Community Based Research: Getting Started

Community based research means involving a community in all stages of a research process - this kind of research can give people the power to transform their lives.

On this course you will learn the basics of community based research by examining the citizen science methodology used by the RELIEF Centre in Lebanon. You will learn to construct your own research questions to find out community needs and how to meet them. You will develop research skills to carry out local research projects sensitively and ethically, using examples from Lebanon to support you as an aspiring researcher.

This course is for community members who want to find new solutions for community problems. It’s also suitable for community researchers recruited by NGOs, teachers who want to investigate relationships between school and the community, academic researchers in Lebanon and elsewhere, students wanting to carry out community research, leaders of community research, trainers of researchers in NGOs or on academic projects, and even entrepreneurs who wish to investigate the community demand for their products or find out what the community needs.

• The what, why and how of community based research
• Welcome
• What is community based research?
• Why would community based research help a community?
• How do we make it work?
• Summary and discussion
• Skills for community based research
• From research question to data collection
• Developing interview skills
• Developing observation skills
• Summary
• Planning your community based research project
• Developing your research project
• Submitting your research proposal for peer review
• Introduction to qualitative data analysis
• Networking and public engagement
• Final thoughts