Department of Social Work Education
Participatory Action Research
Social Work _____
(3 units)
Prerequisites: SWRK 200, SWRK 220, and SWRK 291. Using participatory and social change-oriented methods for community needs assessment and program evaluation.
Social workers use a great variety of skills to promote social change. Some of these skills are inter-personal, involving the art of motivating people identify social problems, conducting empirical research to document the problem, and engaging in social action to alleviate the problem. Other skills are analytical in nature. They involve the collection and interpretation of data by the social worker in partnership with community constituents. Analysis is necessary in order that the best and most effective social change strategies are used. The purpose of this course is to provide graduate students with curriculum that promotes the use of research skills and Internet resources needed to conduct community-based research. It is also anticipated that students will acquire the inter-personal skills necessary to engage in participatory action research with community constituents.
Course Description
This course is designed to provide a learning experience in which students apply both interpersonal and research skills to conducting action research in partnership with a community-based organization. In groups of four or five participants, students will negotiate a research contract with a community-based agency, identify a community problem, conduct research on the problem, and write a report that recommends actions that the organization can take to address the problem. It is expected that students will participate in or facilitate a number of meetings with a community agency outside the classroom in order to plan, conduct, and report the outcome of the community project.
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1. |
Apply basic concepts of Participatory Action Research and the principles of empowerment, social justice, and cultural diversity to conducting research in partnership with constituents of a community group. |
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2. |
Working with a community group, formulate a research problem that contributes to social work knowledge and practice and complete a formal written contract for the scope of work to be completed by the students. |
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Complete a literature review on the identified social problem drawing on the available theoretical, best practice, and empirical literature. |
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In partnership with the community group, choose a research design, collect data, and analyze their findings. |
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5. |
Complete a written report that includes recommendations to the partner agency for future actions to address community problems. |
Learning Objectives
The student will be able to:
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1.1 |
Develop the inter-personal and group work skills to successfully develop the proposal in partnership with class members and with a community group. |
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1.2 |
Articulate and apply the basic ethical principles associated with the participatory action approach in setting up and conducting the research study. |
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1.3 |
Describe how the Participatory Action Approach increases the ability of social workers use intervention strategies that are culturally competent, enhance social justice, and empower clients and other constituents. |
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1.4 |
Use appropriate research methods and inter-personal skills to establish the validity and reliability of data collected in partnership with a community group. |
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2.1 |
Use appropriate communication, negotiation, and group work skills to develop an appropriate working relationship with key stakeholders who represent the agency and/or the target community. |
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2.2 |
Develop a written agreement with the community group that identifies the problem to be addressed, the general nature of the research to be conducted, the research question, the resources needed to conduct the study, and a time frame. |
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2.3 |
Participate in or facilitate a number of meetings with the agency’s or communities key stakeholders. |
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2.4 |
Develop meeting agendas and keep appropriate records of key decisions made in these meetings. |
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2.5 |
Develop legal and ethical protocols for the protection of human subjects and have it approved by the Department of Social Work Education’s Human Subjects Committee and by the agency in which the study is conducted. |
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3.1 |
Use available literature sources to describe the scope of the identified problem. |
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3.2 |
Conduct library and Internet searches for “best practice,” theoretical, and empirical literature relevant for understanding the identified problem. |
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3.3 |
Using the available literature, develop a conceptual model for understanding the problem and/or describe basic assumptions associated with a specific approach to conducting research (for example, feminist, ethnographic, or participatory action research). |
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4.1 |
Working in partnership with a community group, identify and apply an appropriate research methodology for addressing the identified community problem. |
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4.2 |
Working in partnership with a community group, identify and apply data collection methods consistent with the research design for carrying out the proposed research study. |
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4.3 |
Develop a plan for data analysis that is appropriate for the research design and the level of measurement of the variables. |
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5.1 |
Write a research report describes the focus of the study, deconstructs the relevant literature, describes the research methods utilized, interprets the results, and highlights the implications of the study. |
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Develop specific action-related recommendations for use by the agency or target community that can be utilized to alleviate the identified community problem. |
Each seminar class will meet for three hours per week. For instruction purposes, this class will utilize small task oriented group process, class discussion, student presentation, and lectures.
