Collaborative Research Approach Research Articles

USING COLLABORATIVE ACTION RESEARCH TO PILOT TELEPRESENCE ROBOTS IN LONG-TERM CARE

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragile state of patient involvement in research and presented new opportunities. The telepresence robot project aims to tackle social isolation and loneliness in older people with dementia in Long-Term Care (LTC) homes. My team took a Collaborative Action Research (CAR) approach to work with stakeholders, emphasising meaningful involvement of patient partners (people with dementia), family partners, frontline healthcare workers throughout all phases of the research process. In this paper presentation, I will discuss how we apply the core principles of CAR to engage stakeholders to carry out the study during the COVID-19 pandemic – a challenging time. It is precisely at times like this that we need to work with patient partners and frontline workers to uncover lessons learned for meaningful solutions to address the most pressing social problems. I will share stories about challenges and creative strategies used. Finally, practical lessons learned will be discussed.

Insect seed and cone predation reduces reproductive potential of treeline conifers across northern Canada

AbstractAimAltitudinal and latitudinal treeline ecotones have not consistently responded to climate warming in the direction and/or magnitude predicted by climate alone, suggesting that non‐climatic mechanisms (e.g. biotic interactions) also mediate treeline range dynamics. Through a collaborative research approach, we assessed environmental conditions associated with pre‐dispersal insect cone granivory and how this biotic interaction may govern the reproductive potential, and therefore range dynamics, of spruce‐dominated treelines across northern Canada.LocationIn all, 10 boreal forest treelines, tundra and alpine, from Yukon to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.TaxaWhite spruce (Picea glauca[Moench] Voss), Black spruce (Picea mariana[Mill.] B.S.P.),Strobilomyiaspp.,Megastigmusspp.MethodsTreeline sites were assessed for presence and magnitude of pre‐dispersal seed granivory by insects along with viable seed availability. We quantified stand density metrics, organic layer depth and understorey vegetation composition at each location and, subsequently, incorporated those variables into generalized linear mixed models to establish predictors of granivory magnitude and viability of available seed.ResultsInsect granivory was widespread across sites; however, site‐specific patterns of granivory were associated with increased moss cover and decreased shrub cover and stand density. While all black spruce‐dominated sites exhibited seed viability rates > 50%, the number of seeds produced per cone varied, suggesting that within‐site abiotic conditions and biotic interaction pressures limit successful colonization of novel environments in advance of seed dispersal.Main ConclusionsThe modelled relationships between granivory, seed viability and environmental conditions represent an essential step towards generalizing how and when biotic interactions across subarctic treelines influence boreal tree range dynamics before seed dispersal. Connections between granivory magnitude and site‐level treeline characteristics (e.g. stand density, understorey vegetation) will provide a more comprehensive understanding of treeline range dynamics under continued climate change.

Using telepresence robots to support family virtual visits during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted older adults living with dementia in Long-Term Care (LTC). Social isolation and loss of connections with families among residents have been detrimental and severely impacted quality of life. This project aims to enhance LTC homes' capacity to support virtual family visits using a telepresence robot. Is it feasible to implement robotic-assisted virtual care in LTC homes? We applied a Collaborative Action Research (CAR) approach to work with stakeholders (frontline leaders, staff, patient and family partners) to explore the experiences of virtual family visits in four Canadian LTC homes. Guided by the Consolidated Framework of Implementation Research (CFIR), we conducted an online survey, interviews, focus groups, and observations to explore implementation experience. Our analysis identified three themes: (a) Relative advantage: Easy to visit, (b) Capacity for change: Readiness and organizational support, (c) Cultural safety for robot adoption: Champions leading the way during challenging times. Our preliminary results suggest staff, residents, and families appreciated the robot for easy connection. Future research should apply inclusive methods to bring relevant stakeholders together to fully explore user experiences - who is affected in what ways and the benefits, risks, and burdens of emerging technologies.

