Foundations of Community Based Research

This course will provide an overview of current and past research projects in the field of CD and examine how this research has informed and shaped best practices for CD. Discussing the characteristics of CD research, those who perform it and the gatekeepers who regulate it, will help the student to understand the many factors that influence the quality and character of development research. Identifying how community research can be strengthened through research partnerships, supported through increasing community research capacity, and enhanced through participatory action research will be explored. Challenges and issues associated with community-based research will be investigated including the debate between  “insider” and “outsider” led research, the power gradients that exist in the research process and the realities of data collection across different cultures. Ethical issues associated with the research process and the need to appreciate the various cultural nuances inherent in fieldwork situations will be discussed.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Identify major subject areas, trends and approaches used in past and present research studies that are relevant to the field of CD
2. Define the role and assess the impact that CD related research has had, and continues to have, on the practice of CD work         
3. Examine the skills and methodologies required to practice CD related research and identify what influences the type of research that is conducted
4. Assess how CD related social science research can be strengthened through research partnerships, community consultation and community participation
5. Describe the realities, challenges and ethical issues associated with performing research in the community and provide possible solutions to these challenges
6. Evaluate examples of CD related research, and identify the resulting implications for reflective practice