JCPSLP November 2016

Creating sustainable services: Minority world SLPs in majority world contexts

Building collaboration A participatory research initiative with Vietnam’s first

speech-language pathologists Marie Atherton, Bronwyn Davidson, and Lindy McAllister

A group of Vietnam’s first speech-language pathology graduates and the primary author, an Australian speech-language pathologist, are participating as co-researchers in an exploration of the emerging practice of speech-language pathology in Vietnam. This paper details the initial phases of this collaborative research program. A description of the research methodology and the rationale for utilising participatory action research are provided. Initial learnings from the research, including those relating to the vital role of the interpreter; challenges in developing a shared understanding of collaboration in research; and the impact of distance and technology are described. Speech-language pathologists from minority world contexts are encouraged to consider how they might develop partnerships with international colleagues to support collaborative initiatives to progress the practice of speech-language pathology in underserved communities. P articipatory action research (PAR) is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous group of research practices in which researchers and “the researched” work together to examine a situation (or problem) and identify strategies and actions to change the situation for the better (Kemmis, McTaggart & Nixon, 2013; Kingdon, Pain, & Kesby, 2007). PAR is situated within the genre of action research , a research approach credited to Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist, who demonstrated the benefit of workers participating in research that would inform decisions impacting their work (Lewin, 1946, as cited in Adelman, 1993). In the latter half of the twentieth century, Brazilian educator Paulo Freire further developed the concept of participation and collaboration in research by arguing that through participation in decisions regarding their lives, every person, regardless of the level of their impoverishment or disempowerment, could be empowered to make changes in their lives for the better (Friere, 1970). Critical to Friere’s position was the value of conducting research with (not on) people as a means of creating and

sharing new knowledge, and developing new insights into practices, situations, and processes that could be improved (Chaiklin, 2011). PAR is considered a methodology in its own right rather than a set of research methods (Liamputtong, 2008). Through iterative cycles of reflecting, planning, engaging in action, and reflecting upon the outcomes/consequences of actions undertaken (Figure 1), researchers and those impacted by a problem develop new insights into the problem and how it might best be addressed. Findings from each cycle of the action spiral are fed into the next, with the overall aim being the identification of actions that effect positive practical change in relation to the issue of concern (Kemmis et al., 2013).

KEYWORDS COLLABORATION PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH SPEECH-

LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY VIETNAM

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN PEER- REVIEWED

Reflect

Reflect

Plan

Observe

Act

Plan

Observe

Reflect

Act

Marie Atherton (top), Bronwyn Davidson (centre), and Lindy McAllister

Figure 1. Action research cycles. Retrieved from http://cei.ust. hk/teaching-resources/action-research. Copyright 2010–2016 by Centre for Education Innovation, HKUST. Reprinted with permission.

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JCPSLP Volume 18, Number 3 2016

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology