Striving towards inclusive research an example of Participatory Action Research with older lesbians

1
Striving towards inclusive research an example
of Participatory Action Research with older
lesbians and gay men

• Lee-Ann Fenge - Bournemouth University

2
Background

• The NSF for Older People (2001)
• A New Ambition for Old Age (2006) ongoing need to
  respect dignity and human rights
• Opportunity Age (2005) need to shed outdated
  stereotypes
• A Sure Start to Later Life (2005) discrimination
  on the basis of sexuality

3
Multiple levels of discrimination

• Ageism
• Sexism
• Heterosexism
• Homophobia
• This leads to invisibility both outside and
  within the gay community

4
National Developments

• Until recent years the needs of older lesbians
  and gay men have been largely unexplored in
  Britain
• Opening Doors Conference 2002
• One in every fifteen users of Age Concern
  services is gay

5
Langley (1997)

• Small scale study in Brighton
• Unifying theme was the oppression experienced and
  feared by the respondents at a personal, cultural
  and structural level
• Need to be with and supported by other gay people
• Concern at heterosexist provision

6
Heaphy, Yip and Thompson (2003)

• Large scale research on over 50s with 300
  respondents
• Lack of planning for old age
• Lack of opportunity to meet other older gay
  people
• Fear of being out to service providers
• Concerns over financial security

7
Bournemouth University and Help and Care Project

• To identify older lesbian women and gay mens
  aspirations, expectations and concerns related to
  old age.
• To identify factors and issues that contribute to
  their exclusion from the wider community of older
  people, the gay community and support and service
  provision
• To identify how these issues could be addressed
  and promote greater social inclusion
• To increase knowledge and understanding of the
  diversity within these groups
• 3 year funded project supported by the Big
  Lottery Fund

8
Participatory Action Research

• A ground-up approach
• Places emphasis on critical insights of community
  collaborators (Cahill, 2007327)
• An inclusive model for knowledge and theory
  development (Beresford, 2000)

9
Participatory Action Research

• PAR requires that research participants must be
  active from the start of the process (Alvarez and
  Guitierrez, 2001)
• There is a cycle of research where participants
  are engaged in a continuing dialectic as the
  group strive to make meaning and collectively
  create knowledge (Koch et al, 2002)

10
Researcher role

• The researcher is a co-learner in this process
  (Minkler et al, 2002)
• But it is important for the researcher to
  acknowledge their power within this process and
  the question of ownership and control is central
  (Whitmore, 1994)

11
Research issues

• Tension within PAR of outsider perspectives
• Issues of power and ownership political
  disempowerment (Lennie, 2005) where some members
  take control of particular aspects of the project
  which can lead to untold truths from those
  silenced in participatory approaches (Lundy and
  McGovern, 2006)
• Continuing belief in some academic circles that
  lay involvement in research will lead to poor or
  biased research (Entwistle et al, 1998, Minkler
  and Wallerstein,2003)

12
Gay and Grey in Dorset

• Research Group core group of 15 volunteers
  -wider group of interested individuals
• All older lesbians or gay men between
• Aged between 55 and 87
• Recruited from across Dorset (rural and urban)
• Monthly meetings social element. Small group
  tasks according to interest

13
Outcomes

• Developed a questionnaire completed by 91
  respondents
• In depth interviews with 30 respondents
• Networking mainstream organisations and gay
  community
• Information directory and Newsletter/Promotional
  activity and conference
• Social groups (rural areas)

14
Issues

• Isolation
• Invisibility
• Integration
• Fear

15
Promoting research with community groups

• Institutional barriers to this type of research
  have been identified by Savan(2004380) and
  Suarez-Balcazar et al (200596) which include
• Extra resources in HE to develop and maintain
  such partnerships
• Emphasis on theoretical work and publications can
  undermine interest in applied research with
  policy outcomes
• Lack of funding for such research
• Time commitment
• Conflict of interests

16
References

• Alvarez,A.R. Guitierrez,L. 2001 Choosing to do
  Participatory Research An example and issues of
  fit to consider, Journal of Community Practice,9
• Beresford,P. 2000 Users knowledge and social
  work theory, British Journal of Social Work, 30,
  489-503
• Cahill, C. 2007 Including excluded perspectives
  in participatory action research, Design Studies,
  28,325-340
• Department of Health 2001 National Service
  Framework for Older People, London HMSO
• Department of Health 2006 A New Ambition for Old
  Age next steps in implementing the National
  Service Framework, London HMSO
• Department of Work and Pensions 2005 Opportunity
  Age Opportunity and Security Throughout Life,
  LondonHMSO
• Entwistle, V.A., Renfrew, M.J., Yearly,S.,
  Forrester, J., Lamont,T. 1998 Lay perspectives
  advantages for health research, British Medical
  Journal, 16,463-466
• Heaphy, B., Yip,A., Thomson,D. 2003 Lesbian,
  Gay and Bisexual Lives over 50. Nottingham Trent
  University. York House Publications
• Koch,T., Selim, P., Kralik, D. 2002 Enhancing
  lives through the development of a
  communitu-based participatory action research
  programme, Journal of Clinical Nursing,
  11,109-117
• Langley, J., 1997 Meeting the needs of older
  lesbians and gay men, University of Brighton,
  Health and Policy Research Centre

17

• Lennie, J. 2005 An Evaluation Capacity-Building
  Process for Sustainable Community IT Initiatives,
  Evaluation, 11(4) 390-414
• Lundy, P. McGovern, M. 2006 Participation,
  Truth and Partiality Participatory Action
  Research, Community-based Truth-telling and
  Post-conflict Transition in Northern Ireland,
  Sociology,40 (1) 71-88
• Minkler, M., Fadem,P. Perry,M., Blum, K., Moore,
  L. Rogers, T. 2002 Ethical Dilemmas in
  Participatory Action Research A Case Study,
  Health Education and Behaviour, 29,1,14-29
• Minkler,M. Wallerstein, N. 2003 Introduction to
  community based participatory research. In M.
  Minkler n. Wallerstein (eds) Community-based
  participatory research for health, Jossey-Bass,
  San Franscisco, 3-26
• Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2006 A Sure
  Start to Later Life Ending Inequalities for
  Older People A Social Exclusion Unit Final
  Report, London HMSO
• Savan,B. 2004 Community-University partnerships
  linking research and action for sustainable
  community development, Community Development
  Journal, 39(4), 372-384
• Suarez-Balcazar,Y., Harper,G.W., Lewis,. 2005
  An Interactive and Contextual Model of
  Community-University Collaborations for Research
  and Action, Health Education and
  Behaviour,32,1,84-101
• Whitmore,E. 1994 To Tell the Truth Working with
  Oppressed Groups in Participatory Approaches to
  Inquiry. In. P. Reason (ed) Participation in
  Human Inquiry, London Sage