ADSP Functional Genomics: from gene, to function to mechanisms and targets

AbstractBackgroundGenetic studies have been highly successful in identifying genetic regions associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and we are now at the exciting juncture of applying this knowledge to understanding disease mechanisms. The ability to generate and mine clinical and omicdata is advancing our understanding of neurodegeneration. The Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP) Functional Genomics Consortium (FunGen‐AD; https://adsp‐fgc.niagads.org/) aims to apply cutting‐edge genomics technologies, high‐throughput genetic screening and cutting edge disease modeling to understand the functional consequences of genetic susceptibility and resilience to Alzheimer’s Disease, and to identify genetics‐guided targets for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD).MethodThe investigators of the FunGen‐AD consortium are using multiple approaches, including brain single cell data acquisition, human stem cell modeling and high through put CRISPR‐based screens, to understand how AD variants lead to changes across molecular networks, and understand how specific risk variants affect disease in diverse populations. Multi‐omic data generated in well characterized cohorts are being used to identify systems‐level alterations in and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying genetic variants.ResultThe FunGen‐AD consortium is organizing and facilitating large collaborative projects. Currently we are working on a xQTL project putting together data from multi‐tissue (brain, myeloid cells, CSF and plasma), and multi‐omic layers (transcriptomic in bulk and at single cell level, epigenetic, proteomic, and metabolomic). In order to fully understand the biology of AD we recognize that multiple tissues, and ‐omic layers need to be studied. All the omic data are being processed, harmonized and analyzed using standard pipelines, and mapping on a reference genome and annotation developed by the group. This QTL atlas will be used to perform colocalization and identify the functional genes within AD risk loci, and Mendelian Randomization to identify novel causal genes, proteins and druggable targets. This xQTL project will provide a rich resource of multi‐omics datasets, analysis pipelines, and an xQTL atlas for the research community studying AD/ADRD and other complex neurodegenerative traits.ConclusionsIn summary, the FunGen‐AD consortium is using multidisciplinary and collaborative research approaches to identify genetics‐guided targets for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AD/ADRD.

Evaluating growth dimorphism, maturation, and skip spawning of Atlantic halibut in the Gulf of Maine using a collaborative research approach

The data-limited nature of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) in U.S. waters hampers evaluation of what may be a slow but steady rebuilding pattern. Here, we collaborate with the commercial fishery to design and implement a multi-gear sampling program that collected 100s of biological samples from throughout the Gulf of Maine in a five-year period, 2014–2018. Examination of sectioned otoliths revealed a maximum age of 12 years (females) and 13 years (males); in comparison, Atlantic halibut as old as 40–50 years have been collected elsewhere in the western North Atlantic. Growth modeling confirmed sexual dimorphism, with a larger asymptotic length (L∞) for females (214 cm fork length [FL]) than males (195 cm FL). Estimates of median female length at maturity, L50, of 128 cm FL (124–132 cm, 95% confidence limits), and median female age at maturity, A50, of 9.6 years old (9.0–10.8 years), were longer and older than previous reports for the Gulf of Maine, likely resulting from our use of histological instead of macroscopic methods to classify maturity. Histology demonstrated that vitellogenesis initiated in individuals in spring, nearly a year prior to spawning, which allowed us to identify first-time (primiparous) spawners and provided the first potential evidence of skip spawning for this species. Finally, an index was developed to track the proportion of potentially mature females in the fishery, which showed an increasing trend; this qualitative tool may prove useful in a data-limited environment for evaluating the relative stock status of Atlantic halibut.

YArnhem: Co-designing a model of social and emotional wellbeing stepped care for young people of the north east Arnhem region: A development study protocol.

More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people experience high or very high levels of psychological distress compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. This may be partly attributed to systemic barriers resulting in lower rates of help-seeking, sub-optimal identification of psychological challenges, and undertreatment. Reducing these barriers within health systems is an important factor in reducing the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) health burden on young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In partnership with Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation (Miwatj), this project will co-design an integrated youth Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) and mental health stepped care model for remote Aboriginal communities in the north east Arnhem region of the Northern Territory. A collaborative research approach using co-design methods will underpin a community-centric stepped care allocation method, to which culturally appropriate SEWB and mental health interventions and treatments are assigned. These components of the project will inform a digital platform which will facilitate access to SEWB care for young people in north east Arnhem land. This concept was co-developed in a partnership between researchers and Miwatj and builds on Miwatj's previous work to map the stepped needs of young people. The co-design of the content and features of these outputs will be facilitated through community participation and overseen by community, health, and cultural governance structures. This will ensure the solutions developed by the project are culturally responsive, fit for purpose, and will enhance self-determination while reducing systemic barriers to care.

