There are numerous understandings of what community
research is and also what does not belong within
this overarching term, where multiple approaches exist.
Generally, work belonging within this term is comprised
of research undertaken in collaboration and partnership
with a local community (Cutworth, 2013). The
term ‘community’ in relation to sport and physical
activity can span a diversity of groups from an inner
city (Hartmann & Depro, 2006), to a women’s group
(Frisby, Reid, Millar, & Hoeber, 2005), to an indigenous
community (Blodgett & Schinke, 2015). This
work has often taken on various terms, including
community-based research, community based participatory
research, participatory action research, and decolonizing
methodologies. What these terms share in
common is a particular focus on the needs of a community,
with these needs driving the development of a
research project. Though scholarship within sport and
exercise psychology is beginning to surface drawing
upon community approaches, particularly through qualitative
traditions, understandings of how to proceed
within this work are lesser known. Recently, Schinke,
Smith, and McGannon (2013) have developed guidelines
to augment the quality of these projects. First, the necessity for the project and subsequent research questions
need to be developed within the local community.
Second, this approach to research must centralize the
traditions and expertise of the intended community, so
as to ensure the integrity of the project. Third, these
projects must develop capacity within communities,
such as the creation and implementation of a youth
sport program within an Indigenous First Nations community.
Additionally, the scholarly output from these
projects must centralize the community’s members,
though it should also be recognized that scholarship is
secondary to capacity, infrastructure, and programs.
Finally, the manifestations from community-based
research should remain for a lengthy period of time after the research project has been completed.
