Talk:Community Based Research

Selected article for our discussion:

• Reardon, K. (2000). An experiential approach to creating an effective community-university partnership: The East St. Louis action research project. Cityscape, 5(1), 59-74.

Some pointers for discussion:

Since 1987, the East St. Louis Action Research Project (ESLARP) has connected university to community to develop collaborative solutions to economic and social problems in one of America’s most marginalized communities. In this article, Kenneth Reardon explains the four different formats that the partnership has assumed over the course of 10 years in seeking to improve living conditions in East St. Louis. Journal Club discussion will focus on the different structures taken by the university-community partnership, their relationship to Kolb’s experiential learning theories, and the role of academia in community development outside of the university.

1. How did the triggering event for the ESLARP impact the approach taken by the university community to forming the partnership?
2. What trends are apparent in the progression through the four distinct phases that the (ESLARP) went through? Do the current university-community partnerships you are aware of at UBC reflect any of these trends?
3. How did Kolb’s “experiential learning process” inform the ESLARP? Had Kolb’s process not been applied, would the project have brought about a different outcome?
4. What are some measures of a healthy community-university partnership? Has the article confirmed or challenged any of your previous ideas of what constitutes good community-university relationships?