Building capacity for integrated knowledge translation: a description of what we can learn from trainees’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

The use of collaborative health research approaches, such as integrated knowledge translation (IKT), was challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic due to physical distancing measures and transition to virtual platforms. As IKT trainees (i.e. graduate students, postdoctoral scholars) within the Integrated Knowledge Translation Research Network (IKTRN), we experienced several changes and adaptations to our daily routine, work and research environments due to the rapid transition to virtual platforms. While there was an increased capacity to communicate at local, national and international levels, gaps in equitable access to training and partnership opportunities at universities and organizations have emerged. This essay explores the experiences and reflections of 16 IKTRN trainees during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic at the micro (individual), meso (organizational) and macro (system) levels. The micro level, or individual experiences, focuses on topics of self-care (taking care of oneself for physical and mental well-being), maintaining research activities and productivity, and leisure (social engagement and taking time for oneself), while conducting IKT research during the pandemic. At the meso level, the role of programmes and organizations explores whether and how institutions were able to adapt and continue research and/or partnerships during the pandemic. At the macro level, we discuss implications for policies to support IKT trainees and research, during and beyond emergency situations. Themes were identified that intersected across all levels, which included (i) equitable access to training and partnerships; (ii) capacity for reflexivity; (iii) embracing changing opportunities; and (iv) strengthening collaborative relationships. These intersecting themes represent ways of encouraging sustainable and equitable improvements towards establishing and maintaining collaborative health research approaches. This essay is a summary of our collective experiences and aims to provide suggestions on how organizations and universities can support future trainees conducting collaborative research. Thus, we hope to inform more equitable and sustainable collaborative health research approaches and training in the post-pandemic era.

The Love to Read Programme

The Love to Read Programme
 Oxley, E; Ricketts, J; Shapiro, L & McGeown, S.
 
 Collaborative research practices, which involve children, young people, teachers and/or stakeholders partnering in research, draws upon the distinct, yet complementary knowledge, expertise and experience of each. Collaborative research approaches have potential to narrow the gap between educational research and practice (NFER, 2017) and position the needs and experiences of stakeholders at the centre of the research (Calderón López & Theriault, 2017).
 
 This poster describes the Love to Read project, which aims to increase children’s reading motivation and engagement by synthesising relevant theory and research, with children’s ideas and experiences, and teachers' pedagogical expertise. In Phase 1, (Phase 1 preregistration: https://osf.io/5ztjk), 59 demographically diverse children from across the UK, with different reading attitudes and experiences, participated in online or in-person interviews. An inductive data-driven approach to thematic analysis was used (Braun & Clarke, 2006) to understand the diversity of children’s book reading experiences and children’s ideas for practices to promote reading motivation and engagement. In Phase 2, children’s insights were shared with teachers, as the research team and teachers collaborated to co-design a professional development programme aimed at increasing reading motivation and engagement in children (Phase 2 preregistration:https://osf.io/xsjhc). The final part of Phase 2 aims to evaluate the co-design process, from participating teachers’ and researchers’ perspectives.
 While pre-registration has recently gained momentum in qualitative research, especially experimental studies, open science practices are used considerably less in qualitative research. The Love to Read project has pre-registered all qualitative methods for Phases 1 and 2, including interview schedules and data analysis protocols. Traditionally, preregistration is a tool used to distinguish exploratory and confirmatory research. Qualitative research, however, is exploratory by nature. For example, using data-driven thematic analysis meant hypotheses could not be drawn in advance, as this could have created bias in our analysis. Furthermore, interview schedules can change or adapt depending on the responses from the interviewee. Therefore, strict compliance to methods such as those which would take place for quantitative data collection are not wholly possible. Nonetheless, using pre-registration should still be encouraged for qualitative researchers to add credibility and transparency of their research.
 This project uses co-design, with children, teachers and other professionals, creating a unique opportunity to develop a professional learning programme which is likely to be engaging and relevant to children, and acceptable and feasible to teachers, maximising the likelihood of uptake, and successful and sustained implementation. The project completion will result in free and openly available continued professional development materials for teachers.

