Please Provide an Overview of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)

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The Answer is Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is defined as a collaborative approach to research in which stakeholders play an equitable role in the process of combining knowledge with action to ultimately achieve sustainable change. This form of research is arguably the prime means by which effective community-university (CU) partnerships function. Core tenets of CBPR include co-learning and the reciprocal transfer of expertise and knowledge through the creation of partnerships that promote mutual learning and benefit for all partners. That is, partners recognize what each "brings to the table" and the strengths of all partners are utilized. Thus, whether an individual is a caregiver of a child with a mental health diagnosis, a nonprofit organization executive director or staff member, or a neighborhood representative, that individual's knowledge, perspective, and insight are valued when identifying the questions to be addressed, deciding upon methods and measures, collecting data, making sense of findings, considering the implications of results, and establishing and working to enact plans for dissemination and action. In fact, when CU partnerships practice in a manner that aligns with a CBPR approach, they are characterized by shared decision-making and dual ownership of the work's processes and products.
A CBPR approach is distinct from a model of evaluation capacity building (ECB), which has as its ultimate goal a method of evaluation that can be sustained by the partner/practitioner, they are similar in that they both advocate for university/community evaluators to ask questions that matter and use findings for decision-making and action. Building on this capacity building framework, previous researchers presented three hallmarks of a community-based approach to evaluation. These three hallmarks align well with core elements of CBPR, that is, that community-based evaluation (1) is community-driven (e.g., is of relevance to the community, particularly those most affected by the issue, and community members have a voice throughout the process), (2) employs equitable participation (e.g., shared control of the research/evaluation design, implementation, and dissemination), and (3) is targeted toward action and change (e.g., cyclical and continuous change and reflection). To be sure, multiple frameworks share key "must have" elements as those that guide CU evaluations.

Please Provide an Overview of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)

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