Table 2 Phase I, Phase II: Methods for capacity-building, training and data generation
Note: PLA techniques described below combine visual, tangible materials (pictures, photographs, phrases, Post-It notes, symbols, voting tokens, etc) with verbal interactions, such as interviews, focus group discussions, and ‘on-the-spot’ co-analysis discussions. | |
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PLA techniques used with SUPERs during capacity-building (4 sessions, 12 h) | PLA techniques use (mirrored) by SUPERs during fieldwork with MSUs (Intensive research day: 1 session, 7 h) |
Ice Breaker Interactive group activity Rationale: - To reduce interpersonal barriers - To build trust and rapport in research team at outset of capacity-building processes Co-generated Ground Rules Democratic decision-making group activity Rationale: - To encourage active participation by SUPERs in PLA research activity - To promote inclusion and encourage co-ownership of PLA processes - To balance power dynamics between university researchers and SUPERs - To promote empowerment of SUPERs Timelines (individual) Visual map and verbal narrative of university researchers’ and SUPERs’ personal and/or professional ‘journeys’ that led to participation in the study Rationale: - To develop deeper trust and rapport - To bond the community-university research team - To promote inclusion - To balance power dynamics PLA-style focus group discussions Focus group discussions using PLA ‘mode of engagement’ Rationale: - To develop a shared knowledge-base about international literature and policy regarding cross-cultural communication - To enhance team knowledge by mapping SUPERs’ knowledge about the range of communication strategies currently in use in cross-cultural consultations where language and culture barriers exist. | Ice Breaker Interactive group activity Rationale: - To reduce interpersonal barriers - To build trust and rapport between SUPERs and MSUs at outset of research process Co-generated Ground Rules Democratic decision-making group activity Rationale: - To encourage active participation by MSUs in PLA research activity - To promote inclusion and encourage co-ownership of PLA process - To balance power dynamics between SUPERs and MSUs - To promote empowerment of MSUs PLA-style focus group discussions Focus group discussions using PLA ‘mode of engagement’ Rationale: - To surface MSUs’ common and differential knowledge and expertise - To exchange and enhance knowledge within each MSU group during the research process - To assist data-generation in the form of a range of charts and maps developed by MSUs (as below: Flexible Brainstorming, Card Sort, Mapping, Direct Ranking) - To review and co-analyse data on completed charts and maps. |
Methods used with SUPERs during PLA training (6 sessions, 28 h) Active, experiential ‘learning-by-doing’ training programme to equip SUPERs to facilitate a sequence of 7 interlinked PLA techniques: 1. Ice-breakers 2. Co-generated ground rules 3. Flexible Brainstorming 4. Card Sort 5. Direct Ranking 6. Mapping (visioning) 7. PLA-style focus groups Rationale – to equip SUPERs to: - Facilitate data generation with MSUs in a collegial inclusive manner likely to be meaningful for them - Use visual-verbal-tangible techniques to include all MSUs, especially those who might have literacy challenges - Promote co-analysis and co-ownership of research data by MSUs - Highlight MSUs valuable contribution to academic research Co-design of PLA research protocol Community-university research team activity Rationale: - To produce a standardised protocol for the conduct of fieldwork - To promote consistency and rigour in PLA process across fieldwork groups - To support comparative analysis of research findings across groups. | PLA techniques used (mirrored) by SUPERs during fieldwork with MSUs (Intensive research day: 1 session, 7 h). 1. Ice-breakers (see above) 2. Co-generated ground rules (see above) 3. Flexible Brainstorming Interactive knowledge exchange, knowledge generation group activity Rationale: - Used to map and display a range of communication strategies known to be commonly used in cross-cultural consultations where language barriers exist 4. Card Sort Categorisation exercise Rationale: - To explore and analyse communication strategies in terms of those considered ‘useful’, ‘problematic’, ‘non-viable’ 5. Direct Ranking Democratic prioritisation, ranking and decision-making technique Rationale: - Used to identify ‘most-to-least’ acceptable communication strategies, as agreed by MSUs 6. Mapping (visioning activity) – ‘Ideal Scenario’ Visioning activity which maps or plots data on charts Rationale: - To visually map additional ideal strategies to create a vision for ‘best possible communication’ between GPs and MSUs, i.e. the ‘ideal scenario’. 7. PLA-style focus groups (see above). |