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Part 1:
The Collaborative Process
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Chapter 1:
Cultivating and Maintaining Effective Action Research Partnerships: The DePaul and Oxford House Collaborative
Margaret I. Davis
Dickinson College
Bradley D. Olson
Leonard A. Jason
Josefina Alvarez
Joseph R. Ferrari
DePaul University
Summary. In this paper, we review the result of research conducted in the context of a 13-year collaborative partnership between DePaul
University and a community-based, self-run, residential substance abuse recovery program called
Oxford House. This collaborative effort highlights several examples of the research and action activities fostering a positive alliance that benefited both the research team and the Oxford House community. It also proposed practical guidelines for developing effective action research collaboratives that may be helpful to others who desire to cultivate and maintain similar mutually beneficial partnerships; including such processes as the development of trust, respecting the personal experiences of the community members and group, commitment to serving the community, validating findings with organization members, and accountability.
[Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <[email protected]> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com> ©
2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.] Keywords. Oxford House, participatory research, action research
Community psychology advocates that in order to better understand and intervene within communities, researchers need to venture out of their traditional universities and interact with individuals in the social framework of their settings (Dalton, Elias, & Wandersman, 2001; Kingry-Westergaard & Kelly, 1990). Researchers need not only seek to become familiar with the complex contexts and processes that comprise community functioning, but also to seek community input, community effort, and community ownership in these endeavors (Jason, 1997). One strategy adopted by community psychologists is to work in partnership with CBOs, within their fabric and structure, shifting from the role of detached observer and expert to collaborator and facilitator (see Rappaport & Seidman, 2000; Sandler, 2001). According to the field of community psychology, many of the most complex and intransigent social and community problems can be transformed by the recognition, appreciation, and utilization of the assets and inner resources that already exist within those social settings (Jason). Working in collaboration provides an opportunity to identify and build upon these resources, and allows for more accurate and sensitive evaluation of the community-based organization and its programs, which in turn may be utilized to improve the delivery and efficacy of services (Gomez & Goldstein, 1996; Ostrom, Lerner, & Freel, 1995).
Despite the great benefits to be gained from cultivating and maintaining collaborative research partnerships, initiating and preserving such efforts create unique challenges that must be addressed in order to sustain a mutually beneficial alliance throughout the research process. The 13-year relationship between DePaul University and Oxford House illustrates the dynamic process of collaborative work highlighting practical issues that may be encountered when collaborating with a CBO, and how the unconventional paradigm of inquiry and action is most appropriate and effective when working with such organizations and groups.
The history of the partnership between the DePaul University research team and Oxford House and the adoption and evolution of this collaborative action-research agenda is detailed elsewhere (see Jason, Davis, Ferrari, & Bishop, 2001; and Suarez-Balcazar, Davis, Ferrari, Nyden, Olson, Alvarez et al., 2004). However, several instances are summarized below that capture the mutually-beneficial nature of the collaborative. Although these examples primarily highlight action endeavors, in research efforts, the DePaul team also collaborated with Oxford House members in all aspects of the development, design, and implementation of projects. Oxford House maintains a meaningful leadership role throughout the research process, and members of the Oxford House community fully supported the efforts of the DePaul group by becoming a part of our research team and serving as data collectors and field researchers (see Jason, Davis, Olson, Ferrari, & Alvarez, in the collection, for a study on the impact of their participation in this process). Additionally, many Oxford House residents have accessed university resources and taken advantage of the services we offer (e.g., consultation regarding house issues, suggestions on grants and other funding sources, etc.).
From initial contact onward, the DePaul research team engaged the Oxford House community as active participants and endeavored to maintain the alliance. The University team not only strived to cultivate collaborative and cooperative relationships with Oxford House, but also became committed to active involvement in the process of creating change. Some examples of endeavors that the research team has undertaken in collaboration with Oxford House include the involvement in the establishment of the first Menâs, first Womenâs, and first Women with Childrenâs Oxford Houses in Illinois, as well as historical and ongoing involvement in activities that support the national growth of Oxford House.
For example, in 1992, Oxford House, Inc. sent a representative to Chicago in order to begin the establishment of Oxford Houses in the area, but funding complications occurred at Illinois Department of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA) that left the representative without necessary housing and financial support. The University team offered to provide the representative with free accommodationsâfirst at the home of one of the members of the research team and then at a DePaul University residence. The staff also provided the representative with office space, a telephone, and other resources to facilitate his efforts. Because of this joint effort, the first Illinois Oxford House home was successfully established in Chicago. The home was located near the University and graciously named the DePaul House.
Additionally, DePaul was involved with the establishment of Oxford Houses for women and women with children in Illinois. In 1994, Jason and Ferrari obtained small grants to support the funding of a female recruiter to establish two womenâs houses in the Chicago area. The DePaul group joined with Oxford House to form a committee to create the job description and conduct interviews with potential candidates for the recruitment position. Once hired, Oxford House arranged for the new recruiter to visit women with childrenâs homes in Missouri, where she stayed in order to learn more about the founding and working of successful homes. The DePaul team provided the recruiter with an office, phone, training, and supervision; offered expertise regarding group and community dynamics; and worked closely with her throughout the process-providing advice and support during stressful times. Through this joint effort, the recruiter succeeded in opening two Chicago-based Womenâs Oxford Houses in 1995, including a Women and Childrenâs House (McSherry, 1995). The following year, as the end of the grant was approaching, the DePaul team also assisted the recruiter in obtaining a position with Illinois DASA to continue her work on behalf of women in recovery.
