Using community-based research within regeneration. The role of the researcher within community-based approaches – exploring experiences within Objective 1 South Yorkshire

Warwick-Booth, Louise

doi:10.1080/13668803.2013.847059

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Further, it cannot be assumed that CRs will necessarily offer a more nuanced and detailed understanding of the issue under question than professional researchers [ 21 ]. While the CR’s social position, personal biography and contextual familiarity did enable important insights, their ‘closeness’ could also result in normative interpretations and failure to consider alternative lines of explanation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, there has been relatively little published research to-date that has documented the processes and outcomes of CR involvement in public health research. Furthermore, as Warwick-Booth notes, academic papers that provide accounts of inclusive research rarely include the perspectives of local people engaged in such roles [ 21 ]. Boynton documented the experiences of CRs in a study of prostitution and noted both benefits (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Researching health inequalities with Community Researchers: practical, methodological and ethical challenges of an ‘inclusive’ research approach

et al. 2015

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Plain English summaryPublic health research sometimes uses members of communities as researchers. These are called Community Researchers. The advantage of using Community Researchers is that it enables people who live in communities to participate in research by designing the research, gathering data and being involved in analysis. This ‘participatory’ approach also has the potential to reach communities that might otherwise not be included in research. There are few studies that report the experiences of Community Researchers who take part in such research. This study helps fill this gap by exploring the issues and challenges faced by Community Researchers involved in a study of health and poverty in ethnically mixed areas of east London, UK. Through the accounts of 12 researchers, the study reveals that being a community ‘insider’ had advantages: many felt they had been able to gain the trust of respondents and access people for the research that would have otherwise been missed. The role of Community Researcher was, however, difficult to manage with some researchers feeling burdened by their role and the increased knowledge they had about the lives of those in their community. In addition to the personal challenges for the Community Researchers, the findings raise various ethical and methodological issues that need consideration in participatory research.Abstract Background Inclusive research approaches are increasingly employed by public health researchers. Recent methodological development includes the engagement of Community Researchers (CRs), who use their knowledge and networks to facilitate research with the community with which they identify. Few studies have explored the experiences of CRs in the research process, an important element of any comprehensive assessment of the pros and cons of such research endeavours. We report here on the experiences of CRs engaged in a study of health inequalities and poverty in ethnically diverse and disadvantaged areas of London, UK. Methods We draw on the experiences of 12 CRs. Two sets of data were generated, analysed and integrated: debriefing/active reflection exercises throughout the 18-month research process and individual qualitative interviews with CRs, conducted at the end of the project (n = 9). Data were organised using NVivo10 and coded line-by-line using a framework developed iteratively. Synthesis and interpretation were achieved through a series of reflective team exercises involving input from 4 of the CRs. Final consolidation of key themes was conducted by SS and ES. Results Being an ‘insider’ to the communities brought distinct advantages to the research process but also generated complexities. CRs highlighted how ‘something would be lost’ without their involvement but still faced challenges in gathering and analysing data. Some CRs found it difficult to practice reflexivity, and problems of ethnic stereotyping were revealed. Conflict between roles as community members and investigators was at times problematic. The approach promoted some aspects of ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Researching health inequalities with Community Researchers: practical, methodological and ethical challenges of an ‘inclusive’ research approach

et al. 2015

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“…The benefits and drawbacks of interviewing one's peers in research have been widely debated [3,12,37,[40][41][42]. CBRs' chosen parent-study participants ranged from very close friends to colleagues with whom socialising beyond the workplace had never occurred.…”

Section: B Personal-professional Boundariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultivating capacities in community-based researchers in low-resource settings: Lessons from a participatory study on violence and mental health in Sri Lanka

Palfreyman

Riyaz²,

Rizwan³

et al. 2022

PLOS Glob Public Health

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Participatory methods, which rely heavily on community-based data collectors, are growing in popularity to deliver much-needed evidence on violence and mental health in low- and middle-income countries. These settings, along with local researchers, encounter the highest burden of violence and mental ill-health, with the fewest resources to respond. Despite increased focus on wellbeing for research participants and, to a lesser degree, professional researchers in such studies, the role-specific needs of community-based researchers receive scant attention. This co-produced paper draws insights from one group’s experience to identify rewards, challenges, and recommendations for supporting wellbeing and development of community-based researchers in sensitive participatory projects in low-resource settings. Twenty-one community-based researchers supporting a mixed-methods study on youth, violence and mental health in Sri Lanka submitted 63 reflexive structured journal entries across three rounds of data collection. We applied Attride-Stirling’s method for thematic analysis to explore peer researchers’ learning about research, violence and mental health; personal-professional boundaries; challenges in sensitive research; and experiences of support from the core team. Sri Lanka’s first study capturing experiences of diverse community-based researchers aims to inform the growing number of global health and development actors relying on such talent to deliver sensitive and emotionally difficult work in resource-limited and potentially volatile settings. Viewing participatory research as an opportunity for mutual learning among both community-based and professional researchers, we identify practice gaps and opportunities to foster respectful team dynamics and create generative and safe co-production projects for all parties. Intentional choices around communication, training, human and consumable resources, project design, and navigating instable research conditions can strengthen numerous personal and professional capacities across teams. Such individual and collective growth holds potential to benefit short- and long-term quality of evidence and inform action on critical issues, including violence and mental health, facing high-burden, low-resource contexts.

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Using community-based research within regeneration. The role of the researcher within community-based approaches – exploring experiences within Objective 1 South Yorkshire

Abstract: Much attention has been given in recent years to involving community members in research within a number of fields including community development.

Cited by 2 publications

References 20 publications

Researching health inequalities with Community Researchers: practical, methodological and ethical challenges of an ‘inclusive’ research approach

Researching health inequalities with Community Researchers: practical, methodological and ethical challenges of an ‘inclusive’ research approach

Cultivating capacities in community-based researchers in low-resource settings: Lessons from a participatory study on violence and mental health in Sri Lanka

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