Student Thesis / Research
Guide
Developing a Transformational Conversations Research Process
From the above definiois, we cai defie a framework of research.
The Transformatonal Conversatons process of research ns preseit across varnous dnscnplnies:
● It’s termed Partcipatory-Acton Researc PPAR- ni Educaioi or Developmeit theory,,
● Case Study Met odology ni Busniess research (for those focused oi socnal eitrepreieurshnp),
● Ii Theology,, nt ns ofei called Grounded Researc ,
● Or y,et agani some aspects of the Catholnc Pastoral Cycle also gnve some wnder research processes that cai
be related to the coicept of Transformatonal Conversatons.
The step-wnse method we wnll use for the MATUL Fnial Research Project cai be mapped out as follows:
1. Intentonal Presence. Fnrst ns y,our
locus amoig the people. Your
obedneice to the nicariate oie. Be
wholly, ni the commuinty, y,ou wnsh to
work wnth, fully, paricnpaive ni learinig
thenr way,s, coiceris, aid delnghts.
Attuie y,ourself to the commuinty,’s
assets, aid ieeds, as they, percenve
them.
2. Community Partners. At thns ponit y,ou begni to ndeiify, who y,ou are worknig wnth ni the commuinty,, be nt
church, commuinty, orgainzaioi, or NGO. For y,our research wnll lead to collecive acioi, so at the outset y,ou ieed
to be embedded wnth a cluster of relaioishnps to those lnkely, to take snginfcait acioi. Aim to work wit a
grassroots neig bor ood or ‘people’s organizaton’ t at is made up of people in t e community, w o ave
organized t emselves to work on be alf of t e community. PIn some cases, an outside organizaton may ave come
in and gat ered leaders in t e community around a common cause.-
3. Defne an Issue. Meet wit y,our
chosei community partners to leari
what nssues they,’re niterested oi
worknig oi. What dnscoiiiunty, Por
glitc in t e system- marks the
coiversaiois of the people amoig
whom y,ou dwell? The pongiait
experneice begnis to defie y,our
research topnc. Be sure that the
topnc/ndea ns comnig iot so much from
y,ou, but from the vonced coiceris of the orgainzaioi wnth whom y,ou’ve chosei to partier for thns project. PT is is
to ensure t at you’re serving a need t at t e community wanted to work on anyway, and t at t ey will ave t e
drive to contnue on wit it even afer you ave lef, because t ey’ll feel it’s “our” project, not just yours. T e point
is to produce real community beneft, not just a paper.-
4. Preliminary Research. How has thns nssue beei addressed -- by, our commuinty, aid others?
Guide
Developing a Transformational Conversations Research Process
From the above definiois, we cai defie a framework of research.
The Transformatonal Conversatons process of research ns preseit across varnous dnscnplnies:
● It’s termed Partcipatory-Acton Researc PPAR- ni Educaioi or Developmeit theory,,
● Case Study Met odology ni Busniess research (for those focused oi socnal eitrepreieurshnp),
● Ii Theology,, nt ns ofei called Grounded Researc ,
● Or y,et agani some aspects of the Catholnc Pastoral Cycle also gnve some wnder research processes that cai
be related to the coicept of Transformatonal Conversatons.
The step-wnse method we wnll use for the MATUL Fnial Research Project cai be mapped out as follows:
1. Intentonal Presence. Fnrst ns y,our
locus amoig the people. Your
obedneice to the nicariate oie. Be
wholly, ni the commuinty, y,ou wnsh to
work wnth, fully, paricnpaive ni learinig
thenr way,s, coiceris, aid delnghts.
Attuie y,ourself to the commuinty,’s
assets, aid ieeds, as they, percenve
them.
2. Community Partners. At thns ponit y,ou begni to ndeiify, who y,ou are worknig wnth ni the commuinty,, be nt
church, commuinty, orgainzaioi, or NGO. For y,our research wnll lead to collecive acioi, so at the outset y,ou ieed
to be embedded wnth a cluster of relaioishnps to those lnkely, to take snginfcait acioi. Aim to work wit a
grassroots neig bor ood or ‘people’s organizaton’ t at is made up of people in t e community, w o ave
organized t emselves to work on be alf of t e community. PIn some cases, an outside organizaton may ave come
in and gat ered leaders in t e community around a common cause.-
3. Defne an Issue. Meet wit y,our
chosei community partners to leari
what nssues they,’re niterested oi
worknig oi. What dnscoiiiunty, Por
glitc in t e system- marks the
coiversaiois of the people amoig
whom y,ou dwell? The pongiait
experneice begnis to defie y,our
research topnc. Be sure that the
topnc/ndea ns comnig iot so much from
y,ou, but from the vonced coiceris of the orgainzaioi wnth whom y,ou’ve chosei to partier for thns project. PT is is
to ensure t at you’re serving a need t at t e community wanted to work on anyway, and t at t ey will ave t e
drive to contnue on wit it even afer you ave lef, because t ey’ll feel it’s “our” project, not just yours. T e point
is to produce real community beneft, not just a paper.-
4. Preliminary Research. How has thns nssue beei addressed -- by, our commuinty, aid others?
a. Get the Local Back-Story. Ask y,our commuinty, partiers what has already, beei doie by, locals ni
respoise to thns nssue. What was posnive/iegaive about thenr approach? It may, have beei nitunive. It
may, have beei suddei, a wave of vnoleice. It may, have beei the nmposnioi of some forengi coicept of
what ieeds to happei, lnke
rescunig gnrls from the slave
trade through legal cases
fuided form a cluster of New
York lawy,ers wnshnig to good.
