Aims of Community Research:-
1. Recognizes community as a unit of identity- The concept of community as an aspect of
collective and individual identity is central to community-based research. Units of identity, for
example, membership in a family, friendship network, or geographic neighborhood, are all
socially constructed dimensions of identity, created and recreated through social interactions.
Community is characterized by a sense of identification and emotional connection to other
members, common symbol systems, shared values and norms.
2. Builds on strengths and resources within the community- Community-based research seeks
to identify and build on strengths, resources, and relationships that exist within communities of
identity to address their communal health concerns. These may include skills and assets of
individual’s networks of relationships characterized by trust, cooperation and mutual
commitment and mediating structures within the community such as churches and other
organizations where community members come together.
3) Facilitates collaborative partnerships in all phases of the research- community-research
involves a collaborative partnership in which all parties participate as equal members and share
control over all phases of the research. e.g. problem definition, data collection, interpretation
of results, and application of the results to address community concerns.
4. Integrates knowledge and action for mutual benefit of all partners- Community research
seeks to build a broad body of knowledge related to health and well-being while also
integrating that knowledge with community and social change efforts that address the concerns
of the communities involved.
5. Promotes a co-learning and empowering process that attends to social inequalities
Community-based research is a co-learning and empowering process that facilitates the
reciprocal transfer of knowledge, skills, capacity, and power. For example, researchers learn
from the knowledge and “local theories” of community members, and community members
acquire further skills in how to conduct research.
6. Involves a cyclical and iterative process -Community- research involves a cyclical, iterative
process that includes partnership development and maintenance, community assessment,
