BC Rural Health Services Workshop Approach Research Network - - PDF document

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Introduction to Conducting Community Based Research in Rural BC Don Manson Coordinator, Community Development Institute at UNBC

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

BC Rural Health Services Research Network Workshop Approach

 Introductions  What is Community Based Research

(CBR)?

 Why CBR?

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Workshop Approach

 The Research Process  Preparation for the Field  Working in the Field  After Fieldwork  From Theory to Practice

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

What is Community Based Research (CBR)?

 CBR is research that is ‘‘conducted by, for,

• r with the participation of community

members.’’

 The intention of CBR is to enhance the

utility of the research process by meshing the production of knowledge with community involvement/development .

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Why CBR?

CBR represents a particularly timely form

• f research in the rural setting for two

main reasons.

 First, rural areas in both developed and

developing world contexts are undergoing dramatic and rapid processes of economic, social, and political restructuring.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Why CBR?

 Second, the prevalence of place-based

development and territorial policy as a response to rural restructuring provides an explicit link to CBR. Place-based development is grounded in the particularities – assets, challenges, and political dynamics – of place (Woods 2007; Markey et al. 2008a).

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

2 Why CBR?

 CBR’s central objectives are to involve

community members in respectful ways and to ensure that direct community benefits flow from the research process.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Why CBR?

 As researchers, if we request time and

• ther commitments of community

members during a period when they are stressed and stretched by change, our research products should honour and return in kind that time, commitment, and contribution.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Why CBR?

 Many research institutions are based in

urban areas, creating a physical separation and cultural barrier between researchers and community members.

 CBR can help to orient researchers to the

dynamics of rural and small town life that may directly or tangentially affect their research topics.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Why CBR?

 It is also important to note that

despite our preference for engaging in CBR as an overall ethos to guide

• ur inquiry, we are in many respects

presented with no other choice by the communities in the north.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Workshop Approach

 The Research Process  Preparation for the Field  Working in the Field  After Fieldwork  From Theory to Practice

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

The Research Process

 Respect.  Flexibility.  Patience.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

3 The Research Process

 Rural areas in northern BC exhibit a

variety of experiences, circumstances, capacities, and assets that combine to shape the dynamics of the research process.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

The Research Process

Research Design:

 There are a lot of choices and options when

approaching research design;

 It needs to be developed collaboratively;  Often the outcome is different from your original

intention, design

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

The Research Process

Key choice issues:

 Engagement / participation  Time  Funding  Travel  Collaboration: Work with the willing

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Workshop Approach

 The Research Process  Preparation for the Field  Working in the Field  After Fieldwork  From Theory to Practice

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Preparation for the Field

 The first step in the research process

concerns the nature and form of the research relationship.

 A second important task in the

preparatory stage involves gathering useful information about the community.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Preparation for the Field

 How to bridge differences (cultural

and otherwise) between researchers and community members and enhance findings by accommodating different ‘ways of knowing’

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

4 Preparation for the Field



Relationships



Ownership and oversight



Level and form of community participation



Gathering useful information about the community

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Workshop Approach

 The Research Process  Preparation for the Field  Working in the Field  After Fieldwork  From Theory to Practice

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Working in the Field

Questions and Methods:

 It is important to consider how the rural

context may influence the relevance and utility of different methods.

 The mail-out survey tool  Issues of scale and technology  Alternatives

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Working in the Field

 The active engagement and reliance on

community participation within CBR makes the connection between theoretical design and on-the-ground implementation particularly prone to change.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Working in the Field

 As Nietschmann (2001, 177) describes,

the first of his ‘golden rules for the field’ are:

– 1)Prior to leaving for the field, carefully draw up a plot plan, list of materials, etc. – 2)Immediately upon arriving at the field, throw away item No. 1 above. Now that you’ve seen the field, it obviously won’t work anyway.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Working in the Field

Visibility:

 You will be known and visible

• Conscious about what you do.

 Opportunity to learn

• Watch commitments to confidentiality/

anonymity

• Respect

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

5 Working in the Field

Ethics:

 The inclusion of vulnerable or at-risk

populations is often a focus of CBR and its desire to be more inclusive with respect to the voices constructing and being heard through research.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Working in the Field

 When does the ethics process begin?  The process and mechanics of

participant consent

 Participant anonymity/confidentiality  Differences between research in

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities.

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Working in the Field

Ethics:

 Conflicts and power struggles  The demeanour of the researcher is

important

 Dual role (impartial / honest broker).  Understanding power relationships  Not e-mail “fire and forget”

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Working in the Field

Logistics: Part of dealing with the ebbs and flows of the rural research process is having well prepared field logistics

 Scheduling appointments  Consideration to the rhythm of

community

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Working in the Field

Logistics:

 Field safety  Local logistics

Travel Accommodation

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Workshop Approach

 The Research Process  Preparation for the Field  Working in the Field  After Fieldwork  From Theory to Practice

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

6 AFTER THE FIELDWORK

Separation between work in the field and after the field work is artificial

 Immediate Response: Honoring

Participation and Commitments

 Checking Back with Participants  Reporting Back  Product / Changes

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

Workshop Approach

 The Research Process  Preparation for the Field  Working in the Field  After Fieldwork  From Theory to Practice

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

From Theory to Practice

Group Exercise:

 You are going to be doing research in a

small aboriginal community.

 Working with youth  Working with Elders

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi

www.unbc.ca/cdi

Community Development Institute at UNBC

 For further information please visit our website

at:

www.unbc.ca/cdi

Greg Halseth Don Manson halseth@unbc.ca manson@unbc.ca Thank you

The Community Development Institute at UNBC www.unbc.ca/cdi