Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR 2) - Resources

This page hosts resources for individuals and groups participating in the CPAR 2 programme, which provides community groups in the South East of England with training and mentoring support in order to plan, carry out and use research for the benefit of their community. CPAR 2 is funded by NHS England, and is being delivered by the University of Reading and Scottish Community Development Centre.

The focus of CPAR 2 is on the impact of the cost of living on communities, in order to inform local health and care services.

12 different community organisations are being supported through CPAR 2, with 2 or 3 people participating in each project as community researchers. CPAR 2 builds on CPAR 1, which took place in 2021-22 and supported community researchers in Sussex, Surrey, Reading and Oxford to produce research into inequalities facing minority ethnic communities in accessing

Resources

The resources structured according to the University of Reading’s 8-stage process for community participatory action research. More resources will be added for each stage as the training programme continues.

Stage 1 - Introductory session

• Slides presented by the University of Reading covering what CPAR 2 is, who is involved in it and how the programme will be delivered. Download slides (Powerpoint)

• The CPAR jourey - slides introducing you to how the CPAR support works in more detail. Download slides (Powerpoint)

• Slides presented by Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) on SCDC’s wider support for community-led research. Download slides (Powerpoint)

Stage 2 - Agreement, roles and expectations

• Slides from CPAR 2 face-to-face training in Brighton and Oxford in July 2023, covering what community participatory action research is, why it is valuable, challenges and impact and practical tips. Download slides (Powerpoint)

• University of Reading’s Participatory Action Research Wheel and 8-stage PAR process graphic. Download document (Pdf)

• University of Reading’s Participatory Action Research Toolkit. Download document (Pdf)

• CPAR 2 promotional information, including logos, to help participating organisations share news about their involvement in the programme. Could be used on social media and newsletters for instance. Download (Word document)

Stage 3 - Planning and research questions

• Slides from CPAR 2 stage 3 training - Research questions. Download (PowerPoint presentation)

• CPAR template for planning your research. Download (Word document)

• CPAR guide to coming up with a good research question. Download (Word document)

  Ethics

• CPAR guide to ethics. Download (Word document)

• The CPAR guide to wellbeing Download resource (Word document)

• The CPAR guide to lone-working if you are planning on any one-to-one meetings or interviews in the community. Download resource (Word document)

• If you’re plannning on using digital or online methods, see the CPAR guide to online ethics and safety. Download resource (Word document)

  More resources

• Knowledge is Power toolkit, planning your research page. Visit resource (external website)

• Knowledge is Power toolkit, ethics guidance. Visit resource (external website)

Stage 4 - Research methods and data collection

• Slides from CPAR 2 stage 4 training - Research Methods and Data Collection. Download (PowerPoint presentation)

  Guides to different research methods

• For guides to all kinds of research methods you can use, from surveys and interviews to more creative and digital methods, please see the Knowledge is Power toolkit methods section. Visit resource (external website) (Knowledge is Power was a project supporting community research in Scotland which Scottish Community Development Centre delivered in partnership with the Poverty Alliance).

  Staying safe

• Please read the CPAR guide to lone-working if you are planning on any one-to-one meetings or interviews in the community. Download resource (Word document)

• The CPAR guide to wellbeing has more on self-care and staying safe as well as some ways to keep others from being harmed. Download resource (Word document)

• If you’re plannning on using digital or online methods, see the CPAR guide to online ethics and safety. Download resource (Word document)

  Informed consent

• The CPAR guide to ethics is a good start for explaining what informed consent is and what you need to do to ensure anonymity and confidentiality. Download resource (Word document)

• Research information template for face-to-face in-depth interviews. Download resource (Word document)

  Note - the above resource could also be adapted for focus groups

• Research information template for surveys. Download resource (Word document)

• Consent form template for face-to-face in-depth interviews. Download resource (Word document)

• Consent form template for focus groups. Download resource (Word document)

  More resources

• Knowledge is Power toolkit methods section. Visit resource (external website)

Stage 5 - Data analysis

• Slides from analysis training, including analysing qualitative data such as interviews and focus groups and quantitative data such as surveys. Download slides (Powerpoint presentation)

  
  
  
  

  Qualitative analysis

• CPAR guide to analysing interview data (useful for focus groups too). Download resource (Word document)

• Template for a simple table to begin identifying themes and gathering examples. Download resource (Word document)

  
  
  
  

  Quantitative analysis

• CPAR tips for survey analysis. Download resource (Word document)

• Step by step video on how to set up an Excel spreadsheet to enter your survey responses (see accompanying video above)

• Step by step video on how to generate pivot tables and charts using Excel (see accompanying video above)

  
  
  
  

• More resources

• Action Research by, in and for Communities (ARC) (external website with download available)

  The above resource was developed by Scottish Community Development Centre, and has a section on making sense of your findings

Stage 8 - Action

• For now, feel free to visit the Action section of Knowledge is Power, which is a Scottish programme of support for community-led action research delivered by Scottish Community Development Centre in partnership with the Poverty Alliance. Visit resource (external website)

  The Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) will be working with community researchers on CPAR to join the dots between conversations with stakeholders (such as NHS Workforce Training and Education Southeast representatives, health stakeholders and other delivery partners) so that your community-led research can inform and influence health and other services in the Southeast. Click here to download an introduction to how IVAR will support you (pdf)