It may, be ai NGO seeknig to
fulfl nts forengi doiors’
expectaiois. A respoise,
perhaps largely, ui-thought-
through. Thns may, be ni the
hnstory, of the people or
evolvnig y,et today,.
b. Get a Wider Perspectve. Gnvei that the nssue remanis uisolved, the local respoise method evokes
quesiois, uicertaniies about the iature of the nssue. See nf y,ou cai pniponit what shortcomnig y,ou
wait to research ni y,our lnterature revnew, or where y,ou mnght look to fid other commuinies that have
addressed thns same dnlemma more successfully,?
5. Begin your Literature Review.
● How that nssue ns dealt wnth elsewhere?
● What’s the coiversaioi across the city about the nssue (a local lnterature search ns nmportait here) ...aid
across the global lnterature?
● As y,ou get at some uiderly,nig root causes of y,our nssue, y,our lnterature research begnis to focus oi the
socnal or the ecoiomnc or the educaioial, etc.
6. Engage the Theological Conversaton.
Begni wnth the preachnig that occurs ni
the local commuinies aid the talk
amoig leaders -- how are these alngied
(or uialngied) wnth a Knigdom respoise?
What iew ndeas, rooted ni Scrnpture,
would y,ou nitroduce to the commuinty,?
Or how cai y,ou take somethnig that’s
already, benig preached, aid apply, nt to
thns sntuaioi?
7. Defne your Research ?ueston. What approach to addressnig the nssue are y,our commuinty, partiers niterested
ni nivesigaiig further aid try,nig out? How would nt ieed to be adjusted to ft your cultural context aid specnfc
ieeds? What gaps in the literature requnre y,ou to nivesigate or solve y,our specnfc, coitextualnzed nssue ni a iew,
creaive way,?
8. Further Research. You thei have two iecessary, lnies of research that deepei y,our kiowledge:
(1) Aithropologncal / socnal / ecoiomnc / developmeit / polnical research (Cnty, Coiversaioi)
(2) Bnblncal aid theologncal research (Theologncal Coiversaioi)
You have to cut these processes two way,s:
(a) From amoig the people,
respoise to thns nssue. What was posnive/iegaive about thenr approach? It may, have beei nitunive. It
may, have beei suddei, a wave of vnoleice. It may, have beei the nmposnioi of some forengi coicept of
what ieeds to happei, lnke
rescunig gnrls from the slave
trade through legal cases
fuided form a cluster of New
York lawy,ers wnshnig to good.
It may, be ai NGO seeknig to
fulfl nts forengi doiors’
expectaiois. A respoise,
perhaps largely, ui-thought-
through. Thns may, be ni the
hnstory, of the people or
evolvnig y,et today,.
b. Get a Wider Perspectve. Gnvei that the nssue remanis uisolved, the local respoise method evokes
quesiois, uicertaniies about the iature of the nssue. See nf y,ou cai pniponit what shortcomnig y,ou
wait to research ni y,our lnterature revnew, or where y,ou mnght look to fid other commuinies that have
addressed thns same dnlemma more successfully,?
5. Begin your Literature Review.
● How that nssue ns dealt wnth elsewhere?
● What’s the coiversaioi across the city about the nssue (a local lnterature search ns nmportait here) ...aid
across the global lnterature?
● As y,ou get at some uiderly,nig root causes of y,our nssue, y,our lnterature research begnis to focus oi the
socnal or the ecoiomnc or the educaioial, etc.
6. Engage the Theological Conversaton.
Begni wnth the preachnig that occurs ni
the local commuinies aid the talk
amoig leaders -- how are these alngied
(or uialngied) wnth a Knigdom respoise?
What iew ndeas, rooted ni Scrnpture,
would y,ou nitroduce to the commuinty,?
Or how cai y,ou take somethnig that’s
already, benig preached, aid apply, nt to
thns sntuaioi?
7. Defne your Research ?ueston. What approach to addressnig the nssue are y,our commuinty, partiers niterested
ni nivesigaiig further aid try,nig out? How would nt ieed to be adjusted to ft your cultural context aid specnfc
ieeds? What gaps in the literature requnre y,ou to nivesigate or solve y,our specnfc, coitextualnzed nssue ni a iew,
creaive way,?
8. Further Research. You thei have two iecessary, lnies of research that deepei y,our kiowledge:
(1) Aithropologncal / socnal / ecoiomnc / developmeit / polnical research (Cnty, Coiversaioi)
(2) Bnblncal aid theologncal research (Theologncal Coiversaioi)
You have to cut these processes two way,s:
(a) From amoig the people,