A framework for entry: PAR values and engagement strategies in community research
Open accessAbstract
The purpose of this article is twofold: to explore the entry process in community-based research when researching sensitive topics; and to suggest a framework for entry that utilises the values of participatory action research (PAR). The article draws on a collaborative community-university research study that took place in the Waterloo and Toronto regions of Ontario, Canada, from 2005–2010. The article emphasises that community entry is not only about recruitment strategies for research participants or research access to community but it is also concerned with the ongoing engagement with communities during various stages of the research study. The indicator of success is a well established and trusted community-researcher relationship. This article first examines this broader understanding of entry, then looks at how community research entry can be shaped by an illustrative framework, or guide, that uses a combination of participatory action research (PAR) values and engagement strategies. Key words: research entry, community engagement, participatory action research, mental health and cultural diversity
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The literature confirms there is much debate about which stage of the research process is most appropriate for end-user involvement.
“the literature confirms that there is much debate about which stage of the research process is most appropriate for end-user involvement [34, 35].”
From Development of a decision guide to support the elderly in decision making about location of care: an iterative, user-centered design (2016) · cites this paper as [34]
The Abstract and Engagement Stage passages describe ways to involve community members at different stages. The Entry Stages Strategies passage discusses practical tensions in doing so, but none of these passages reports a literature debate about which stage is most appropriate. Searches for that debate and for when community members should be involved found no such discussion in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.73)
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- Authors
- Ochocka, J., Moorlag, E., & Janzen, R.
- Affiliations
- Centre for Community Based Research (CA)
- Venue
- Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement
- Published
- 2010-11-25
- Volume
- 3
- Pages
- 1-19
- ISSN
- 1836-3393 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2057471842
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 1.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- Gateways International Journal of Community Research and Engagement (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal (University of Technology Sydney) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Community Health and Development
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Participatory Visual Research Methods
- Keywords
- community participation, participatory action research, sensitive topics, engagement strategies, mental health, cultural diversity, research recruitment
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