Provisionally approved Fall 2002 July 2002
CAPSTONE: DOING APPLIED RESEARCH
Level IV
RATIONALE: In the world of public and community service, research matters.
Sometimes research leads to specific policy changes or the creation of a program.
Research also may lead us to better understand the characteristics and problems
facing the communities and families we serve. Doing research, particularly
when it is done in collaboration with those affected by it, can also serve
as a vehicle for empowerment and for stimulating social action. In every
type of situation, though, research is not a purely neutral and “objective”
process. Even if the research is conducted in the most rigorous and responsible
manner, values and assumptions enter into the choices of research topics,
questions, methods, uses, and even who is qualified and appropriate to do
research.Applied social research is often conducted in a collaborative manner.
Sometimes there is a team of researchers; on other occasions an individual
researcher works with a client group or organization; in other instances research
is initiated from within a community and carried out by members of the community
themselves with or without professional assistance.
This capstone competency requires you to take an active professional role in all phases of an applied research project, including planning the project, carrying it out, disseminating the results, and assessing the quality of the process. The project could be a program evaluation, a policy evaluation, a needs assessment, or an in-depth study of a social problem. In addition to the technical aspects of research, this competency requires you to examine critically the political and ethical dimensions of social research in general and your project in particular.
COMPETENCY: Can effectively participate in the planning, implementation,
dissemination, and critical assessment of applied social research relevant
to public and community service.
CRITERIA:
1. Select a topic or issue with potential to yield insights relevant to public and community service.
2. Review what is known about the topic or issue, drawing from the academic literature as well as from relevant practice. Based on this review, present a clear case for how your proposed research would expand knowledge or lead to an improvement of current practice.
3. Formulate a research proposal or plan which includes:
a. specific research questions or hypotheses;
b. a well-defined population for study;
c. description of the geographical, social or institutional setting within which the research will be carried out;
d. a full description of the data collection methods to be used; and
e. an analysis of the limits of the research design.
4. Implement the project:
a. collect data
b. analyze data
c. organize findings
5. Present recommendations orally and in a written report.
6. Critically assess the research process.
STANDARDS:
1. The topic or issue can be a program evaluation, policy evaluation, needs assessment, or study of a social problem. Potential audiences or users must be identified as part of the justification for the choice of topics. The project should be of sufficient scope that individual participants will be able to address all criteria and standards, and be of sufficient complexity that it demonstrates culminating capstone work that reflects the knowledge and skills you have acquired in your work at preceding levels of the curriculum. The topic must be approved by a faculty evaluator.
2. For Criterion 2, the review of literature and relevant practice should demonstrate knowledge of the field. The review must summarize what is discussed about the topic in the chosen sources and show how it is relevant or applicable to the proposed research project. In addition to scholarly journals and books, the review should include an on-line search for scholarly sources on the topic. All sources selected must be assessed for their relevance and quality. A minimum of ten sources must be used. Sources must be critically evaluated for their quality and relevance.
3. Completion of Criterion 3 must include demonstration of an understanding of the politics of knowledge—in general as discussed in the research literature and in particular as applied to this project—including such issues as the following:
a. Whose questions and issues are chosen for research?
b. Who is defined as the researcher?
c. Who is defined as the subject?
d. What is the audience for the research?
e. What values are reflected in the choice of research methods?
4. For Criterion 3a, an overarching question or hypothesis must be formulated as well as a set of more specific researchable questions/hypotheses.
5. For Criterion 3b, the selection of the subject population must address issues of responsible access, and protection of human subjects, as well as issues of race, class, and gender. Projects must be approved by the organization where the project is to be conducted. There must be assurances and safeguards that the study population will be protected from risk (including physical, psychological, and social risk); that beliefs, language, interpersonal styles and behaviors, and diversity and similarities among study participants will be honored and respected. Where appropriate, and to the extent required, informed consent must be solicited and documented. The possible roles of members of the population being studied in planning and carrying out the research must be explicitly addressed.
6. For Criterion 3d, the data collection plan (methods) must show an awareness of the range of qualitative, quantitative, and participatory social research methods and must justify the chosen method as appropriate to researching the question/hypotheses.
7. For Criterion 4, the implementation must include:
a. collecting and maintaining the data in systematic and organized ways;
b. applying appropriate methods of analysis to the data;
c. discussing issues of reliability and validity; and
d. presenting the findings in readable and visually accessible form.
8. For Criterion 5, the results must be presented in both a written report of professional quality and an oral presentation (with visual and other aids) to an appropriate audience.
9. For Criterion 6, assessment of the project should include consideration of:
a. the appropriateness of the design;
b. the quality of the data;
c. the usefulness of the results; and
d. the quality of collaboration and teamwork in carrying out the project.
10. Each individual must participate in all aspects of the project
and provide evidence of having done so.
EXAMPLES OF DEMONSTRATION:
1. CPCS Collaborative Project: Working with a welfare rights group and under the direction of a faculty member, students in a collaborative project design a study of the impact of welfare-to-work programs in Boston. Project members identify a range of programs, some of which include education and training and others of which are “Work First” programs. They design and carry out a study comparing women’s accounts of their experiences in these programs and their current economic status.
2. Prior Learning: A student in an internship with a community health center did a survey of community attitudes toward a range of HIV prevention programs. To complete the capstone, the student presents the results of the study and a critique of its methodology in a research report and makes recommendations based on the results at a community forum.
3. Independent Learning: The director of a community multi-service agency becomes aware that a new population has moved into the area and asks CPCS for help in figuring out how best to integrate this group into the community. A group of CPCS students in a capstone workshop conduct in-depth interviews with the new residents to find out what kinds of services they need and how best to involve them with the agency. Each student teams up with a member of the new population to gather data on children’s and adults’ perceptions of their new community. The group pools the interview data, analyzes it, and writes a research report for the agency.