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Haylea Kirkland

Dr. Childers-McKee

LBST 2215 (H)

8 September 2017

Why do Community Engaged Research?

Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much. This is also true in terms of

collaborations between researchers and local community partners working together to better overcome

obstacles that are faced within the community. Living in a country where democracy is engrained into

our core as Americans, why has there not always been a democratic approach to research on

communities? Unlike the traditional research method, Community Engaged Research is an inclusive

approach in the sense that members who actually live and make up the society play a vital role in the

research.

Prior to using the community engaged approach, most research conducted by researchers took

place in a lab, or from strictly an outsiders point of view. No consideration was given to community

members and what they wanted to see improved within their community even though the research being

done was ultimately done for them on their behalf. As a result, sometimes researchers would have

inaccurate facts, or an inaccurate understanding of what the actual problem happening within the

community was.

I believe that Community Engaged Research will be particularly important to this course this

semester. Citizenship focuses primarily on us students going out and getting involved within certain

areas of the community. By doing so, this will help us, the researchers, grasp a better understanding of

the local communitys strengths as well as what they are lacking as a whole. Through this, we can

work alongside leaders within the community to adequately formulate a proposal that properly addresses

issues that the community deems as top priority. Furthermore, we can brainstorm collectively to

incorporate a personalized plan of action in order to achieve a successful strategy to not only address, but

also guide us into the beginnings of implementing community change from within. One drawback of
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implementing an approach that engages the community is that sometimes results take longer to be

accomplished. This is because the whole process is slowed down because the researchers are constantly

having to schedule meeting with the community leaders in order to discuss any progress along the way

and what the next step should be.

By working directly with the community, our small groups can maximize our potential of helping

improve the local community and attain a greater, longer-lasting impact that will be felt for generations to

come. In addition, by putting ourselves directly in the mix we can better understand the communitys

culture. By being culturally aware, we can better meet the community where they are, as well as better

understand the communitys social identity. Without mutual understanding of one anothers social

identity and perspective, there is an increased likeliness of hitting roadblocks due to lack of empathy or

understanding. Conjointly, by being placed in groups with individuals with a variety of social locations,

we can creatively conjure a broader range of ideas to implement in aiding the community.