Community-Based Action Research

Sue C. Jacobs & Ann Batcheler & Enedelia Sauceda

Community-based action research (C-BAR) is a relatively new addition to counseling and counseling psychology research. The research and interventions, or actions, occur at the community level, rather than with individuals, families, or small groups. Community is defined as a group linked by common interests, such as young women in a teen pregnancy program, migrant workers, or people living with AIDS. C-BAR is distinguished from much other research in counseling in that the research is developed and conducted as a collaborative partnership between the counselor-researcher and community members. Sharing project responsibility in this way empowers the community to define its own problems and develop its own solutions. In this collaborative process, the researcher is deeply involved as a coexpert, bringing organizational and research skills to the project. Community members are the other coexperts, contributing their unique experiences, truths, and analyses of why the problem exists and how it may be solved. ...

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