An Introduction to Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR)

Summary

This video provides an overview of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), a collaborative research approach that emphasizes equitable involvement of both academic and community partners. CBPR focuses on community-driven topics, aiming to combine knowledge with action to achieve social change. The video distinguishes CBPR from other participatory methods by highlighting its community-led direction. It discusses the historical roots of CBPR, key principles like co-learning, capacity building, and shared power, and emphasizes the importance of integrating research with action to foster long-term partnerships and systemic change.

Takeaways

• 🤝 CBPR (Community-Based Participatory Research) is a collaborative approach that equitably involves all partners in the research process, recognizing the strengths of both academic and community partners.
• 🏡 CBPR is grounded in topics important to the community, aiming to combine knowledge with action and achieve social change.
• 🔄 CBPR involves collaboration at every stage of the research process, from identifying research topics to disseminating findings and enacting change.
• 🌍 There are two traditions of CBPR: the Northern tradition (pragmatic, focused on problem-solving and leadership) and the Southern tradition (inspired by Paulo Freire, focusing on emancipation and social change).
• 📚 Paulo Freire's concept of 'popular education' emphasizes leveraging the expertise of people experiencing a phenomenon to drive social change.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 CBPR emphasizes co-learning and capacity building for both community members and researchers, fostering shared leadership throughout the process.
• 📊 CBPR aims to improve the quality of research by ensuring that those most affected by the phenomena are involved, generating better insights and actionable outcomes.
• 🛠 CBPR integrates research and action, focusing on creating meaningful, long-term partnerships and fostering systems change.
• 📈 CBPR's outcomes extend beyond academic recognition, striving for real-world social impact and institutional changes in both community and academic settings.
• 🔬 CBPR is not just a research method but an orientation or philosophy that balances power and fosters equitable partnerships to produce more impactful, socially relevant research.

Q & A

What is the definition of community-based participatory research (CBPR)?

CBPR is a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process. It recognizes the unique strengths of both academic and community partners, starting with a research topic important to the community and aiming to combine knowledge with action to achieve social change.

How does CBPR differ from traditional research?

CBPR differs from traditional research by involving the community throughout the research process, from topic identification to data collection and dissemination. Traditional research typically follows a top-down approach, where researchers are separate from the subjects and contexts they study, while CBPR emphasizes collaboration and the inclusion of local expertise.

What are the two traditions from which CBPR emerged?

CBPR emerged from the Northern and Southern traditions. The Northern tradition, from the 1940s, focuses on pragmatic problem-solving using consensus models. The Southern tradition, rooted in Paulo Freire’s work from the 1970s, emphasizes emancipatory research, challenging colonialism and political power dynamics to promote liberation and social change.

What is the concept of 'banking education' as discussed in relation to CBPR?

Banking education is a concept proposed by Paulo Freire, where teachers deposit knowledge into passive students, who are expected to reproduce it later. This approach is criticized for not fostering change. Freire advocates for 'popular education,' where individuals’ lived experiences and expertise are integral to the learning process, promoting action and social transformation.

What are the four pillars of CBPR as per the Southern tradition?

The four pillars of CBPR include: delivering high-quality research, co-constructing knowledge with the community, mobilizing impact-oriented evidence to create change, and fostering long-lasting partnerships between academic and community entities.

Why is CBPR considered more effective than traditional research for certain issues?

CBPR is considered more effective because it emphasizes the importance of context, engages those with lived experience of the phenomena being studied, and generates deeper insights and more practical solutions. By involving the community, CBPR is better positioned to promote social change and action compared to traditional research, which can be more detached from the subject matter.

How does CBPR address power dynamics in the research process?

CBPR emphasizes equitable power-sharing between academic and community partners. It challenges the traditional researcher-subject hierarchy by promoting shared leadership, co-learning, and joint decision-making at all stages of the research process, thus striving for more balanced and inclusive power relations.

What role do qualitative methods play in CBPR?

Qualitative methods are central to CBPR because they help capture the context and complexities of community experiences. These methods allow for a deeper understanding of social phenomena, which is crucial for generating insights and solutions that are meaningful to those most affected.

What are the long-term goals of CBPR partnerships?

The long-term goals of CBPR partnerships include achieving sustained social change, fostering long-lasting relationships between academic and community partners, and creating systems-level outcomes that result in changes in both community practices and institutional structures.

What are some key principles of CBPR as identified by Barbara Israel and colleagues?

Some key principles of CBPR include viewing the community as the unit of identity, building on the strengths and resources of all partners, promoting collaborative and equitable partnerships across all research phases, emphasizing local relevance, integrating action with research, and committing to long-term partnerships for lasting social change.