Community Engaged Undergraduate Research (Closer Look)

Compared to more traditional research approaches, Community Engaged Research skills are more hidden, and people often assume that they will just happen.  Because Community Engaged Research is so collaborative, the key skills that undergraduate students may want to explore are:

• Dialogue Skills, such as Improvisation, Active Listening, and Self-reflection
• Entrepreneurial Thinking and Creative Problem Solving, such as Design Thinking 

Active Listening

When speaking to others, active listening is a person’s ability to deeply empathize with another person, understanding their message and motivation. To practice active listening skills, body language, and the way that we respond or prompt are important (Louw, Todd, Jimarkon, 2011). Giving the speaker undivided attention without looking at other people or things is key. Eye contact, tone of voice, gestures like head nodding or mirroring the speaker’s facial expressions (smiling, sadness), open posture such as neutral arms (not crossed) can help create an environment in which the speaker feels welcomed and listened to.

Phrasing of questions and prompts matters too. You can use two strategies when you participate in research conversations and interviews in community settings.

The first strategy creates opportunities for long, open responses. The listener tries to extend the conversation and encourages the speaker to reveal more (Louw et al., 2011). You can ask open response questions like: “How would you usually handle a situation in which…?” “Can you please tell me more about…?” “Why do you think happens when …?” “It sounds like…”. Repeating some parts of the speaker’s responses may assure them that you are listening. When your speaker says that they usually read the news in the morning, you could say: “The news; which are your favorite sources?”. You can also paraphrase longer sections of your speaker’s narrative to demonstrate that you are hearing the message.

The second strategy focuses on clarifying any parts of the conversation that the listener needs to understand better. This strategy invites the speaker to add, explain, or clarify (Louw et al., 2011). To better understand the meaning of a narrative, you can ask questions like: “When you say that …. do you mean that …, or…?” “I am not sure I understand; could you please explain…?” “I am interested in your interpretation of … ”

Active listening is not only a helpful research skill, it also helps nurture respectful and trusting relationships which are crucial to community engaged research and beyond.

References:

Canpolat, M., Sekvan, K. U. Z. U., Yildirim, B., & Canpolat, S. (2015). Active listening strategies of academically successful university students. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 15(60), 163-180.                                                                                                                                                                                                            Gladu, C. (2022, February 10). Personal communication [Personal interview]                                                                                                                                          Louw, S., Todd, R. W., & Jimarkon, P. (2011, April). Active listening in qualitative research interviews. In Proceedings of the International Conference: Research in Applied Linguistics.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Vendelø, M. T. (2009). Improvisation and learning in organizations—an opportunity for future empirical research. Management Learning, 40(4), 449-456.