What is community-led action research and why is it important? 

 Community-led action research is a process where the community decides on an issue to be researched, designs and carries out the research, and makes use of the results.  

We can break this down further by exploring:   

  • Community-led: This means that a group or organisation representing a community of place, interest of identity decides to research an issue that is important to them. They decide what they want to explore, design and plan the process, and carry out the research themselves. 
     

  • Action: This means that the research is used to make positive change happen, rather than research for its own sake (although this is still valuable). This means that something is new, better or improved as a result – whether that’s a new community amenity, park, service or outcome that better suits the community’s need. 
     

  • Research: This means bringing information and experiences together in an organised way.

Why is community-led action research important? 

Community-led action research is important because it can provide robust evidence to support communities to take action on the issues that are important to them.  

It prioritises community knowledge and experiences over what might sometimes be described as the views of ‘experts’. A more traditional research process would see, academics, professionals or researchers taking key decisions or having lead roles, with communities researched ‘on’ rather than researched ‘with’ or doing the research themselves. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but community-led action research ensures that community priorities come first, and that other people and organisations help, facilitate, encourage and support the research process. This can be described as ‘Experts on Tap, not on Top!’ 

How does community-led action research link to community development?

From a community development perspective, community-led action research is a practical tool for community organisations to use to make positive change happen. It can support them to organise, and to identify the issues they want to address, or the opportunities they want to explore. Read more about community development here.