Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development
Abstract Interdisciplinary scholarly literature considers how research processes may adversely affect their participants. Building on this work, this article addresses the processes and practices of applied research in contexts in which imbalances of power exist between researchers an...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press (OUP)
2022
|
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/138823.2 |
| _version_ | 1811071906705571840 |
|---|---|
| author | Krystalli, Roxani Hoffecker, Elizabeth A Leith, Kendra Wilson, Kim |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Device Research Laboratory |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Device Research Laboratory Krystalli, Roxani Hoffecker, Elizabeth A Leith, Kendra Wilson, Kim |
| author_sort | Krystalli, Roxani |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Abstract
Interdisciplinary scholarly literature considers how research processes may adversely affect their participants. Building on this work, this article addresses the processes and practices of applied research in contexts in which imbalances of power exist between researchers and those being researched. We argue that research activities in international development and humanitarian work that are typically operational, such as needs assessments, baseline studies, and monitoring and evaluation, represent interventions in the lives of participants, with the potential to create value or harm, delight or distress. The ethical and methodological dilemmas of this intervention have received less attention than purely academic discussions of human subject research. How can applied researchers meaningfully reckon with the effects of the research process on both those conducting it and those participating in it throughout the research cycle? In response, we introduce an approach co-developed over seven years through engagement with applied researchers across sectors. We discuss four interrelated principles—relevance, respect, right-sizing, and rigor—intended to invite a commitment to ongoing process improvement in the conduct of applied research. We also propose a framework to guide the implementation of these principles and illustrate the tensions that may arise in the process of its application. These contributions extend conversations about research ethics and methods to the operational research realm, as well as provide concrete tools for reflecting on the processes of operational research as sites of power that ought to be considered as seriously as the findings of data collection activities.</jats:p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:57:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/138823.2 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:57:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/138823.22022-01-05T19:05:05Z Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development Krystalli, Roxani Hoffecker, Elizabeth A Leith, Kendra Wilson, Kim Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Device Research Laboratory Abstract Interdisciplinary scholarly literature considers how research processes may adversely affect their participants. Building on this work, this article addresses the processes and practices of applied research in contexts in which imbalances of power exist between researchers and those being researched. We argue that research activities in international development and humanitarian work that are typically operational, such as needs assessments, baseline studies, and monitoring and evaluation, represent interventions in the lives of participants, with the potential to create value or harm, delight or distress. The ethical and methodological dilemmas of this intervention have received less attention than purely academic discussions of human subject research. How can applied researchers meaningfully reckon with the effects of the research process on both those conducting it and those participating in it throughout the research cycle? In response, we introduce an approach co-developed over seven years through engagement with applied researchers across sectors. We discuss four interrelated principles—relevance, respect, right-sizing, and rigor—intended to invite a commitment to ongoing process improvement in the conduct of applied research. We also propose a framework to guide the implementation of these principles and illustrate the tensions that may arise in the process of its application. These contributions extend conversations about research ethics and methods to the operational research realm, as well as provide concrete tools for reflecting on the processes of operational research as sites of power that ought to be considered as seriously as the findings of data collection activities.</jats:p> United States Agency for International Development (Grant AID-OAA-A-12-00095) 2022-01-05T19:05:04Z 2022-01-05T17:36:44Z 2022-01-05T19:05:04Z 2021-09 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 2634-3797 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/138823.2 Krystalli, Roxani, Hoffecker, Elizabeth, Leith, Kendra and Wilson, Kim. 2021. "Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development." 1 (3). 10.1093/isagsq/ksab022 Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ application/octet-stream Oxford University Press (OUP) Oxford University Press |
| spellingShingle | Krystalli, Roxani Hoffecker, Elizabeth A Leith, Kendra Wilson, Kim Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development |
| title | Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development |
| title_full | Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development |
| title_fullStr | Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development |
| title_short | Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development |
| title_sort | taking the research experience seriously a framework for reflexive applied research in development |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/138823.2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT krystalliroxani takingtheresearchexperienceseriouslyaframeworkforreflexiveappliedresearchindevelopment AT hoffeckerelizabetha takingtheresearchexperienceseriouslyaframeworkforreflexiveappliedresearchindevelopment AT leithkendra takingtheresearchexperienceseriouslyaframeworkforreflexiveappliedresearchindevelopment AT wilsonkim takingtheresearchexperienceseriouslyaframeworkforreflexiveappliedresearchindevelopment |