Sustaining Pre-Service Teachers’ Virtual Engagement in a Health Education Course through Interactive Buzz Sessions

Distance learning manifested an increasing growth in the field of higher education. Although it may not be exactly comparable to a residential face-to-face encounter, considering the engagement of the students in learning within a virtual context is still significant. Thus, this action research was conducted to sustain the level of virtual engagement among undergraduate teacher education students specializing in Physical Education when interactive buzz breaks are introduced in their online synchronous sessions. This study utilized a mixed-method collaborative action research approach. The participants included 48 second-year Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd) students enrolled in the course, “Drug Education, Consumer Health, and Nutrition”, from a teacher education institution (TEI) in Central Luzon, Philippines during the second semester of the academic year 2021-2022. Multiple sources of data were collected and analyzed which included teacher’s observation notes, Student Engagement Survey Questionnaire, and reflective journals. Five (5) interactive buzz break activities were implemented using the “Wordwall” as an intervention within twelve synchronous sessions. The survey questionnaire was administered before (pre-assessment) and after (post-assessment) the intervention to describe the students’ level of virtual engagement. Results of the quantitative phase revealed that there is a high level of students’ behavioral, cognitive, and emotional virtual engagement before and after the strategy. The qualitative phase further promoted these results to reveal the remarkable experiences encountered by students during the intervention implementation that contributed to sustaining their virtual engagement. The derived results and findings posit that administering various interactive buzz break activities with the utilization of various educational platforms synchronously and asynchronously may sustain and further improve students’ virtual engagement.

Community listening sessions: an approach for facilitating collective reflection on environmental learning and behavior in everyday life

ABSTRACT Collaborative research approaches can promote social learning by curating a structure that facilitates inclusive dialogue and reflection. Within an epistemological frame that upholds notions of emergence rather than extraction, such modes can foster collective reflection in ways that contribute to reversing traditional notions of expertise. In this paper, we describe ‘Community Listening Sessions’, an approach drawing on focus group, learning circle, and participatory research literature. We developed Community Listening Sessions to study the interactional contexts of environmental learning – an inherently social, collective process. In our initial application, through 14 listening sessions hosted across the San Francisco Bay Area (California, USA), we engaged more than 100 community members in discussing how they learn about and take action related to the environment in their daily lives. We make recommendations for future use of Community Listening Sessions for collecting qualitative data in a participatory, equitable way in what can be challenging, high-social-cost discussions, yet those that are critical for addressing issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, socio-environmental justice, and others that are essential to the future of our species and planet.

Engaging with patients in research on knowledge translation/implementation science methods: a self study

BackgroundIn 2017, the British Columbia (Canada) SUPPORT (SUpport for People and Patient-Oriented Research) Unit created six methods clusters to advance methodologies in patient and public oriented research (POR). The knowledge translation (KT)/implementation science methods cluster identified that although there was guidance about how to involve patients and public members in POR research generally, little was known about how best to involve patients and public members on teams specifically exploring POR KT/implementation science methodologies. The purpose of this self-study was to explore what it means to engage patients and the public in studies of POR methods through the reflections of members of five KT/implementation science teams.MethodsInformed by a collaborative action research approach, this quality improvement self-study focused on reflection within four KT/implementation science research teams in 2020–2021. The self-study included two rounds of individual interviews with 18 members across four teams. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach followed by a structured discussion of preliminary findings with the research teams. Subsequently, through two small group discussion sessions, the patients/public members from the teams refined the findings.ResultsUndertaking research on POR KT/implementation science methodologies typically requires teams to work with the uncertainty of exploratory and processual research approaches, make good matches between patients/public members and the team, work intentionally yet flexibly, and be attuned to the external context and its influences on the team. POR methodological research teams need to consider that patients/public members bring their life experiences and world views to the research project. They become researchers in their own right. Individual and team reflection allows teams to become aware of team needs, acknowledge team members’ vulnerabilities, gain greater sensitivity, and enhance communication.ConclusionsThe iterative self-study process provided research team members with opportunities for reflection and new understanding. Working with patients/public team members as co-researchers opens up new ways of understanding important aspects of research methodologies, which may influence future KT/implementation science research approaches.

