| Unit name | Participatory and Transformative Research |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOLM0072 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Mrs. Beth Tarleton |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Over the last 15 years, co-production and co-produced research have been high on the researchers’, practitioners’ and policy makers’ agendas, with calls and pledges from governments across Europe for the public to be more actively involved in having a say in the services they receive and aspects of political and social life which impact them.
‘Co-production' is when community members or members of the public research with practitioners, policymakers, artists, third sector and academic researchers to develop policy and practice together. The central idea in co-production is that people who use services are hidden resources, able to use their expertise by experience to impact meaningful change. This work is also often participatory, directed at involving participants fully and equitably, in both qualitative and quantitative research, focused on social justice and transformation of policy and practice.
Whilst co-production provides a strong critique of existing approaches to reform, it requires an agreed understanding and evidence base in order to make a real impact in policy and in mainstream public services.
The aim of this unit is to understand: 1) how participants and researchers work together, in more effective ways, with more equal relationships to help bring about positive change, and 2) how research, and the research process (both methodological and relational) need to be adapted to include people whose expertise often lies outside of academic research.
This unit will equip students to be able to undertake innovative, inclusive work which brings about change.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit will be the final mandatory methods unit in both the MPOLRES and MSWR. It will enable students to engage with methods that are current and increasingly expected in social research. The unit will bring a much-needed global perspective and enable students to build on their previous learning in introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods as they understand how these methods can be used to work with those who have been traditionally left out of research.
This unit speaks very clearly to a number of both programmes’ ILO, in particular: Learning by being: 6 regarding effective collaboration with service users.
An overview of content
The unit will explore the developments in research, beginning from the inclusive and emancipatory research movements which came out of disabled people’s development and activism regarding the social model of disability. The unit will then think about wider issues related to the contested understanding of the term ‘co-production’, ownership of the research, the development of the skills necessary to carry out research, the varying ‘outputs’ and other post-project ‘lives’ of research, power relationships, and the support required to manage for experts by experience to meaningfully collaborate on or lead research. The unit will discuss a wide variety of ‘groups’ of people with ‘lived experience’ such as people with dementia, people with mental health support needs, people with learning disabilities, social work ‘clients’, disabled children those with lived experience of gender violence, people from forced migration backgrounds, and others. The unit will also engage with participatory and transformative research in different social, socio-economic and cultural contexts internationally. Lastly, the unit will consider how these approaches and groups have impacted the research and policy landscape.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will understand the many ways a variety of people in different contexts are involved in research, and how this has and will likely continue to influence policy and practice. Students will understand the various ways co-production can happen and the issues/tensions/benefits of democratising the research process. Finally, students will have an appreciation of the theoretical, methodological and political underpinnings of this fundamental shift in the aims and power relations of research.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
Students would enjoy learning through a mixture of sessions including direct input from SPS colleagues experienced in co-production and external experienced co-researchers (such as co-researchers from the Forget-Me-Not Dementia research group and co-researchers with learning difficulties/disabilities) as well as discussions/debates/ tasks flagged ahead of time so that students can come prepared. Preparation may include reflection of their own experience/positioning/engagement style or ensuring that they have read essential readings.
This applied, interactive approach would enable students to engage deeply with this contested, developing area of practice. It will enable students to critically evaluate what works, what does not work, even what constitutes ‘co-production’ and where the boundaries are. The activities will also prompt students to think about the value and ethics of co-production: Is it just morally right to include people who are the focus of the research or policy in its creation and does it add value? If so, what value does it add? What do the co-researchers bring to the process? How does this impact on the different stages of the research? What are the ethical implications for academic researchers working with experts by experience, both in terms of power relations, impact and output, and who benefits from the research.
As the ‘researchers’ are the research tool – i.e., they are key to the development of the relationships with the co-researchers, the students will also need to critically reflect on what they would bring to the co-production research process and how they would share power. The interactive activities will enable them to reflect on their approach to building relationships, and where their strengths and limitations lie in working closely with others.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Throughout the unit, students will be engaging in pre-planned discussions/tasks where they will be asked to undertake reflection or read key readings before the sessions. They will also have taken part in sessions lead by researchers with lived experience which will including hearing how research and policy has been co-researched.
There will be a formative assessment drawing on the lectures, reading and discussions/tasks. Students will work, over the course of the unit, to prepare a 10-minute group presentation which will focus on the different approaches to co-production and the unit convenor, an experienced co-researcher with lived experience and the other students will provide feedback. If students are uncomfortable working in a group, then they will be able to submit a short bullet-point document covering the same topic. They will receive feedback from the unit convenor within a week.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Position paper (3500 words, 100%) This assessment covers all of the ILOs.
When assessment does not go to plan:
Subject to university regulations for taught programmes, unsuccessful students may be offered an opportunity for reassessment. This will comprise the same task as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOLM0072).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
