Community-Based Research Partnerships for Social Change

Building Campus-Community Research Partnerships Health Services Research Roundtable Molly Ayers, Gonzaga University & PICCE

CBR: What Is It? Traditional Academic Research Conversation among faculty experts in the field CBR: A collaborative, participatory research process that embraces: Research Community has information needs Campus partners have research tools and resources Education Community has valuable local knowledge & experience Campus partners have theoretical and large scale perspectives Action Build organizational and community capacity Effect policy change Goal of research is social action and social change for the purpose of achieving social justice

Equal partnership between trained experts and members of community in working on community issues related to health, education, poverty, human rights, etc. CBR is a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the strengths that each brings. CBR begins with a research topic of importance to the community, has the aim of combining knowledge with action and achieving social change to improve community outcomes and eliminate disparities. -WK Kellogg Foundation

Types of Research Program Evaluation Statistical Analysis Policy Study Literature Review Needs Assessments Gap Analysis Asset Mapping And more http://analytics.gonzaga.edu/sbacada

Forms of CBR Partnership Faculty Community Based Research Aligns with a faculty member s scholarly agenda and area of expertise Student Community-Based Research Conducting individually or as part of a course; connected to student learning and knowledge acquisition

CBR Examples CBR-based semester/quarter courses Long-term, course-based projects Interdisciplinary, multi-course collaborative projects Stand-alone Research or Research Internships

Understanding Faculty Motivation Connection to Scholarly Agenda Strengthened Student Learning Outcomes

Principles of Practice Research need(s) are identified by the community Research is action-oriented All stages of the process involve all partners (faculty, students and community) equitably Strengths and knowledge of all partners is appreciated and utilized Findings are disseminated in an accessible way

Democratic Partnerships and Reciprocity Asset identification(resources, strengths, expertise) and recognition for all partners Common language Collaborative problem posing and solving Collaborative agenda and goal setting Processes for feedback and reflection Community partners are recognized as co-educators

Benefits & Challenges Benefits Community Access to faculty expertise Organizational capacity building Policy change Students Develop professional skills Improve existing skills conducting actual research; real world projects Draws individuals to the discipline Prepares students for graduate school Connect classroom learning with real-world application Faculty New venues for publishing and presenting Positively impacts students and community Challenges Unpredictability Calendar conflicts Role clarification Participant compensation/recognition Research requirements (IRB Approval) Time intensive for faculty member Does not fit into traditional definition of faculty research ; usually recognized under teaching/service

TOOL: CBR Interest Worksheet A Resource for CBR Partners