Designing an online intervention for adults with addictive eating: a qualitative integrated knowledge translation approach

IntroductionCodesign is a meaningful end-user engagement in research design. The integrated knowledge translation (IKT) framework involves adopting a collaborative research approach to produce and apply knowledge to address real-world needs,...

Making it up: Adaptive approaches to bringing freelance cultural work to a cultural ecologies discourse

In this article, a transdisciplinary cultural labour perspective is used to examine the evolving and spontaneous networks and grassroots collective movements of performing arts freelancers in two contexts: Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Athens (Greece) in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. With a principally methodological contribution, the article proposes that evolving cultural ecologies research should mirror the ecologies it studies by adopting more collaborative and improvisational research approaches, drawing on inclusive research methods from disability studies and decolonising approaches within anthropology to reveal deeper knowledge and offer mutual benefit. Furthermore, it proposes that artists, overlooked in cultural ecologies research to date, bring knowledge from their practice beyond lived experience of value to such inquiry. The researchers collaborated with practitioner experts, revealing insights to freelancers’ milieu; their alternate systems for inclusion, representation and radical mutual care; and their increasing vulnerability in the face of ongoing exclusion from cultural recovery strategies and wider political and policy apathy to their concerns. This raises important moral and ethical questions for how cultural ecologies research and researchers engage with practitioner knowledge and the purpose of research in rendering such groups as creative freelancers visible within research and in the implicit and explicit urban and regional recovery planning in different locales. In addition, it proposes the inter- or transdisciplinary nature of cultural ecologies research may be better served by keeping its boundaries fluid, not just in the potential strength of blending research disciplines but also in its boundaries between the formal academy and practice.

Work-Life Management Challenges for Graduate Students of Color at an HBCU During a Pandemic

This article expands the student work-life discussion to include nontraditional graduate students of color. The Afrocentric theory is used as a conceptual framework. A collaborative inquiry approach was used to capture the reflections and experiences of three urban graduate students of color matriculating at a historically Black university during a pandemic. Six themes emerged: COVID-19, ties that bind, financial responsibility, linked fate, mental and physical well-being, and student work-life management. The article concludes with implications for education, research, and policy.

A research trajectory for difficult times: decentring language and intercultural communication

ABSTRACT This study investigates how critical intercultural pedagogy, creative arts methods, inspired by new materialism, can support new forms of language and intercultural learning in contexts of conflict. Columbian university scholarship recipients in pre-service English language education from disadvantaged backgrounds, co-research alongside the researcher/educator to develop drama games for language and intercultural learning directed at teachers and learners in the students' home communities. The transformative, collaborative research approach, drawing on critical pedagogy and ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’, aims to decentre language and intercultural communication education, and promote a social activist stance among students in the face of local and global uncertainties.

“It's complicated and nuanced”: Teaching genre awareness in English for general academic purposes

This article shares a year-long qualitative study of six writing instructors' experiences with genre-based pedagogy (GBP). Through a collaborative research approach, the study examines these teachers' perspectives on their challenges and successes with GBP in an English for general academic purposes writing classroom. Findings highlight challenges related to course aims, content, and structure, as well as successes related to the ability to use their content knowledge of genre to troubleshoot and further develop their use of GBP in the classroom. The findings suggest that teacher pedagogical content knowledge of genre develops in interaction with teachers’ practice and should be supported by robust and on-going teacher training and support. The paper concludes by offering examples of how teacher support might address the challenges unique to genre-based pedagogy.

