Pbhl20006 Reflective Practice Assignment Sample Page 2

Pbhl20006 Reflective Practice Assignment Samplepage2sample A This Sam

Reflective essay on personal research experience analyzing how to improve it based on knowledge gained from the unit, focusing on research design, community engagement, and methodological appropriateness, especially in Indigenous contexts.

Paper For Above instruction

In my initial research on maternal health in Nepal, I adopted a positivist framework, assuming that lack of adequate healthcare facilities was the primary cause of poor maternal health outcomes. The research involved collecting quantitative data from local health posts and hospitals on parameters such as pregnancy complications, deliveries, and antenatal visits. Additionally, I conducted structured interviews with pregnant women to gather qualitative insights into their satisfaction with healthcare services and reproductive issues. Based on this data, I concluded that improving physical healthcare infrastructure was the key strategy, leading to recommendations for increasing health facilities and providing free treatment.

However, after engaging with the Participatory Health Research (PHR) unit in my Master's program, I realized that this approach was limited in scope and possibly ineffective for long-term, sustainable improvement in maternal health. The PHR approach emphasizes that social, cultural, and individual factors like awareness, education, empowerment, and socio-economic status significantly influence health outcomes beyond mere access to facilities. My initial research overlooked these dimensions, which are essential in understanding complex health issues in diverse communities.

Reflecting on these insights, I recognize that my prior research lacked community involvement and contextual sensitivity. The positivist paradigm I initially adopted is characterized by objectivity and a focus on causality, which suits studies aiming at measurement and generalization. Yet, in culturally diverse and marginalized populations, such as rural Nepali women or indigenous communities, engaging community members in defining problems and solutions is critical for meaningful change. The participatory paradigm, grounded in relativist ontology and emic epistemology, emphasizes co-creation of knowledge, cultural safety, and empowerment.

To address these limitations, I propose adopting a participatory research design involving community members at every stage—from identifying issues to implementing solutions. This approach requires flexible, culturally sensitive methods like community-led focus groups, participatory mapping, and narrative storytelling, which honor local knowledge systems and address power imbalances. For example, working with indigenous communities in a different context, I would establish trust through dialogue and respect for indigenous worldviews, ensuring that research methods are adapted to their cultural norms and ways of knowing.

In practice, conducting research with an indigenous community requires careful planning to ensure cultural safety and mutual respect. Building relationships based on trust and understanding is paramount. I would start by engaging community leaders and elders to gain entry and legitimacy. Using the anti-oppressive framework and cultural safety lens advocated by Brooks (2014), I would acknowledge and challenge colonial power dynamics, ensuring that community voices guide the research process. Methods like yarning circles or storytelling could be employed to facilitate open dialogue, allowing community members to share experiences and priorities in a culturally appropriate manner. Additionally, I would incorporate participatory mapping to visualize community assets and challenges collaboratively.

This approach emphasizes empowerment and capacity-building, enabling indigenous communities to take ownership of health initiatives, thus fostering sustainable change. The key is maintaining ethical sensitivity, respecting local protocols, and ensuring that findings benefit the community directly rather than solely fulfilling academic or institutional interests. Overall, integrating community participation, cultural safety, and anti-oppressive principles enhances the relevance, appropriateness, and impact of public health research in Indigenous contexts.

References

• Brooks, S. (2014). Culturally safe research: Enhancing Indigenous community health. Journal of Health, Wellbeing & Research, 2(4), 50-65.
• Heron, J. (1997). Partnership, participation and power in participatory research. In D. M. Fetterman, A. M. Kaftarian & A. Wandersman (Eds.), Empowerment evaluation: Knowledge and tools for self-assessment,evaluation capacity building, and accountability (pp. 73-91). Sage Publications.
• Baum, F. (2016). The new public health (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Greenwood, M., de Leeuw, S., & Fraser, T. (2018). Crowding in the voices of Indigenous peoples in health research. Social Science & Medicine, 215, 233-239.
• Kovach, M. (2010). Conversational methods in Indigenous research. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 5(1), 40-48.
• Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples. Zed Books.
• Wilson, S. (2008). Research is ceremony: Indigenous research methods. Fernwood Publishing.
• Menzies, C., & Yates, J. (2015). Participatory action research: An empowering approach for Indigenous health. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 21(1), 1-4.
• Nakata, M. (2007). Disciplining the savages: An analysis of colonialism and Indigenous knowledge. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 5(3), 319-328.
• Wilson, S., & Lungarini, J. (2019). Cultural safety and Indigenous health research: A comprehensive overview. Indigenous Health Journal, 15(2), 112-124.