Perspectives Of Participation Research Articles

Reflections on doing participatory research in health: participation, method and power

The author has reflected on her experience in facilitating three participatory research (PR) projects to identify key issues surrounding participation, method and power. The three PR projects in health, all undertaken in the same region in southeast Australia, assessed the needs of women who have experienced breast cancer, evaluated an Indigenous healthy lifestyle programme and developed and documented a model of coordinated care by a consumer group. In particular, the three participatory projects suggested that participants do not always want to maximise their own participation and may prefer external researcher involvement – relationships, confidentiality, anonymity and time‐impacted perspectives of participation. In one study, quantitative methods were selected and time and previous knowledge of research shaped participants' selection of method. In the projects, power relations were complex and issues of negotiation, inclusion, quality of research, agendas, roles and integrity are discussed. The lessons learned here are that participatory researchers can be open to differing levels of participation and methods while also comfortable with sharing decision‐making in research, even if it alters the research outcome.

Children's perspectives of participation in music youth arts settings: Meaning, value and participation

This paper presents an analysis of music specific data generated in a national collective case study of Australian children's perceptions of the meaning and value of the arts in their lives and their descriptions of the nature and extent of their participation. Specifically, the paper reports on children's (aged 6-17 years) perceptions of this phenomenon in relation to their participation in four music youth arts sites. i Data were generated through individual artefact-elicited interviews with 25 participants across these sites. A thematic analysis of these data was undertaken and five key factors emerged concerning children's perceptions of participation in music youth arts settings. Children attribute participation in these settings to: a love of performance; a shared unity of purpose; a desire for challenge and `professionalism'; the quality of relationships developed and sustained in these settings; and, the opportunities for individual growth and well-being that arise in these settings. Consideration is given to the implications that these five factors hold for music education in school settings.

Culturally appropriate surrogates for vulnerable patients perspectives of participation in randomized clinical trials

869 Background: Low health literacy may preclude adequate consent for clinical trial participation in vulnerable populations. Understanding the patient perspective is essential to understand low participation rates, and the conditions under which researchers have a duty to exclude particular patients. A qualitative study was conducted to explore willingness and comprehension of randomized clinical trial participation in African American and immigrant communities. Methods: Twelve focus groups of 7–11 individuals (N=111) were recruited from African American churches (6 groups), and professional association for Medical Interpreters (MIs) (6 groups, including Asian, African, Russian/Ukranian, and Spanish languages) to serve as proxy voices for patients. Focus groups involved a 2-hour audio-taped discussion co-facilitated by two moderators, wherein a detailed breast cancer randomized clinical trial was discussed. Results: Several themes describe vulnerable patients' willingness to participate in research studies, and understanding of randomized clinical trial participation. African American church-going women were enthusiastic about breast cancer research, but were reluctant to be personally randomized, and expressed mistrust for research. MIs noted that some immigrant patients struggled to understand the indications for screening and treatment . As such MIs expressed strong concern that it is inappropriate to further burden such patients with education regarding the option to participate in clinical trials. Conclusions: Interest and enthusiasm for clinical trials is strong in a selected population of African American women, yet some immigrants may not understand the cultural context of a clinical trial, meriting possible exemption from consideration for participation. Medical clinics and researchers providing breast cancer screening and treatment options to women can benefit greatly by enhanced cultural awareness and sensitivity to the cultural context of vulnerable populations. Author Disclosure Employment or Leadership Consultant or Advisory Stock Ownership Honoraria Research Funding Expert Testimony Other Remuneration Avon Foundation

Still Left out in the Cold: Problematising Participatory Research and Development

Participatory approaches to research and development have had relatively little academic or practitioner critique, resulting in a mythologising of the power of participatory methodologies to accomplish problem solving, emancipation or empowerment. Participation is also presented as evidence of social inclusion and is fostered as a strategy to counteract social exclusion. The purpose of this article therefore is to challenge and critique a range of definitions and perspectives of participation in terms of theory and practice. The paper focuses on two issues arising from the participatory literature and our own research experiences with communication technology projects based in rural and remote Queensland, Australia. We propose that non‐participation and peripheral participation are valid and legitimate choices exercised by community members that can be seen to be as individually empowering as participation. We also support the view of participation as both the means and the ends of development, a position that reflects the reality of participatory practice as fluid and variable over time. The paper concludes that both theoreticians and practitioners need to recognise and challenge the assumptions that underpin many participatory development projects.

The Legal Perspectives of Local Community Participation in Wildlife Management in Cameroon

"Law and Politics in Africa, Asia and Latin America" analyses legal and constitutional developments in all states or regions outside of Europe as well as their regional and international integration. Founded in 1968 and inspired by decolonization and the idea of a cooperative new beginning, the Journal also promotes a special interest in contributions on 'Law and development'. The journal aims to provide a forum for a variety of perspectives on these fields of interest, be they focused on one country or comparative, theoretical or methodological in nature.

Employees' Attitudes towards Employee Ownership and Financial Participation in Croatia: Experiences and Cases

This paper analyzes specific situation in Croatia regarding role, development, and perspectives of employee participation in ownership and financial results. The model of enterprise privatization in Croatia resulted with a large involvement of employees in the enterprises' ownership. As the first phase of privatization in Croatia is approaching to its end, new, genuine mechanisms of development of the employee financial participation are beginning to emerge. Among them, ESOP plans and management and employee buyouts (MEBO) seem to be most appealing. Such practices can be found primarily in enterprises where a functional symbiosis between management and employees has been preserved or developed, where assets of the enterprise have also been preserved, and an organizational culture based on identification with enterprise and confidence with management has been developed. It seems that such a mutual reliance between employees and management can be very successful in assuring good operation and financial results of (especially large) enterprises during and after the process of transition.

Random allocation or allocation at random? Patients' perspectives of participation in a randomised controlled trial

Objectives To explore trial participants' understandings of randomisation.Design In this exploratory study, which used qualitative research methods, in-depth, semistructured interviews were carried out with 20 participants from the CLasP randomised...

Participation

Workers' participation can contribute to industrial democracy in Germany -this was one of the conceptual cornerstones of the state-financed German humanization program in its early phase (1976-1980). Experiences from that period are discussed in the light of the concept of reflective modernization and under current conditions of mass unemployment and economic crisis: What are the perspectives of participation in this socio-economic context? What might social science research contribute?

Changing Perspectives of Worker Participation in India with Particular Reference to the Banking Industry

L'A. affirme que la participation des salaries a la gestion des entreprises ou des organisations constitue une preoccupation importante. Il s'interesse plus particulierement aux pratiques conduites en Inde dans ce domaine. Il montre que des 1947 un certain nombre de mesures ont ete mises en place pour encourager ce type de pratique au travers de la constitution de comites de travail au sein de l'entreprise. Il examine plus particulierement les experiences conduites, en ce sens, dans les banques nationalisees

Alternative perspectives of user participation

A number of theories have been advanced in the information systems literature to rationalize the merits of user participation as a strategy for successful introduction of information systems in organizations. Importantly, while these theories contain some common elements, they also comprise significant differences. Understanding these commonalities and differences can facilitate effective implementation of user participation and thereby can make a difference in the ultimate failure or success of a system. This paper analyzes the major user participation theories; derives, as well as integrates, their implications for system users, user managers, and system designers; and infers respective applicability of these theories to specific system introduction contexts.