Balancing powers: university researchers thinking critically about participatory research with young fathers

Abstract

The Talking Dads Project brought together young fathers, an NGO and university researchers to explore the experiences of young fathers in a UK seaside city. Young fathers took a lead role in developing the content of, and conducting, interviews with peer participants. Drawing on an analytical framework derived from participatory research literature, this article provides an analysis of five critical processes that created intense debate and became sites for negotiation of the delicate balance of powers between participants. These included young fathers’ initial engagement, the translation of their research ideas into research tools, research ethics such as confidentiality and duty of care, the academic researchers’ role in making adjustments to facilitate comprehensive, in-depth data collection, and the differential impact of the research on the lives of all involved. The learning emerging from this evaluation of the research process contributes to the understanding of the challenges of participatory research and the value of flexibility in responding to challenges and constraints.

Participatory design in education materials in a health care context

“…Johansson and Lindhult (2008) state that there is no rule against eclectically mixing the two, here probably presented as pragmatic-critical orientation. Producing education material in the context of health care with multiple stakeholders was not an uncomplicated task, a result supported by Braye and McDonnell (2013). In this paper, one of the most palpable areas of tension was power and the negotiation regarding balancing the editorial power towards lived experiences of stakeholders and between stakeholders.…”

Caring for Family Caregivers of Geriatric Patients: Results of a Participatory Health Research Project on Actual State and Needs of Hospital-Based Care Professionals

“…A major strength of our PHR study lies in the uniqueness of the applied strategy, as a truly partnered project. Participatory research provides a specific form of understanding that emerges from the synthesis of expertise brought to the partnership and the necessary negotiation of powers within that partnership [54]. This guarantees that the outcomes from the study are relevant, acceptable, and feasible (see e.g., [55]).…”

Participant Reflexivity in Community‐Based Participatory Research: Insights from Reflexive Interview, Dialogical Narrative Analysis, and Video Ethnography

“…Contrary to the general sympathy towards non‐graduating students suggested at the outset of the project, some participants seemed to be less concerned about young people and single parent students. The criticism within the participant group might have kept Jane from talking about her experience freely (Braye & McDonnell, ). At that group meeting, however, Jane confronted the criticism, asking, ‘Are we saying that because you have a child this opportunity shouldn't be open to you?’ She had a stronger voice than before.…”

“…In practice, however, it is arguable whether participants and the academic researcher contribute to producing knowledge in the same way and share equal power in the processes. Reportedly, there exist challenges and constraints in negotiating power between participants and the academic researcher and also amongst participants in research processes, from the development of a research topic through data generation and analysis to distribution of findings (Bergold & Thomas, ; Braye & McDonnell, ; Cooke & Kothari, ). Addressing these challenges and constraints may be important to make research more participatory.…”