ABSTRACT
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a useful research approach for those seeking to work at a community (local) level, to support positive social change in and through scholarship. CBPR is slow to develop and often takes many years to complete, in part due to the need to understand the norms, values and goals of the community as the research unfurls (Holkup, Tripp-Reimer, Salois & Weinert, 2004; Minkler, 2005). How scholars enter into this broad area of research could be by formal invitation, or by happenstance, while either working on an earlier project or as a result of having forged relationships with a community’s members (Schinke et al., 2009). Regardless of which reason serves as a point of entry, scholars come to realize that CBPR serves a role in scholarship that differs greatly from many others methodologies or traditions, such as grounded theory (see Chapter 3) and ethnography (see Chapter 5, this volume; and also Wallerstein & Duran, 2006). McCullagh (1998) differentiated between three levels of research, based on Christina (1989). Level one, also known as basic research, is focused on knowledge generation and no requirement to bridge with application. Level two refers to applied research, whereby scholars begin to consider how to bridge theory with application through recommendations for practice. Level three, where CBPR is situated, is conceived to develop practical solutions to social and community challenges (Israel, Schulz, Parker & Becker, 1998; Minkler, 2005).
