A Reflection on Community Research and Action as an Evolving Practice

Bibliographic Data

ID2073977
AuthorsStephen B Fawcett (0000-0003-4572-4208, University of Kansas, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume30
Issue1
Pages535-544
Publication date2021-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBehavior and Social Issues (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1064-9506 • E-ISSN: 2376-6786
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s42822-021-00083-x
PMID38624970
OpenAlexW3214713600
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited12

Community research and action is an evolving field of practice with multiple influences. Its varied ways of knowing and doing reflect recombined elements from different disciplines, including behavioral science, community psychology, public health, and community development. This article offers a personal reflection based on my evolving practice over nearly 50 years. The focus is on three types of influence: (a) engaging with different communities, fields, and networks (e.g., discovering shared values, diverse methods); (b) building methods and capabilities for the work (e.g., methods for participatory research, tools for capacity building); and (c) partnering for collaborative research and action, locally and globally. This story highlights the nature of the field's evolution as an increasing variation in methods. Our evolving practice of community research and action-individually and collectively-emerges from the recombination of ideas and methods discovered through engagement in a wide variety of contexts

Action research · Citizen journalism · Community-based participatory research · Engineering ethics · Participatory action research · Pedagogy · Sociology · World Wide Web · Community Health and Development · Computer Science · Engineering · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Health Policy Implementation Science · Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access