Community-based action research in a multi-site prevention project: challenges and resolutions.

This article examines the use of action research strategies over a four-year period in developing and evaluating a prevention program for children and their families. This research has taken place in a low-income multi-cultural neighbourhood in Sudbury. Strategies to foster participation and the practical relevance of findings are described, both for the initial proposal development stage, and for the period after a local program was funded as part of a multi-site evaluation project. After reviewing the challenges inherent in doing action research within a multicultural neighbourhood, and within a multi-site design, we discuss which strategies have worked, and what remains to be resolved.