Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Views on Research in Their Communities (original) (raw)
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Conducting research together with remote Aboriginal communities
14th National Rural Health Conference, 2017
Introduction: An international systematic literature review found that few publications evaluate the preference or understanding of an individual or group when seeking consent for research with Indigenous communities. Research with Indigenous communities has not always done in a way that address the priorities of the community, even if they are conducted in line with protocols such as the NHMRC guidelines. The Lililwan Project is an example of a study that was well received by the Aboriginal communities of Fitzroy Crossing receiving a 95% participation rate. In response, the community initiated the Picture Talk Project, to examine what had been learned about community engagement and consent process. In this paper we will discuss how findings inform current research policies and ethical guidelines. Methods: Invited by Aboriginal leaders of the Fitzroy Valley, researchers with the Picture Talk Project interview Aboriginal community leaders and focus group discussions were held with Aboriginal community members about research experiences and the consent process including the methodology used by the Lililwan Project. These are analysed using NVivo10 software with an integrated method of inductive and deductive coding and grounded theory. Local Aboriginal research team members, employed as Community Navigators to interpret language and provide cultural guidance, also validate the coding of data. Themes are synthesised and supporting quotes from participants were identified. This paper will explore three themes in the light of how they inform policy change. Results: Interviews with Aboriginal leaders (n=20) and focus groups (n=6) with Aboriginal community members (with 3 to 10 participants) were conducted in the presence of a local Aboriginal Community Navigator to interpret language and provide cultural guidance. Participants were from different age groups, both males and females and from all major local language groups of the Fitzroy Valley. Themes include: • Research—finding knowledge • working together with good communication • being flexible with time. Insightful statements from individual participants exemplify these themes. Recommendations for research policy change are put forward based on these findings. Conclusion: Research policies and guidelines need to change so that researchers rethink the ways in which Aboriginal people are approached to engage in research. Respect for cultural differences needs to be better understood so that it can be embedded in every step of a research process. Aboriginal research partners should be engaged from the start to the end of any project. There needs to be flexible time-lines provided by funding bodies if a project is delayed for cultural reasons. Projects should specify how they aim to provide benefits to the community.
2021
CONTEXT Health research is important to effectively address the health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. However, research within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has not always been conducted ethically or with tangible benefits to those involved. Justifiably then, people may be reticent to welcome researchers into their communities. Genuine commitment to community consultation, the fostering of partnerships and collaborative approaches maximise successful outcomes and research translation in these communities. ISSUE Despite guidelines existing to try to ensure the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are met through any research involving them, non-Indigenous researchers may not be fully aware of the complexities involved in applying these guidelines. This article explores how a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers understood and applied the guidelines during a 3-year dementia prevalence study in the Torres Strai...
Research Involvement and Engagement, 2023
Background In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) families have strong, cohesive, and nurturing cultural practices that contribute to effective family functioning and child rearing. These practices can lead to positive effects on children and communities, and include kinship relations, traditional knowledge systems, collective community focus, respect for Elders contributions, and spirituality. However, poor health and wellbeing outcomes exist across the lifespan for Indigenous Australians. Health programs, services and research that support Indigenous women, babies and their families are a critical investment to improve birthing and health outcomes and impact the life trajectories of Indigenous Australians. Preliminary results This protocol paper reports on the participant demographic information and feedback on the research process and reactions to participating in the yarning sessions. There have been 12 yarning sessions in Far North Queensland to date. The qualitative analysis of these will be reported on in future, with South East
Keeping the Bastards at Bay: Indigenous Community Responses to Research
ECU Publications, 2001
Researchers are not always readily welcome in Indigenous communities. The failure of researchers to adequately explain the research they are conducting or provide useful feedback to communities, as well as the potential to use the data to condemn the participants to a deficit position in society has resulted in many Indigenous communities being unwilling to host researchers. In this paper, the implications for the conduct of a research project that will operate in a number of urban and remote communities will be discussed. Research as a Process of Empowerment Research which involves Indigenous communities must be implemented in a way which creates opportunities for empowering the community. This is a notion which is supported by Williams and Stewart (1992) who see research as being a process whereby Indigenous communities can "confront continuing forms of social and cultural domination and imposition" (p 3) and a mechanism through which the development of knowledge can be liberating and empowering. The key to this idea lies in the nature of research partnerships and the conditions under which they are established.
