Facilitating Change through Research

1. Facilitating Change through Research I don’t just want to research something- I want to make a difference O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

2. Facilitating Change • Facilitating change through research can involve: • the production of knowledge that may lead to change • applied research conducted for the express purpose of enabling effective change • research that attempts to embed action and change into the actual research process O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

3. Research generates knowledge in order to: action change within a system emancipate through action expose and change the dominate system build broader understanding pave the way for change Basic or pure research Applied / evaluative research Action research Critical / radical ethnography technical/ practical participatory/ emancipatory O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

4. Politics of Change Oriented Research • Research that facilitates change can be considered highly ‘political’ and as such, credibility will involve careful consideration of issues of: • power • objectivity • subjectivity • and bias O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

5. Working Towards Credibility • In addition to both positivist and post-positivist indicators of credibility, change oriented research can also look to ‘usefulness’ as an indicator of success O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

6. Applied Research • Applied research paves the way for change • It is often linked to policy/programme development and can include studies that: • investigate a problem situation • assess potential interventions • or evaluate change initiatives O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

7. Evaluation Research • Since change intervention strategies often require formal review, evaluation research has become increasingly common • This can involve both: • Formative evaluation - conducted to provide developmental feedback and • Summative evaluation - conducted to assess effectiveness. O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

8. Evaluation Research • Evaluative research is often conducted in the form of a case study • In formative studies, methods tend to be eclectic and diverse and driven by research objectives • Summative designs often involve comparative analysis of groups and/or time series analysis O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

9. Issues in Evaluation Research • Issues in evaluative research include both: • unrealistic client/stakeholder expectations • and the potential pressure of vested interests O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

10. Action Research • Action research covers a broad array of research strategies that are dedicated to the integrated production of knowledge and the implementation of change • Action research: • addresses practical problems • generates knowledge • enacts change • is participatory • relies on a cyclical self reflective process O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

11. Cycles of Action Research O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

12. Issues in Action Research • While, the participatory and collaborative nature of action research can be highly rewarding and productive, it can also result in sticky management issues including: • a lack of control over the project’s direction and pace • the potential for stakeholder conflict • the sole burden of ethical responsibility O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

13. Striving for Critical Emancipation • Striving for critical emancipation relates to goals that require more than just change within a ‘system’; it requires radical change to the system itself • Two strategies for achieving such goals through research are: • Participatory Action Research • Critical Ethnography O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

14. Participatory Action Research • Participatory action research attempts to expose dominant and repressive systems, and has an express goal of emancipation through action • It encourages the oppressed to control their own knowledge production and emancipatory change interventions through an action research process O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

15. Critical Ethnography • Critical ethnography also attempts to expose dominant systems in the interest of the ‘marginalised’ • Change comes from the voice offered to the oppressed, as well as the starting point it offers for action at individual, legislative, and policy levels  O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten

16. Issues in Emancipatory Research • A common issue in emancipatory research is the intertwining of research and political agendas • In addition to managing subjectivities, researchers need to guard against imposing their own political agendas on the researched O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Ten