COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH

An Introduction for FacultyPresented by Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski

Community Involvement Center, Co-DirectorWeber State University

for

Teaching Learning ForumSeptember 17, 2007

A presentation developed by the National Community-Based Research Networking Initiative

CBR: AN OVERVIEW

◘ What is CBR?◘ Principles of Practice◘ How does it differ from traditional research?

◘ Why do CBR?◘ Pedagogical Methods ◘ Benefits & Challenges◘ What It Takes◘ Examples of CBR at WSU◘ Resources

CBR: WHAT IS IT?

◘ 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

“CBR is a partnership of students, faculty, and community members who collaboratively engage in research with the purpose of solving a pressing community problem or affecting social change” (Strand, et al., 2003).

DefinitionCBR:

• CBR is a collaborative enterprise between researchers and community members.

• CBR involves the democratization of knowledge

• CBR has as its goal social action and social change for the purpose of achieving social justice (Strand et al., 2003: p. 8).

CBR: Principles of CBR

• research with and for the community.

• community partners should be working with students and professors at every stage in the research process.

CBR: Collaboration

• knowledge brought to the project by all partners involved is equally valued

• multiple research methods are used

• user friendly approaches to the dissemination of knowledge are provided

• conventional assumptions about knowledge itself are challenged

CBR: Democratization of Knowledge

• produce information that can be used to bring about needed change

• findings of the research or the process itself might contribute to social change

CBR: Social Change for Social Justice

Traditional CBR Goal of Research Advance Address

knowledge socialneed advancement

Source of Question Existing workCommunity

identifiedneed

Designer/Researcher Trained Trained researcher

researcher + students + comm.

partner

CBR: Vs. Traditional Research

Traditional CBRResearcher Outside CollaboratorRole expert

Role of None or RA PartnersStudents

Role of Subject to be Knowledgeable

Community studied partner

CBR: Vs. Traditional Research

Traditional CBRRelationship of Short-term Long-Researcher & & detached term +

Participants connectedand multi-faceted

Measure of value Acceptance by Usefulness to

of the research academic peers partners (as well as

publish)

CBR: Vs. Traditional Research

Traditional CBRMethodology Conform to Conform toCriteria/ rigor rigorMethods

Objectivity & Open to positivistic new info.

Researcher Flexibilitycontrol

Quantitative Mixed

CBR: Vs. Traditional Research

Traditional CBRBeneficiaries Researcher,

Researcher,Field students,

&community

“Owner” of ResearcherResearcher,

Research students, &

community

CBR: Vs. Traditional Research

Traditional CBRPresentation & Articles, Articles,Dissemination Conference Conferenceof Findings presentation, presentation,

Books/Chapter Books/chapter

Reports,Public

meeting,Art

work/media

CBR: Vs. Traditional Research

CBR: WHY DO IT?

◘ Complex social problems ill-suited

to “outside expert” research alone

◘ Impact community capacity ◘ Build long-term relationship with community partners

◘ Effective method of teaching and learning for all participants

◘ The ultimate form of service-learning?

• The quality of service-learning is enhanced through CBR in that it offers the most opportunities for:– collaboration– direct application of course content – potential for social change

CBR: Ultimate S-L Experience

CBR: PEDAGOGICAL METHODS

◘ Course-based options model

◘ CBR-based semester courses

◘ Long-term, course-based projects

◘ Interdisciplinary, multi-course collaborative projects

CBR: BENEFITS◘ Community

Access to faculty expertiseOrganizational capacity buildingPolicy change

◘ Students Develop new skills Improve existing skills Connect classroom learning with real-world application

◘ Faculty Enhanced teaching credentials New venues for publishing and presenting Positively impact students and community

CBR: CHALLENGES

◘ Unpredictability

◘ Calendar conflicts

◘ Role confusion

◘ Participant compensation/ recognition

CBR: WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

◘ Time

◘ Long-term vision

◘ Communication

◘ Flexibility

◘ Willingness to develop research process with community input

CBR: Examples at WSU

◘ Lauren Fowler, Psychology

◘ Bryan Dorsey, Geography

CBR: RESOURCES

◘ National Community-Based Research Networking Initiative www.cbrnet.org

◘ CBR Course and Project Database www.bonner.org/campus/cbr/profiles.taf

◘Campus-Community Partnerships for Health www.ccph.info◘ Community-Based Research & Higher Education: Principles & Practices Strand, Marullo, Cutforth, et. al.