Course Content (See Course Schedule Attached)
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A. |
Basic assumptions and principles associated with Participatory Action Research. |
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The association of PAR methods with social work ethics and the principles of empowerment, social justice, and diversity. |
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The purpose of involving service consumers, staff, and community constituents in community-based research. |
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Establishing initial contact and developing relationships with community groups. |
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Understanding organization and group dynamics |
Section II
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Applying appropriate inter-personal skills to establishing a working partnership with community groups. |
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Understanding team approaches for conducting research with classmates and in conjunction with a community group. |
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Planning and facilitating meetings with community groups that will lead to task accomplishment. |
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Using culturally appropriate methods for establishing rapport with community group members. |
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Developing a written agreement with the community group that identifies the problem to be addressed, the general nature of the research to be conducted, the research question, the resources needed to conduct the study and a time frame. |
Section III
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Identification of the research question. |
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Finding literature sources: best practices, theoretical, and empirical in social work and other social science disciplines. |
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Using the literature for formulating research variables and concepts. |
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Using the literature for identifying and formulating a research design and other methodological components (e.g. data collection instruments, sampling, data analysis tools and analysis, etc.) |
Section IV. Methodology for Community-based Research
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Finding an appropriate method for addressing a community-problem. |
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Using community mapping and other participatory methods for needs assessments. |
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Participatory evaluation methods. |
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Qualitative methods: Ethnographic, feminist, and field research. |
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Policy analysis |
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Developing procedures for human subject protection: informed consent, confidentiality, protection against harm, and entry into the community. Obtaining agency and university human subjects approval. |
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Establishing procedures to ensure reliability and validity of the data collected in the PAR process. |
Section V.
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Analyzing research findings. |
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Including community group members in analysis of data. |
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Reflection and critical analysis of the work. |
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Reporting results that can be used by the community group to change programs or policies. |
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Writing research reports. |
Required text
Stringer, E. (1999). Action research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Additional readings can be downloaded from the library’s Electronic reserve system.
The course syllabus, calendar, exercises, assignments, and supplemental material are posted on Dr. Hardina’s web site: http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/donnah~.
All students are required to have an e-mail account and access to the Internet (either via the University or an at-home Internet connection).
Methods of evaluation
Grades will be determined based on the quality and quantity of required course assignments.
Grading:
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Written contract with community group |
25% |
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Final Group Report |
50% |
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Class Presentation |
15% |
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Class Participation and Attendance |
10% |
Note: The research project should undergo a human subjects review by Department Human Subjects Committee. Except for some exempt projects (for example, secondary data analysis), the university requires that a human subjects form be submitted to the department with a minimum of two faculty signatures for each research project.
Assignments should be formatted using the APA style manual (Version 5).A brief guide to APA format is posted on Dr. Hardina’s web site. There are also easy-to-read APA manuals at the bookstore.
The two primary components of APA are in-text citations and the reference list. In-text citations should include author name and date. Page numbers should also be included for direct quotations.
For example: (Jones, 1997) or (Jones, 1997, p. 35)
The following are examples of the correct use of a citation in a sentence:
According to Jones (1997), all social workers should learn administrative practice skills.
Gutierrez (1992) identifies a number of strategies that limit service utilization among people of color: “waiting lists, intrusive intake procedures, or rigid eligibility requirements” (p. 324).
If you cite authors or make refer to agency reports or documents, citations must be included in a reference list.
Final grades will be based on accumulated points from each assignment. Grades will be based on the following point spread:
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93 - 100 |
A |
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80 - 92 |
B |
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70 - 79 |
C |
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69 and below |
D |
Students with Disabilities: Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, contact Services to Students with Disabilities in Madden Library 1040 (278-2811).
Cheating and Plagiarism: “Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive actions for the purpose of improving one’s grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting another student to do so. Typically, such acts occur in relation to examinations. However, it is the intent of this definition that the term ‘cheating’ not be limited to examination situations only, but that it include any and all actions by a student that are intended to gain an unearned academic advantage by fraudulent or deceptive means. Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual property) so used as one’s own work.” Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from a 0 or F on a particular assignment, through an F for the course, to expulsion from the university. For more information on the University’s policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Schedule of Courses (Legal Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism) or the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations).
Computers: “At California State University, Fresno, computers and communications links to remote resources are recognized as being integral to the education and research experience. Every student is required to have his/her own computer or have other personal access to a workstation (including a modem and a printer) with all the recommended software. The minimum and recommended standards for the workstations and software, which may vary by academic major, are updated periodically and are available from Information Technology Services (http://www.csufresno.edu/ITS) or the University Bookstore. In the curriculum and class assignments, students are presumed to have 24-hour access to a computer workstation and the necessary communication links to the University’s information resources.”
Disruptive Classroom Behavior: ”The classroom is a special environment in which students and faculty come together to promote learning and growth. It is essential to this learning environment that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained….Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in terms which are supportive of the learning process, creating an environment in which students and faculty may learn to reason with clarity and compassion, to share of themselves without losing their identities, and to develop an understanding of the community in which they live….Student conduct which disrupts the learning process shall not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action and/or removal from class.
Draft Completed: August, 2003