Research Involvement and Engagement, 2022
Background: Community engagement or community involvement in Aboriginal health research is a process that involves partnering, collaborating and involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or potential research participants to empower them to have a say in how research with Aboriginal communities is conducted. In the context of Aboriginal health, this is particularly important so that researchers can respond to the priorities of the community under study and conduct research in a way that is respectful of Aboriginal cultural values and beliefs. One approach to incorporating the principals of community engagement and to ensure cultural oversight and guidance to projects is to engage a community reference group. The aim of this study was to describe the process of establishing an Aboriginal community reference group and terms of reference. The community reference group was established to guide the research activities of a newly formed research collaboration aiming to to develop osteoarthritis care that meets the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. Methods: Adopting a Participatory Action Research approach, this two-phase study was conducted in Victoria, Australia. In phase one, semi-structured research yarns (a cultural form of conversation used as a data gathering tool) were conducted collaboratively by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal co-investigators to explore Aboriginal health stakeholder perspectives on establishing a community reference group and terms of reference. In phase two, recommendations in phase one were identified to invite members to participate in the community reference group and to ratify the terms of reference through a focus group. Data were analyzed using a framework analysis approach. Results: Thirteen people (eight female, four male) participated in phase one. Participants represented diverse professional backgrounds including physiotherapy, nursing, general practice, health services management, hospital liaison, cultural safety education, health research and the arts. Three themes were identified in phase one; Recruitment and Representation (trust and relationships, in-house call-outs, broad-spectrum expertise and Aboriginal majority); Purpose (community engagement, research steering, knowledge dissemination and advocacy) and; Function and Logistics (frequency and format of meetings, size of group, roles and responsibilities, authority, communication and
Conducting research with Indigenous people and communities
2013
Past critiques of the social sciences focused primarily on the identity of the researcher and his or her relationship with the ‘subject’ Indigenous person, but over time more sophisticated and practical approaches have emerged related to participantfocused methodologies and design. More specifically, past research involving Indigenous people has been criticised as inherently biased and disempowering (Henry et al 2004; Davey and Day 2008; Kidman 2007; Sherwood 2010). Recent responses that seek to improve all forms of research practice involving Indigenous people in Australia and internationally, include funding for Indigenous-specific research institutes, dedicated funding for Indigenous academics and research networks, and ethical guidelines. Some of the most interesting and substantial Indigenous-led or informed research that has emerged in the past 20 years has often related to health, although such innovative approaches remain under-developed in the criminological domain. Today, ...
International journal for equity in health, 2016
It is important for researchers to understand the motivations and decision-making processes of participants who take part in their research. This enables robust informed consent and promotes research that meets the needs and expectations of the community. It is particularly vital when working with Indigenous communities, where there is a history of exploitative research practices. In this paper, we examine the accounts of Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous research participants in terms of how and why they agree to take part in research. A qualitative research approach was employed to undertake individual interviews with 36 research participants in Victoria, Australia. Eight participants identified as Indigenous and 28 were non-Indigenous. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. There were stark differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous research participants in terms of why and how they decided to participate in research. For Indigenous participants, taking p...
2021
Background Community engagement in Aboriginal health research aims to protect and empower participating individuals and communities and is an ethical requirement in research. One approach to incorporating community engagement in research is to engage a community reference group to provide oversight and cultural guidance to projects. The aim of this study was to describe the process of establishing a community reference group and terms of reference to guide the Enhancing Equity, Collaboration and Culturally secure Osteoarthritis care for Aboriginal Australians collaboration (ECCO). ECCO is a national inter-professional team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health service staff and researchers that was established to develop culturally secure osteoarthritis care for Aboriginal people. Methods This was a two-phase study conducted in Victoria, Australia. In phase one, semi-structured research yarns were conducted collaboratively by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal co-investigators to explo...
AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 2007
There has been a growing trend in New Zealand/Aotearoa for health research involving Māori (the indigenous people) to be conducted in partnership with Māori communities, iwi (tribes), hapū (sub-tribes) and whānau (extended families). Achieving excellence in indigenous health research which meets the standards both of the indigenous communities who partner in the research and the standards set by the academy, is often a complex and demanding objective. In this paper two Health Research Council Māori Postdoctoral Fellows explore the various challenges and tensions they have faced as researchers committed to undertaking excellent indigenous research in community-based settings, while at the same time growing their professional careers as academic researchers. The paper begins by briefly introducing the researchers and summarising the critical success factors they have shared in their respective academic journeys and the values they hold that have led to their involvement in community-b...