Culturally responsive research in conflict-affected contexts: Lessons in research design, data collection, and analysis from Syrian refugee teachers in Turkey

• In Event: M&E for Equity and Marginalized Populations

Proposal

Incorporating culturally responsive approaches in research and evaluation has become increasingly important across diverse settings to identify and understand problems accurately and address them equitably. Despite a growing body of conceptual and theoretical literature on these approaches, empirical research embedding culturally responsive practices and strategies remains scarce—particularly in conflict and post-conflict societies that present unique challenges and dilemmas for researchers. In this paper, I discuss the lessons in culturally responsive research design, data collection, and analysis learned throughout ten months of fieldwork with Syrian refugee teachers on the Turkish-Syrian border (September 2013-July 2014). First, I briefly review the literature on culturally responsive research and evaluation approaches, making the case for embedding these practices and strategies in conflict-affected contexts. Then, I discuss the strategies used to ensure cultural responsiveness in various stages of the study. Finally, I present the challenges faced in applying culturally responsive principles, showing how I attempted to overcome them over the course of fieldwork. These lessons on culturally responsive research with refugee populations help to think about practices and strategies valuable for research with other conflict-affected communities.

Author

• Ozen Guven, American Institutes for Research