You and Me to We: Using Reflexivity to Foster an Agency-University Partnership for Participatory Action Research

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Participatory action research
• Community-based research

Background:

• Building effective partnerships is crucial for participatory action research (PAR).
• Occupational therapy (OT) programs and developmental disability agencies can benefit from collaborative research.
• Reflexivity is a key process for developing strong research relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore indicators of a developing PAR partnership.
• To examine the role of reflexivity in fostering collaboration between an OT education program and a disability agency.
• To identify factors that strengthen inter-organizational research relationships.

Main Methods:

• Participatory action research (PAR) framework.
• Contextual and interpersonal reflexivity process.
• Collaborative reflection sessions involving OT faculty and agency staff leaders.

Main Results:

• Shared organizational values were identified through reflexivity.
• Mutual benefits of the partnership evolved over time.
• Inclusion in organizational activities and increased responsibilities (e.g., agency staff becoming researchers) strengthened the partnership.

Conclusions:

• Structured, collaborative reflexivity is effective in developing PAR partnerships.
• Findings offer insights for future inter-organizational collaborations, particularly for OT education programs.
• The process illuminates the characteristics and meaning of evolving research relationships.