From community data to research archive: Partnering to increase and sustain capacity within a native organization

Abstract

Expanding interest in community engagement and participation in research by universities, researchers, community members and funders reflects a dramatic paradigm shift in the way that we understand the research enterprise. In this article, we share our experience of a collaborative project between a non-profit membership organisation and researchers from two universities. We focus on the importance of infrastructure development for moving towards truly equitable partnerships that expand forms of participation and bring together researchers and practitioners in ways that blur traditional power boundaries (Gutiérrez & Penuel 2014;Penuel 2015). Our collective work sits at the intersection of health research, STEM education research, and culturally based teaching and learning.The interdisciplinary nature of our team has allowed for the blending of community-engaged methodologies, which is reflected in our discussion of values in research, below. VALUING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCHIn a review of 20 community-engaged studies, Cook (2008) found that an engagement approach helped to integrate research and action, and that studies focusing on issues identified as priorities by the community and incorporating qualitative methods were more likely to lead to action. In health research, engaged research

Analysis of South African universities and communities archives

“…The capacity of academic researchers and the institutional environment of the university are essential for developing community-university relations for research (Page-Reeves et al, 2017). There is a need to recognise and support research capacity in USC for establishing successful research relations (Goytia et al, 2013).…”

“…The research conducted by Page-Reeves et al (2017) found that universities' community relations assisted to integrate research and action and those studies focussing on issues identified as priorities by USC. In education research, knowledge co-constructed through a deliberative process of dialogue with stakeholders has been shown to increase meaningful intergenerational involvement and positively impact to education (Bang et al, 2010).…”

Collaboration and Outside-the-Box Thinking to Overcome Training-Related Challenges for Including Patient Stakeholders as Data Collectors in a Patient-Engaged Research Project

“…However, challenges to including patient stakeholders as active, integrated members of a research team remain. Creating capacity for engaged research requires the development of collaborative work relationships and new ways of thinking about the role of university resources and infrastructure (8)(9)(10).…”