Q: What are the potential benefits and risks of engaged research?
Engaged research offers a range of potential benefits for both researchers and the communities they work with.
It should be noted that despite its numerous benefits, engaged research can also present several challenges. Some of the common challenges associated with engaged research are also listed below.
Benefits to be realised |
| Relevance and applicability: Engaged research ensures that the research questions, methods, and outcomes are directly relevant to the needs and priorities of the community. This increases the likelihood of generating knowledge that is applicable and useful in addressing real-world problems. |
| Improved research quality: By involving community members as active participants, engaged research can enhance the quality and validity of the research. Community insights and perspectives can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the issue under study, leading to richer and more nuanced findings. |
| Increased impact and effectiveness: Engaged research aims to have a tangible impact on the community by informing policy, practice, and social change. By involving stakeholders from the outset, research findings are more likely to be translated into actionable outcomes that address community needs and result in positive changes. |
| Empowerment and capacity-building: Engaged research can empower community members by valuing their knowledge, perspectives, and experiences. It provides opportunities for capacity-building, enabling individuals and communities to develop research skills, critical thinking abilities, and the capacity to participate in decision-making processes. |
| Sustainable partnerships: Engaged research fosters long-term partnerships between researchers and communities. These collaborations can extend beyond the duration of a single research project and create sustainable relationships for ongoing dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration on future initiatives. |
| Trust and mutual understanding: Engaged research promotes trust and mutual understanding between researchers and community members. By actively involving communities in the research process, it demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity, respect, and shared decision-making, which can help build trust and improve relationships between academia and the broader society. |
| Enhanced research dissemination and uptake: Engaged research can enhance the dissemination and uptake of research findings. By involving community stakeholders, research findings are more likely to be communicated in accessible formats and tailored to the needs of specific audiences, increasing the chances of their uptake and implementation. |
| Ethical considerations and social responsibility: Engaged research prioritizes ethical considerations and social responsibility by ensuring that the research process respects the rights, values, and cultural contexts of the communities involved. It promotes the equitable distribution of benefits and resources, and it helps address power imbalances in knowledge production. |
Overall, engaged research promotes a collaborative and inclusive approach to knowledge generation, leading to research that is more relevant, impactful, and responsive to the needs of communities. It fosters a reciprocal relationship between academia and society, encouraging the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and resources for the betterment of both researchers and the communities they engage with.
Challenges of engaged research |
|---|
| Time and resource constraints: Engaged research often requires significant time and resources to establish and maintain collaborations with community partners. Building trust, conducting participatory activities, and ensuring ongoing communication can be time-consuming and may strain limited research budgets. |
| Power dynamics and inclusivity: Engaged research aims to address power imbalances and promote inclusivity. However, navigating power dynamics between researchers and community members can be complex. Researchers must be mindful of their own privilege and biases and work to ensure that community members have equal opportunities to contribute and make decisions. |
| Differing expectations and priorities: Researchers and community partners may have differing expectations and priorities. Researchers may be focused on academic publications and career advancement, while community partners may prioritize immediate practical outcomes and solutions. Bridging these divergent expectations requires ongoing communication and negotiation. |
| Research rigor and validity: Engaged research involves various stakeholders, including community members with diverse knowledge and perspectives. Balancing the need for rigor and validity in research with the inclusion of multiple perspectives can be challenging. Researchers must employ appropriate methodologies and ensure transparency in data collection, analysis, and interpretation. |
| Sustaining long-term partnerships: Engaged research often strives to build long-term partnerships between researchers and communities. However, sustaining these collaborations beyond the duration of a specific project can be challenging. Maintaining ongoing engagement, addressing changing needs, and securing funding for sustained collaboration require concerted effort and commitment. |
| Researcher training and support: Engaged research demands a different skill set for researchers, including community engagement, participatory methods, and interdisciplinary collaboration. However, many researchers may lack the necessary training and support to engage in this type of research effectively. Institutions and funding agencies need to provide training opportunities and recognize the value of engaged research in academic career progression. [Learn how to update your RMS profile with your engaged research activities.] |
| Ethical considerations and community protection: Engaged research raises ethical considerations regarding informed consent, privacy, and community protection. Researchers must navigate complex ethical issues, particularly when studying vulnerable or marginalized communities. Ensuring ethical guidelines are followed and respecting community rights and privacy is crucial. |
| Scaling up and generalisability: Engaged research often focuses on specific communities or contexts, which can limit the generalisability of findings. Scaling up interventions or findings to broader contexts requires careful consideration of contextual factors and adaptations while preserving the core principles of community engagement. |
Addressing these challenges requires ongoing reflection, dialogue, and flexibility. Engaged researchers must continuously assess and adapt their approaches to ensure meaningful collaboration, ethical conduct, and the production of high-quality research that benefits both the academic community and the communities they work with.