Exploring Researchers' Perspectives on Integrating Decolonial Approaches In Community-Engaged Research Methodologies

Background and Purpose:

Calls to decolonize research have gained attention within social work as scholars and practitioners increasingly critique the dominance of Eurocentric knowledge systems and the persistence of extractive research practices involving marginalized communities. Although community-engaged and participatory approaches offer pathways toward more equitable and inclusive knowledge production, there remains limited empirical research examining how social work researchers operationalize decolonial strategies in practice. This study addresses this gap by exploring how researchers conceptualize, implement, and experience decolonizing approaches within community-engaged research. Guided by decolonial theory, empowerment theory, and intersectionality, the study examines how power, knowledge, and relationships are negotiated across research contexts. The primary research question is: How do social work researchers approach decolonizing methods in their community-engaged research? Secondary questions explore how researchers incorporate these strategies, their experiences in doing so, and how they ensure that research processes and outcomes are mutually beneficial rather than extractive.

Methods:

This qualitative study utilized a semi-structured interview design with purposive sampling of social work researchers engaged in community-based, participatory, and community-engaged research. Participants, referred to as knowledge holders (N =14), represented diverse disciplinary backgrounds. Data was collected through virtual interviews. Member checking occurred in two rounds, once after transcripts were cleaned and after initial themes were developed. Data analysis followed a thematic analysis approach. The analytic process involved iterative coding, memo writing, and theme development, with attention to patterns across participants’ narratives. Theoretical lenses of decolonial theory, empowerment theory, and intersectionality informed interpretation, particularly in examining issues of power redistribution, epistemic justice, and relational accountability.

Results:

Findings are organized across four interconnected domains: self, community, institution, and political context. At the individual (self) level, participants described engaging in ongoing reflexivity, critically examining positionality, and intentionally disrupting dominant research paradigms. Within the community domain, researchers emphasized early and continuous engagement, relationship-building through cultural gatekeepers, and practices of reciprocity, including compensation, co-authorship, and resource-sharing. Institutional findings revealed tensions between decolonial commitments and academic structures, including barriers related to funding, tenure expectations, authorship norms, and administrative policies, alongside examples of supportive institutional cultures that facilitate this work. Within the political domain, participants described navigating shifting sociopolitical climates, including constraints on language, funding, and research agendas, while engaging in strategies of resistance, adaptation, and coalition-building. Across domains, participants highlighted the importance of redistributing power, centering community knowledge, and redefining research impact beyond traditional academic metrics.

Conclusions and Implications:

Findings suggest that decolonizing community-engaged research is an ongoing, relational, and politically situated process that requires both individual-level reflexivity and structural transformation. Implications for social work include the need to integrate decolonial and community-engaged methodologies into research training, advocate for institutional reforms that support equitable compensation and community leadership and expand definitions of scholarly impact to prioritize community benefit. This study contributes to the growing body of literature by offering empirically grounded insights into how decolonial principles are enacted in practice, highlighting both the possibilities and constraints of advancing epistemic justice within social work research.