Engaging Community Members in the Research Process to Enhance Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program Evaluations

This brief highlights community-based and culturally responsive strategies that HMRF researchers can use to engage community members as co-creators in the research process. It describes the potential benefits of these strategies and provides advice on adapting these strategies to the HMRF program and evaluation context. When determining which strategies to adopt, researchers should consider available resources and the specific needs of their evaluations. The literature supporting these strategies is described in more detail in a white paper about engaging community members in HMRF research (Whicher et al. 2022).

We describe six steps in the research process where HMRF researchers can engage community members:

1. Laying the groundwork. To establish a solid foundation for evaluation and community engagement activities, HMRF researchers should cultivate a deep understanding of the community context, practice cultural humility, and assemble a diverse research team.
2. Planning for the evaluation. Engaging community members in the planning process, by identifying community partners or establishing community members’ roles in the evaluation, is essential for implementing a meaningful and useful HMRF evaluation. 
3. Formulating research questions. Researchers should invest time in understanding the community’s priorities so they can formulate research questions that are important to community members and feasible within the program and funding context.
4. Designing the study. Collaborating with community members to select a study method, choose a data collection approach, design data collection instruments, and recruit study participants can greatly strengthen the evaluation’s implementation and its ability to generate findings.
5. Collecting and analyzing data. Engaging community members in the data collection and analysis process can help boost response rates, improve data quality, and offer insights into contextual factors researchers should consider when analyzing data.
6. Interpreting and disseminating findings. Involving community members in interpreting findings can help ensure findings are valid and useful to the community. Community members can also enhance dissemination efforts.

The brief offers specific strategies for engaging community members in each step of the research process. It also identifies common challenges and potential solutions to ensure community voices are reflected in evaluation decisions. Finally, the brief has an Appendix with a template that HMRF researchers can use to create a one-page handout for community members to solicit their engagement in an HMRF evaluation.

Whicher, D., L. Ouellette, and J. Alamillo. (2022). Engaging Community Members in the Research Process to Enhance Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program Evaluations. OPRE Report #2022-148. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.