The challenges of navigating participatory research
The perspective of a doctoral student who co-ordinates a team of researchers with lived experience of mental health challenges
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21600705 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ruth Lambley (0000-0002-7585-9093, York St John University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 143-152 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational Action Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0965-0792 • E-ISSN: 1747-5074 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09650792.2024.2429444 |
| OpenAlex | W4404555238 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 20 |
Participatory research (PR) involves people with lived experiences of the research topic as co-creators of knowledge. I have the dual role of being both a doctoral researcher and the co-ordinator of a research group – the Converge Evaluation and Research Team (CERT) – which consists of researchers with lived experience of mental health challenges. I am using evaluation projects conducted by CERT to offer insightful case studies for my doctoral research, in which I am exploring coproduction in mental health research. I use learning from my doctoral research to explore how CERT can maximise opportunities for coproduction. Using a CERT evaluation of an arts project for adults with severe and enduring mental health challenges as an exemplar, this article considers my reflections on the challenges of PR as a doctoral researcher elucidated by Southby (2017): power and sharing control; adhering to the standards and procedures of an individualistic academy; inexperience and fear of failure; competing priorities; and time and effort. In addition, remuneration is also considered as a crucial challenge in contemporary research
Action research · Citizen journalism · Engineering ethics · Lived experience · Medical education · Mental health · Participatory action research · Pedagogy · Political science · Psychotherapist · Sociology · Community Health and Development · Computer Science · Engineering · Medicine · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Participatory Visual Research Methods · Psychology
“You Get a PhD and We Get a Few Hundred Bucks”
Why time is a core challenge for participatory action research
A square peg in a round hole
The potential for coproduction to add value to research
Tiers of gatekeepers and ethical practice
Presenting and representing others
Doing Participatory Action Research and Doing a PhD
Participatory action research
Participatory Action Research, Mental Health Service User Research, and the Hearing (our) Voices Projects
Identity and power in co-produced activist research
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |