What do we plan to do?

The research approach and methods

This qualitative research project will involve a number of key stages:

Literature review

The literature review will bring together different bodies of literature on participation and help develop a framework for participation that will inform the fieldwork and contribute to a broader understanding of the multiple dimensions of participation. In order to produce this framework, the review will look at: what the drivers of participation are; how participation is conceptualised; what the activities and spaces of participation are; who participates and who does not; and how individuals participate and why.

Selection of areas

The selection of the study areas will be based upon a number of criteria including the demographic make-up of the area, and the extent and nature of the local voluntary and community sector and the political control of the local authority. A key criteria for selecting the areas will be the willingness of major stakeholders to engage with the project.

Local area profiling

Observation of local activities, background statistical analysis and informal interviews with a wide range of individuals and organisations will be carried out in order to identify people who are willing to take part in the research and who provide a range of participatory experiences (including non-participation).

Activity mapping sessions

A series of local activity mapping sessions will be held in each of the three case study areas to identify the range of opportunities, sites and activities for engagement in each area. Mapping is an interactive approach to data collection that draws on the local knowledge, understanding and interpretation of the research participants.

In-depth interviewing

In-depth interviews will be conducted with individuals identified in the previous two stages. The aim of the interviews is to draw out personal histories and pathways of participation (or non-participation). To best capture people’s experiences we are considering the use of participatory research methods including photo elicitation and ‘timelines’.

Participatory workshops

The workshops aim to test and validate initial research findings from the interview phases, and to develop emerging recommendations. They will explore what these findings mean in practice for voluntary and community organisations, public service providers and policy-makers, and how they translate into action.