As evidenced in these examples, the intent has been to foster a positive alliance that will ultimately benefit both the researchers, who are interested in investigating the dynamics and supporting the growth and development of the Oxford House model, and the recovery community, which appreciates the expertise and support that the University team can provide.
Guidelines for Effective Action Research Collaboratives
Based on this research, we develop the action research collaborative (ARC) model to describe critical points that may serve as practical guidelines for those who desire to cultivate and maintain similar collaborative partnerships (see Table 1).
- Cultivate Trust. At the foundation of the collaborative endeavor was the cultivation of trust between members of the University and the community (Fetterman, 1996). Since initial contact with Oxford House, the DePaul team has consistently worked to build mutual trust and dispel misconceptions. The development of this trust was without doubt aided by the inclusion of OH residents and recovering individuals on the research team, who were able to more easily access and establish rapport with Oxford Houses based on their shared understanding of addiction and recovery processes and, in general, facilitated a greater openness to dialogue (McCrady & Miller, 1993).
- Open Lines of Communication. The research team also found it paramount to initiate and maintain open lines of communication among all relevant and interested parties. Ongoing open and honest communication on procedures, general issues, and problems that may arise during the research process insures collaboration and reduces mistrust among parties (Harper & Salina, 2000).
- Look for Opportunities to Promote Social Justice and Change. Consistent with the ideals of community psychology, we maintain that researchers undertaking collaborative enterprises also must look for opportunities to promote social justice and change that best serve the communityâs interest. The DePaul teamâs efforts to date have included utilization of media and dissemination of information to influence agency and government decision-making. Additionally, there have been numerous and innovative means to actively work toward creating change on multiple and broad levels (see Jason, 1991; and in this volume, Braciszewski, Olson, Jason, & Ferrari; and Olson,Viola, Jason, Davis, Ferrari, & Rabin-Belyaev for examples).
- Look to Mobilize and Utilize Existing Resources. Collaborative enterprises can also be enhanced when researchers look to mobilize and utilize existing resources (Nyden, Figert, Shibley, & Burrows, 1997). These resources include those possessed by the university, the community, and other agencies. For example, Jason knew state officials concerned with substance abuse prevention and intervention from previous research projects and drew upon these relationships as the DePaul team worked as advocates for Oxford House in Illinois. Members of the Oxford House community have likewise contributed many valuable resources to the partnership over the years, including their participation, support and insight, suggestions on methodology and measures, and feedback on findings.
- Accommodate Diverse Agendas. Additionally, collaborative partnerships often require the accommodation of diverse agendas. The research teamâs ongoing dialogue with Oxford House and other participating agencies provided the opportunity to learn the varied needs of diverse parties and reconcile agendas through communication and compromise.
- Bring Respect. It is also critical that researchers bring respect to the collaboration process. The research team members need to respect the dignity, opinions, ideology, expertise, and needs of the community and the individuals who comprise it (e.g., see Ponitz, Olson, Jason, Davis, & Ferrari, in this volume). Further, as advocates and researchers working within a contextualist-ecological framework (Kingry-Westergaard & Kelly, 1990), we must respect the processes that occur within the community. Throughout the years of our collaborative partnership, we have created and revised our agenda, studies, methods, and measures based upon a deep appreciation for community membersâ insights and input (Davis, Jason, Ferrari, Olson, & Alvarez, in this volume).
- Operationalize and Validate Results Within Context. Consistently, we have capitalized on valuable opportunities to operationalize and validate results within context, which may be one of the greatest assets of conducting research within the fabric and structure of a community. For, while laboratory-based research may control for certain confounding variables, it is often at the cost of compromising other types of validity that limit the applicability of findings to real-world settings (see Cook & Campbell, 1979; Cronbach, 1975; for discussion of these issues). Conducting collaborative research within environments where social processes actually occur provides unique opportunities to assess and rule out threats to internal validity (thereby increasing confidence in causal inferences), to more accurately define operational constructs and clarify related contingency limitations to generality, and to explicate possible restrictions to external validity (Cook & Campbell; Tebes, 2000). Collaborative research provides a rich context for critically understanding phenomena of interest. Thus, the DePaul team has continuously sought the involvement of and feedback from members of the community to clarify concepts and to validate our results.
- Reflect Critically on Oneâs Roles, Values, and Attitudes. We have found that it is also important to reflect critically on oneâs roles, values, and attitudes. Unlike the traditional research paradigm where researcher-participant roles are clearly defined and it is recommended that personal values be suspended for the sake of objectivity, the boundaries within a collaborative approach become less clear and values are held to be an integral part of the community research endeavor (Shadish, 1990). Throughout our research and action endeavors it has been important for team members to reflect upon their personal and professional values, explore the implications of adopting multiple roles, and openly discuss issues that might impact decisions.
- Appreciate the Dynamics of Role Evolution. Likewise, we have come to appreciate the dynamics of role evolution. Different participants in the collaborative relationship have different skills that will be brought to the research process. Over time, individualâs roles and relationships change. For example, during the course of our projects, research assistants and Oxford House residents have become employees, consultants, graduate students, and Project Directors; and both community and research team members have moved on to become employees of other agencies (e.g., see Jason et al., in this volume). The DePaul-Oxford House relationship has also experienced qualitative changes over the years as both organizations have continued to grow, and our bonds have been strengthened as we have engaged in this long-term mutually-supportive partnership.
- Take a Strengths-Based Approach. Additionally, it is most consistent with our values, the values of community psychology, and the values of the community, to take a strengths-...
