s):  
Emma R Lawlor ◽  
Margaret E Cupples ◽  
Michael Donnelly ◽  
Mark A Tully
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Economically Disadvantaged ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Service Engagement ◽  
Health Initiatives

Abstract Background There is a gradient relationship between socio-economic status and health. We investigated the views and perceptions of health promotion service providers regarding factors that affect lack of engagement in public health initiatives by residents in socio-economically disadvantaged (SED) communities. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of key providers (n = 15) of community-based health promotion services to elicit their views about engagement-related factors and their experiences of the provision, delivery and impact of health promotion in SED areas. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Failure to (i) recognise within SED communities, socio-cultural norms of health-related behaviour and (ii) communicate to local residents an understanding of complex lifestyle influences appeared to affect adversely service engagement and contribute to the development of negative attitudes towards health promotion. Engagement is more likely when services are delivered within familiar settings, peer support is available, initiatives are organized within existing groups, external incentives are offered and there are options regarding times and locations. Collaborative working between providers and communities facilitates efficient, context-sensitive service delivery. Conclusions Knowledge of a local community and its socio-environmental context alongside a collaborative, facilitative and tailored approach to delivery are required to ensure successful engagement of SED communities in health promotion.

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