Power

Closely intertwined with concepts of client-centred practice and partnership are ideas about power. Power should not be seen as something the researcher 'has' and is 'giving' to the participants. Participatory research involves acknowledging the equal value of the different types of expertise that participants and researchers bring to the project. 

In saying that, it is essential that the power differences between participants and researchers are acknowledged and addressed as the “scientific knowledge of researchers is typically considered to be a more privileged and prestigious form of knowledge” (Kielhofner et al., 2006, p. 645). In order to work effectively in a participatory approach Corring (2001) states that the researcher must "actively work to redistribute power and create both dialogue and equality in decision making” (p. 21).

“The role of the researcher has traditionally been to determine the research agenda, and to design and implement the study....It is often acknowledged that PAR projects would not be initiated, gain funding, or be implemented without the attention of an ‘outside’ researcher (Letts, 2003), but there are challenges associated with this leadership or facilitation role. In PAR, the researcher acts more like a consultant who brings a particular skill set to integrate with those skills brought to the project by other participants” (Carpenter & Suto, 2008, p. 72).

There must be recognition that all parties are involved in a process of mutual learning and exploration of the issues under consideration. The participants should be given access to the tools and training they require in order to fully participate in the research process and the researchers need to be open to learning about the experiences and local contexts of the participants. 

The following suggestions for power sharing are taken from:

(Taylor, Suarez-Balcazar, Forsyth, & Kielhofner,2006, pp. 624)

• Shared responsibility, voice, and decision-making about all aspects of the investigation
• Respect and acknowledgement of the unique expertise and insights of all those involved
• Willingness to step outside their usual roles and responsibilities
• Identification and remediation of sources of power imbalance such as money and access to technology
• Sharing resources (e.g., paying for staff time to devote to the project, providing participants with stipends)

References:

Carpenter, C., Suto, M. (2008). Qualitative research for occupational and physical therapists: A practical guide. Oxford: Blackwell. 

Corring, D. (2001). Participant action research. In J. V. Cook (Ed.) Qualitative research in occupational therapy: Strategies and experiences (pp. 13-23). Canada: Delmar.

Kielhofner, G., Castle, L., Dubouloz, C., Egan, M., Forsyth, K., Melton, J., Parkinson, S., Robson, M., Summerfield-Mann, L., Taylor, R. R., & Willis, S. (2006). Participatory research for the development and evaluation of occupational therapy: Researcher-practitioner collaboration. In G. Kielhofner (Ed.) Research in occupational therapy: Methods of inquiry for enhancing practice (pp. 643-655). Philadelphia: F A Davis.

Taylor, R. R., Suarez-Balcazar, Y., Forsyth, K., G. Kielhofner. (2006). Participatory research in occupational therapy. In G. Kielhofner (Ed.) Research in occupational therapy: Methods of inquiry for enhancing practice (pp. 620-631). Philadelphia: F A Davis.