Community-based DBR: A Few Linguering Questions

As we are wrapping up an exciting 2 weeks filled with vibrant discussions around community-based research  as well as participatory approaches in design-based research, we created a collection of questions that could perhaps provide others interested in similar work with starting points for inspirational insights.

• What are the kinds of academic contributions participatory research can make? Ask new questions? 
• Megan Bang mentioned that it is important to make academia more transparent to participants and to provide them with access to the academic infrastructure and tools. How does this relate to your work?
• What is the value researchers can they offer to communities?
• Nancy Erbstein’s challenges of working with youth-led research included that decision makers questioned small sample sizes of the youth's work. Nancy recommended mixed methods. How does this relate to opening or closing participation? What do you recommend?
• As part of her list of sensibilities of community based partnerships, Magen Bang noted the need for  research to engage in strategic transformation of institutional relations. How important is this question for your work?
• For Phillip Bell, his theoretical approach informed the way participation infrastructure was framed and how DBR played out. How has this been for you and what would you recommend?
• Is participation and research+practice partnerships part of your larger research trajectory? What would you recommend others to practice who would want to build their career in this area of work?
• We frequently heard of projects that started with a 3 year trajectory and then continued and continued and continued. How do you consider sustaining engagement in your project planning? What are the tools and techniques you use? What tells you that you are right in continuing to seek funding for a work?
• Phil Bell and Julian Sefton-Green pointed out the need to be embedded and personally invested in the community one asks to collaborate with. Do we need to put ourselves in harms way to do good work?

 -Anna