94
V. R. Vargas et al.
2.2 Community Based Participatory Research
Community based participatory research (CBPR) is a type of qualitative research
(Kesby 2005) that provides structure and mechanisms for collaborative and rigorous
research, using traditional or new methods, but with a community focus (Horowitz
et al. 2009). In CBPR community members and researchers contribute equally
and recognise each other’s experience, there is trust, collaboration, shared decision
making, and shared ownership of the findings, with acquired knowledge that benefits all partners. The partners commit to long-term research relationships, and aim
for local capacity building, systems development, empowerment and sustainability
(Horowitz et al. 2009). The community benefits by enhancing their empowerment,
co-learning with scientists, informing the wider community of organizing efforts,
and linking research to policy action (Balazs and Morello-Frosch 2013). There are
several levels of CBPR, from a basic level where the community are study participants, the design is arranged by the researchers and results are socialised with the
community, to a higher level in which the community are partners in the research
and highly involved throughout the process, from conception of the project, data
collection, fundraising, publication and ownership of results (Balazs and MorelloFrosch 2013). In all the levels the community is recognised as a unit of identity, but
higher levels of collaboration imply longer times of execution and complexity, to
ensure relevance of research, rigor, and maximum reach to stakeholders (Balazs and
Morello-Frosch 2013), which may not always be possible to achieve. Examples of
CBPR with native communities in Latin America have proven to be a very effective
tool to collect, analyse and monitor environmental conditions and promote sustainable use of resources within the community (Oldekop et al. 2012; Saavedra et al.
2016).
Research question: what could the three UK based researchers learn about
researcher motivations towards designing and implementing international sustainable development projects in the context of the public good/global citizenship mission
of higher education from a project in the Colombian Caribbean?
3 Methods
The research design for this study was based on reflective practice in teaching and
learning (Brookfield 2002) and research (Chiu 2006; Wilson 2007; Nicholls 2009).
The practical element that led to the reflection was a participatory research project
focused on women’s leadership in fisher communities in the Dique Channel region
of Colombia (Barrios et al. 2020). The whole research project was done over the
course of eighteen months (August 2018 until December 2019). The 31 participants
(including the researchers) spent 6 days/5 nights in residential fieldwork in a working
farm in the Dique Channel, Colombia. During the design of the research project and
V. R. Vargas et al.
2.2 Community Based Participatory Research
Community based participatory research (CBPR) is a type of qualitative research
(Kesby 2005) that provides structure and mechanisms for collaborative and rigorous
research, using traditional or new methods, but with a community focus (Horowitz
et al. 2009). In CBPR community members and researchers contribute equally
and recognise each other’s experience, there is trust, collaboration, shared decision
making, and shared ownership of the findings, with acquired knowledge that benefits all partners. The partners commit to long-term research relationships, and aim
for local capacity building, systems development, empowerment and sustainability
(Horowitz et al. 2009). The community benefits by enhancing their empowerment,
co-learning with scientists, informing the wider community of organizing efforts,
and linking research to policy action (Balazs and Morello-Frosch 2013). There are
several levels of CBPR, from a basic level where the community are study participants, the design is arranged by the researchers and results are socialised with the
community, to a higher level in which the community are partners in the research
and highly involved throughout the process, from conception of the project, data
collection, fundraising, publication and ownership of results (Balazs and MorelloFrosch 2013). In all the levels the community is recognised as a unit of identity, but
higher levels of collaboration imply longer times of execution and complexity, to
ensure relevance of research, rigor, and maximum reach to stakeholders (Balazs and
Morello-Frosch 2013), which may not always be possible to achieve. Examples of
CBPR with native communities in Latin America have proven to be a very effective
tool to collect, analyse and monitor environmental conditions and promote sustainable use of resources within the community (Oldekop et al. 2012; Saavedra et al.
2016).
Research question: what could the three UK based researchers learn about
researcher motivations towards designing and implementing international sustainable development projects in the context of the public good/global citizenship mission
of higher education from a project in the Colombian Caribbean?
3 Methods
The research design for this study was based on reflective practice in teaching and
learning (Brookfield 2002) and research (Chiu 2006; Wilson 2007; Nicholls 2009).
The practical element that led to the reflection was a participatory research project
focused on women’s leadership in fisher communities in the Dique Channel region
of Colombia (Barrios et al. 2020). The whole research project was done over the
course of eighteen months (August 2018 until December 2019). The 31 participants
(including the researchers) spent 6 days/5 nights in residential fieldwork in a working
farm in the Dique Channel, Colombia. During the design of the research project and