Care and Social Sustainability in Early Childhood Education: Transnational Perspectives

This article explores how the notion of care is conceptualised and described in early childhood education policies across countries in the majority (Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia) and minority (New Zealand and Sweden) world. A central focus is the relationship and balance between care and education. The authors examined whether there are trends and tendencies to strengthen or weaken the care/education component at the expense of the other. Grounded in local and national knowledge, the authors employed a cross-national collaborative inquiry approach and interrogated the notion of care while extrapolating its implications for the endeavour to design socially sustainable early childhood education. The results revealed that care has remained ingrained within policies in the minority world, while there is a tendency to view it as separate from education in the majority world. Although quantitative goals for early childhood education and care still dominate the majority world, the importance of care and sustainable development are present in all policy documents across the five nations. The authors concluded that strengthening these promising policy endeavours paves the way towards effective educare approaches, which lay the foundation for social sustainability in early childhood education.

Doing Duoethnography: Addressing Essential Methodological Questions

Duoethnography is a collaborative research methodology that invites researchers to serve as sites of inquiry. Through juxtaposition, the voices of each researcher are made explicit, working in tandem to untangle and disrupt meanings about a particular social phenomenon. We gravitate to duoethnography for its evocative power and the opportunity this methodology provides to engage in meaningful self-study in the presence of another. Yet, we grapple with methodological issues related to the unseen and unspoken enactments of the methodology. This article makes transparent the process of engaging in duoethnography by modeling its polyvocal dialogic nature while simultaneously addressing five essential questions about this collaborative research methodology. In this article, we retrace our collective journey engaging in duoethnography over the past 10 years, reflecting upon how our understanding and engagement with the methodology has shifted and expanded with each new inquiry. We make visible what is often invisible in the process of doing duoethnography, explicitly discussing our process for beginning and concluding a duoethnography, addressing what constitutes duoethnographic data, and the importance of cultivating a trustworthy and safe dialogical space. This article contributes to the existing methodological literature on duoethnography and further substantiates and generates transparency and teachability of this collaborative research approach.

Project-Based Inquiry in STEM Teaching for Preschool Children

This study explored the research question: How can project-based inquiry (PBI) in STEM teaching be designed, planned, and implemented in two preschool settings? A case study was conducted, using a collaborative action research approach. This research was conducted with 11 teachers and 300 children from 11 classes at two preschools in Taiwan. The data sources included research logs, observations, interviews, and documents. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively (e.g., iterative coding). The results indicate that PBI in STEM teaching can be integrated successfully into preschool curricula. Children can engage enthusiastically in STEM activities in a well-planned learning environment. We provide some suggestions for readers who have an interest in STEM teaching or research at the preschool level.

Collaborative hand surgery clinical research without sharing individual patient data; proof of principle study

High-quality research in hand surgery is increasingly important. A vital component is national and international multicenter collaborative research because of better generalizability and larger sample sizes. However, sharing patient data between centers can be hampered by regulations and privacy issues or reluctance to share patient data. Therefore, in this paper, we illustrate an approach for collaborative clinical research without sharing patient data while obtaining similar outcomes. To illustrate that this collaborative clinical research approach without sharing patient data leads to similar outcomes compared to aggregating all individual patient data in one database, we simulate an approach of performing meta-analyses on summary statistics of individual-center data. In the simulation, we compare the results to conventional analyses in an existing multicenter database of patients treated for Dupuytren's disease at three different centers with either limited fasciectomy (LF) or needle aponeurotomy (PNF). We share example data and all analysis code in a public GitHub Library. We found similar results for the meta-analysis approach without sharing individual patient data as in the conventional approach for 1) the proportion of patients treated for recurrences, 2) the Total MHQ score after both treatments, 3) the comparison of Total MHQ score after both treatments, and 4) the comparison of both treatments when correcting for confounders with regression analysis. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: We illustrate how collaborative studies can be performed without sharing individual patient data while obtaining similar results as with conventional analyses. This approach can help speed up collaborative research without losing precision in outcome analysis.