Indigenous Intersections:

Tribally-Driven and Community-Based

Participatory Research as Means to More Culturally

Responsive State- and Federally-Funded

Government Studies

November 13, 2015American Evaluation Association

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The IMPAQ Team

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Welcome

Our goals today:

Increase your awareness of evaluation work in the Tribal context

Share strategies for applying the principles of Tribally-Driven Participatory Research in the context of Federal and state-sponsored work

Provide a framework to support your application of TDPR principles

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Why is this important?

Exemplary evaluations in a multicultural world should include Tribally-Driven Participatory Research (TDPR).

AEA Guiding Principles, especially:

• Integrity/Honesty (C4)

• Respect for People (D6)

• [Cultural] Competence (B2)

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Community Based Participatory Research

• Research with traditionally underrepresented or marginalized communities

• Contrasts with “helicopter,” “outsider,” or “safari” research

• True partnership between researchers & those being studied

• Findings are incorporated to produce results that are accurate, relevant, & meaningful to the community

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Tribally-Driven Participatory Research

TDPR extends CBPR to include sovereignty & to focus on the interests of Tribal communities:

• Acknowledges the legal & political constructs within the study that are unique for sovereign Tribal governments

• Considers the diverse cultural, linguistic, traditional, & social aspects of Indigenous communities

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TDPR / CBPR Comparison

TDPR accepts the core principals of CBPR but moves from a passive to active stance: Research is tribally driven vs. tribally based.

The term Tribally-Driven Participatory Research echoes the core principles of CBPR while capturing the critical governmental authority of American Indian tribes.

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TDPR / CBPR Comparison –cont.

The qualitative difference between CBPR & TDPR is that Tribal governments have the authority to codify research requirements in tribal statutes that can be more stringent than federal requirements.

Macaulay et al., 1998

Model Tribal Research Code, 1999

Fiher & Ball, 2003

Letendre & Caine, 2004

Brugge & Missaghian, 2006

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TDPR: Multi-jurisdictional research design

With its more active stance, and recognition of Tribal sovereignty, TDPR can accommodate a design that includes the legal jurisdictions of Tribal governments & individuals:

• A multi-jurisdictional design in Indigenous contexts demonstrates how research teams, sponsoring agencies, & study participants will adhere to multiple sets of research codes & policies

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TDPR: What it looks like in the field

• Wear appropriate attire: Informal but professional

• Ask permission for info about Tribal government and cultural policies, protocols, and community practices

• Be flexible: Visit with formal and informal leaders

• Exchange traditional or other gifts

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TDPR: Communication in the Field

• Interpersonal interactions: sometimes informal; be respectful: listen, humility, and authenticity;

• Style and content: blended use of technical language, informal language, humor, and concrete examples

Envision/embrace the circle; sitting around the fire to work “with” the community and not “on” them

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TDPR Principles throughout the Evaluation

Procure DesignBuild

Skills/CapesImplement Analyze Report

TDPR

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CBPR

TDPR Principles: Procure

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Finding Indigenous researchers:

…not everyone has business cards from AEA 2005…

TDPR Principles: Design

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• Shared tasks between research groups

• Built-in feedback loops for continuous community input

TDPR Principles: Design –cont.

• Widely disseminated

• Tried to balance breadth (giving all a chance to share their opinions) with depth (learning about the how and why)

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TDPR Principles: Build Skills & Capacities

• Designed a researcher training

• Provided high-level facts about AI history that are key to understanding current context

• Introduced CBPR and TDPR

• Discussed what Tribal sovereignty means for research

• Outlined application of TDPR in our study

• Reviewed instrumentation and logistics

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TDPR Principles: Implement

Instrument Design

• Co-designed survey and site visit protocol

• Published initial questions in Fed Register / revised

• Cognitive interviews / revised

Data Collection

• Multi-modal survey

• Recruitment of research partners –i.e., Tribes that would allow us to visit their communities and learn–done by Indigenous researchers

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TDPR Principles: Analyze

• Member checking/validation

• Show diversity in Indian country, where possible

• Kept it simple: minimize inference

• Strengths-based approach

• This can be difficult to budget

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TDPR Principles: Report

• Publicly-available dataset will be delivered in electronic and hard copy to participating Tribes

• With agency permission, de-brief with interested Tribes using official Tribal Consultation process

• With agency permission, distribute reader-friendly version of findings via OTR and other means

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TDPR Principles Worksheet

Procure DesignBuild Skill and

CapacityImplement Analyze Report

Key

Questions

Key

Constructs

Key

Stakeholders

Key Activities

Strengths

Gaps &

Challenges

Solutions

Lessons

Learned

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Concluding Thoughts: A strong TDPR-steeped evaluation…

• Provides visual examples of forms, instruments, or other databases to demonstrate the study methodology

• Uses/modifies existing Tribal instruments, databases, processes

• Considers from the Tribal perspective how research may enhance the development of current or new capacities, policies, or protocols

• Shares successes & best practices with other Tribal governments & Indigenous organizations, with the knowledge, consent, & participation of Tribal constituents

• Obtains permission to share, present on, or publish information outside of the Indigenous context

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Contact

Nicole Bowman (Mohican/Munsee), PhDPresident, Bowman Performance Consultingnicky@bpcwi.com(715) 526-9240 TW: @nbpc1www.bpcwi.com

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Anne Chamberlain, MSSr. Research Associate, IMPAQ achamberlain@impaqint.com443-259-5215TW: @impaqwww.impaq.com