scholarly journals Mixed methods Participatory Action Research to inform service design based on the Capabilities Approach, in the North of England

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Shearn ◽  
Anna Brook ◽  
Helen Humphreys ◽  
Carrie Wardle
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3-2020) ◽  
pp. 267-278
Author(s):  
de Castro Pitano Sandro ◽  
Rosa Elena Noal ◽  
Cheron Zanini Moretti

The seventh conference of the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) took place in Montreal, Canada, from the 26th to 28th of June, in 2019. Having as title “Repoliticising Participatory/Action Research: From Action Research to Activism”, the event gathered people from different areas of practice coming mostly from the North American countries: Canada, United States and Mexico. The discussion presented here is based on notes made by the authors in the course of the conference, in which 40 words/keywords were identified, serving as a base to debate the validity of the principles of participatory research and action research in its repoliticisation and activism. Thus, we presented a systematisation of some key themes of the conference, among them, the commitment with the rupture: in relation to the traditional practices of research, the role and the social responsibility of the universities and the transforming character of participation, with emphasis in the effort for its repoliticisation and activism.


Author(s):  
Alicia O'Cathain

A paradigm is a world view held by members of a research community. It determines what humans can know and how to undertake research to generate knowledge. It shapes how research is undertaken and how quality is judged. In mixed methods evaluations combining qualitative research and RCTs, the implicit paradigm is often post-positivism. There are alternative paradigms such as participatory action research and realist evaluation. The status of qualitative research within a mixed methods evaluation may depend on the paradigm adopted. Researchers undertaking qualitative research may adopt a different philosophical stance from those undertaking the RCT. It is important to have team discussions about paradigms throughout a mixed methods evaluation to understand the variety of stances within the team. This chapter focuses on the range of paradigms researchers adopt and some of the challenges researchers face when combining qualitative research and RCTs within different paradigms.


Author(s):  
Liezel Van Niekerk ◽  
Dewald Van Niekerk

Participatory action research (PAR) is a robust and versatile research and development strategy. It can be utilised to: understand complex community structures and interaction; determine various types of vulnerability; assist in community capacity building and skills transfer; ensure community participation,and allow for the strengthening of livelihoods. This article focuses on PAR as a strategy, applying various methods and specific participatory tools to understand social vulnerability, within the context of women as rural farm dwellers in the North-West Province, South Africa. It emphasises the need for continued participation and highlights the practical principles and benefits derived from PAR. The PAR process cycles are discussed and parallels are drawn with the practical setting. In conclusion, the article emphasises that the application of the PAR process can make a multi-dimensional contribution towards the development of a community by creating an understanding of social vulnerability, by building capacity and by ensuring participation, and also addresses income-generating activities.


Author(s):  
Patricia Cranton

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce readers to how teachers can be taught about research in ways that are meaningful for them and relevant to their practice. The three main research paradigms are described, paradigms that are defined based on the kind of knowledge being sought. Mixed methods research is also acknowledged as possibly being in a fourth paradigm. It is action research and participatory action research (also called “teacher research”) that most closely illustrates how teachers can meaningfully engage in research relevant to their practice. These methodologies are described, and then a template for a research course for teachers is provided. Finally, practical examples of participatory and action research are provided, followed by suggestions for the future development of teacher research, including narrative inquiry and arts-based research.


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e017839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lian Leng Low ◽  
Adlina Maulod ◽  
Kheng Hock Lee

IntroductionPoorer health outcomes and disproportionate healthcare use in socioeconomically disadvantaged patients is well established. However, there is sparse literature on effective integrated care interventions that specifically target these high-risk individuals. The Integrated Community of Care (ICoC) is a novel care model that integrates hospital-based transitional care with health and social care in the community for high-risk individuals living in socially deprived communities. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the ICoC in reducing acute hospital use and investigate the implementation process and its effects on clinical outcomes using a mixed-methods participatory action research (PAR) approach.Methods and analysisThis is a single-centre prospective, controlled, observational study performed in the SingHealth Regional Health System. A total of 250 eligible patients from an urbanised low-income community in Singapore will be enrolled during their index hospitalisation. Our PAR model combines two research components: quantitative and qualitative, at different phases of the intervention. Outcomes of acute hospital use and health-related quality of life are compared with controls, at 30 days and 1 year. The qualitative study aims at developing a more context-specific social ecological model of health behaviour. This model will identify how influences within one’s social environment: individual, interpersonal, organisational, community and policy factors affect people’s experiences and behaviours during care transitions from hospital to home. Knowledge on the operational aspects of ICoC will enrich our evidence-based strategies to understand the impact of the ICoC. The blending of qualitative and quantitative mixed methods recognises the dynamic implementation processes as well as the complex and evolving needs of community stakeholders in shaping outcomes.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was granted by the SingHealth Centralised Institutional Review Board (CIRB 2015/2277). The findings from this study will be disseminated by publications in peer-reviewed journals, scientific meetings and presentations to government policy-makers.Trial registration numberNCT02678273


2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Loucky ◽  
Alan LeBaron

Margaret Mead was fond of saying that when speaking about another culture, it would be wise to imagine that someone from that culture was standing next to us. That advice is a good metaphor for what has in fact happened. Global technological and educational advances have brought both readers and writers into what used to be a closed purview of outside "experts." Today discourse across the north-south divide entails challenges to neocolonial approaches and assertions of rights—not only to basic resources and life chances, but also to describe as well as to determine roles, responsibilities, and eventual realities. Growing opportunities for collaboration are evident in a diverse array of cross-cultural partnerships, participatory action research, and community-based development models.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e018416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smita Pakhale ◽  
Tina Kaur ◽  
Catherine Charron ◽  
Kelly Florence ◽  
Tiffany Rose ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo determine the feasibility of a Community-Based Participatory Tobacco Dependence Strategy (PROMPT) in the inner city population of Ottawa (Canada).DesignA feasibility mixed methods prospective cohort study following principles of community-based participatory action research.InterventionRecruited 80 people whouse drugs, followed them for 6 months while providing access to counselling, nicotine replacement therapy and peer-support in a community setting.SettingCommunity research office in downtown Ottawa, adjacent to low-income housing, shelter services and street-based drug consumption.Primary outcomeRetention rate at 6-month follow-up.Secondary outcomeBiochemically validated 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence at 26 weeks, self-reported abstinence in the past 7 days with exhaled carbon monoxide ≤10 ppm.ResultsThe average age of participants was 43.8 years. The 6-month follow-up rate was 42.5%. The mean number of smoking years reported was 27.3 years. The participants were 70% male, 33.7% reported less than a high-school education, 21% identified as indigenous and 43.8% reported an income between US$1000 and US$1999 per month. The baseline mean daily cigarette use was 20.5 and 9.3 cigarettes at study end, with mean reduction of 11.2 cigarettes at 6 months (P=0.0001). There was a considerable reduction in self-reported illicit substance use (18.8%), including a reduction in the opioids heroin (6.3%), fentanyl (2.6%) and Oxycontin (3.8%). The study findings also reveal psycho-socioeconomic benefits such as improved health, return to work and greater community engagement.ConclusionsThe PROMPT project describes socioeconomic variables associated with tobacco and polysubstance use. A programme focused on tobacco dependence, easily accessible in the community and led by community peers with lived experience is feasible to implement and has the potential to support positive life changes. PROMPT’s patient engagement model is an effective harm-reduction strategy for the growing opioid use crisis and can improve the health outcomes of marginalised at-risk populations worldwide.


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