Values for Community Research and Action: Do We Agree Where They Guide Us?

The artide by This is, we suspect, exactly what was intended. Fawcett dearly articulates sev- eral research values that are rarely exemplified in the research literature. We share most, if not all, of the values and feel that the values are relevant not only to applied community research but to all applied research. Even so, we have concerns about implementing these values in our efforts to develop effective community programs as alternatives to large institutions for people with mental retarda- tion. Here we discuss the implications of four issues raised by Fawcett: (a) indusion of participants in selecting research goals, methods, and outcome measures; (b) problems associated with conducting research that may affect public policy; (c) tension between research requirements and research set- tings; and (d) consideration of who constitutes the participants in community research.