Moving Forward Together in Aboriginal Women's Health: - Theses ...

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellysituations. Increasingly, research in nursing, health promotion and earlyeducation add strength to the notion of new ways of working together withAboriginal people in strength based, collaborative, and knowledge sharingways (see for example Puzan2003, Brough, Bond & Hunt 2004 and Power2004). Co-researchers and I also envisioned a methodology that could help uscreate new knowledge together and put it into practice. These criteria led us toaction research.I had a strong interest in finding ways of collaboratively. In my previousMasters research I had attempted a basic participatory action research, butwhile knowledge sharing had been shared within each focus group of likeminded people, I had not developed a strategy for sharing and buildingknowledge and action between the different focus groups. In this researchproject, finding ways of sharing knowledge and working together towardpragmatic and positive outcomes was crucial. The Ganma knowledge sharingmetaphor suggested a way forward, and I was keen to find a methodology thatwould assist us to put this into action. Reflecting on the communityconsultations and Aboriginal Women’s Reference Group discussions, manyother people shared this aim.There are many forms of action research, each with its own underlying historyand philosophy (Reason, Peter & Bradbury, Hilary 2006). What they have incommon is that they have both a research and an action component. Most havean emergent methodology (‘growing’ the way of doing research as the researchunfolds and deepens) that aims to achieve change (action) and understanding(research) at the same time (Dick 2007). The research process is usuallycyclical, participative and qualitative with earlier cycles informing later cycles.Methods, data collection, analysis, interpretation and future action developthrough and by each cycle. Knowing and doing are intertwined (Stringer2007). Often multiple methods and triangulation (using multiple methods andtheories to draw conclusions to prevent a bias) are used to collect and analysedata, increasing rigour and credibility (Grbich 2004).There is a great variation in the extent of collaboration and participation withindifferent forms of action research. Hart and Bond (1995) describe thesedifferences by identifying the role of researchers and participants.123