ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP by ANTHONY OPARE OMERIKWA

185 Pages·2012·0.54 MB·English

FACULTY CONSTRUCTION OF RECIPROCITY AND MUTUALITY IN COMMUNITY-
ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP
by
ANTHONY OPARE OMERIKWA
(Under the Direction of Talmadge C. Guy)
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to understand the community-engagement phenomenon
through the perspectives of faculty members involved in community engaged projects. The study
was guided by the following research questions; How does a faculty: (1) Understand and define
the process of reciprocity and mutuality? (2) Integrate reciprocity and mutuality in engaged
projects? And, (3) negotiate the project engagement process? This study illuminated the
perspectives of land grant university faculty in defining mutuality and reciprocity, negotiating
disparities, and incorporating the tenets of community-engaged scholarship in university-
community partnerships.
The findings showed that (a) the nature of the study and faculty knowledge influenced how
mutuality and reciprocity were defined, (b) the integration of mutuality and reciprocity was done
at different facets of the project, from conception of the research idea to the dissemination of
findings, (c) integration had to be negotiated by the survey participants, and (d) factors such as
funding, time, researcher positionality, institutional culture, access, and historical experiences
affected the integration of reciprocity and mutuality.
The study concluded that (a) community-engaged scholarship was socially constructed,
(b) mutuality and reciprocity was incorporated at different phases of the projects’ process, (c)
mutuality and reciprocity was characterized by contradictions, (d) there was a power relationship
between the faculty and the community, and (e) expected outcomes prevailed over process and
purpose in framing engaged scholarship.
The study advanced Stanton’s model community engaged scholarship by proposing the
role of negotiations and relationships to enhance reciprocity and mutuality. The practical
implications of the study included: enriching faculty training and development content,
understanding the challenges of integrating mutuality and reciprocity, understanding the
definition of community-engaged scholarship across disciplines, and strengthening institutions’
commitment to the community through research work.
The study recommended exploring how other actors in community-based projects defined
and integrated reciprocity and mutuality, a greater understanding of the community’s
perspectives, focusing on the impact of institutional culture on the conduct of the project and the
faculty, using quantitative approaches to establish the correlation between the challenges faced
by the faculty, integrating of mutuality and reciprocity into community projects, and replicating
the study in a different context.

INDEX WORDS: Reciprocity, Mutuality, Engagement, Scholarship, Negotiation,
Relationship, Community, Power, Engaged scholarship, University-
community partnership, Community-engaged scholarship
FACULTY CONSTRUCTION OF RECIPROCITY AND MUTUALITY IN COMMUNITY-
ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP

by

ANTHONY OPARE OMERIKWA
BA, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya 1999
MS, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg Kansas 2005
Ed.S, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg Kansas 2006

A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

ATHENS, GEORGIA
2012
© 2012
Anthony Opare Omerikwa
All Rights Reserved
FACULTY CONSTRUCTION OF RECIPROCITY AND MUTUALITY IN COMMUNITY-
ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP

By

ANTHONY OPARE OMERIKWA

Major Professor: Talmadge C. Guy
Committee: Laura L. Bierema
Lorilee R. Sandmann
Patricia L. Kalivoda

Electronic Version Approved:

Maureen Grasso
Dean of Graduate School
The University of Georgia
December 2012
iv

DEDICATION
“A wise man has great power and a man of knowledge increases strength”
(Proverbs 24:5). I dedicate this to you, Mum; even though you are gone, I still hear your
loving voice encouraging me to forge ahead. I hope to share the joy of my success with
my wife and son in a way that you would have wished. May the knowledge I have gained
as a result of my dissertation journey be a tool to make their lives worthwhile, and the
world a better place.
v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Special thanks to Dr. Talmadge Guy, my dissertation committee chair, for
believing in my potential, and the guidance and mentorship you continue to offer. I would
also like to extend my appreciation for the support and encouragement I continue to
receive from Dr. Bierema, Dr. Sandmann and Dr. Kalivoda. Faith and Jeremy, you
always energized and inspired me to take the next step, thank you so much.
vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...............................................................................................v
LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................ix
LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................................x
CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................1
Background of the Problem......................................................................................4
Statement of the Problem.........................................................................................8
Purpose of the Study..............................................................................................10
Significance of the Study.......................................................................................10
CHAPTER TWO...........................................................................................................12
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE............................................................................12
Scholarship of Engagement....................................................................................13
University-Community Collaboration....................................................................21
Engaged Scholarship as Faculty Work...................................................................22
Theoretical Framework..........................................................................................23
Stanton’s Model.....................................................................................................24
Power Relations.....................................................................................................29
Negotiating Power Differentials.............................................................................36
Chapter Summary..................................................................................................41
vii
CHAPTER THREE.......................................................................................................42
METHODS...............................................................................................................42
Design of the Study................................................................................................42
Sample Selection...................................................................................................49
Data Collection......................................................................................................52
Data Analysis.........................................................................................................54
Trustworthiness .....................................................................................................57
Personal Orientation and Assumptions...................................................................58
Chapter Summary..................................................................................................61
CHAPTER FOUR.........................................................................................................62
FINDINGS................................................................................................................62
Participants and Project Description.......................................................................62
Synopsis of the Findings........................................................................................64
Perception of Reciprocity and Mutuality................................................................67
Integration of Reciprocity and Mutuality into the Projects......................................73
Negotiating the Engagement Process......................................................................89
Factors Affecting the Integration of Reciprocity and Mutuality............................101
Chapter Summary................................................................................................123
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS................................................................125
Conclusions.........................................................................................................126
Implications for Theory and Practice....................................................................141
Recommendations for Future Research................................................................148
REFERENCES............................................................................................................151
viii
APPENDIX A - PARTICIPANT SOLICITATION LETTER..................................170
APPENDIX B - LETTER OF INTRODUCTION....................................................171
APPENDIX C - GUIDING RESEARCH QUESTIONS...........................................172
APPENDIX D - CONSENT FORM.........................................................................173