Using Concept Mapping to Develop a Statewide Kinship Care Coalition: A Case Study

Increasingly, community coalitions are being developed to address a myriad of social challenges. However, documented research efforts related to planning processes associated with coalition formation are few. This case-study documents the use of concept mapping (CM) to d elineate a conceptual framework for developing a statewide kinship care coalition in one southeastern state. CM is a mixed-method research approach that analyzes qualitative data via nonmetric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses. After a review of relevant literature, this article discusses CM processes associated with this endeavor and examines implications for future use of CM for coalition formation and development.     

Using Concept Mapping to Promote Community Building: The African American Initiative at Roseland

ABSTRACT

While many organizations recognize the value of community building, they often encounter difficulty in actualizing projects and developing tangible results. This article presents how a planning and evaluation method known as concept mapping was used to drive a community building effort by a large not-for-profit organization in Chicago around the issue of at-risk African American male youth. This work grew out of a grant related to the needs of African American families, called the African American Initiative, which was funded by the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. The article describes the first phase of the African American Initiative at Roseland, and lessons learned. Primarily, this study was able to generate a conceptual framework of problems facing African American male youth, which was used to revise previously defined outcomes and also create new ones. In addition, use of concept mapping to drive community building generated reflection on intended and unintended benefits. At the same time, challenges around this approach demonstrate the need for continued research.     

Community-Based Research and Participatory Change: A Strategic,Multi-Method Community Impact Assessment

This article presents a community impact assessment that was triggered by a proposed land development project that had the potential to dramatically change the social fabric and quality of life in a neighborhood whose history dated back several generations. Developers of the project never asked, “How would this project impact the surrounding neighborhood?” Community planning faculty and student researchers embarked on a 5-month effort to answer this question. This case study presents this research and points to the usefulness of community impact assessments for neighborhoods that are faced with development where the future of their community is at stake.     

Building Community Capacity to Advocate for Policy Change: An Outcome Evaluation of the Neighborhoods Working in Partnership Project in Detroit

This article presents results of the outcome evaluation of Neighborhoods Working in Partnership (NWP), a community-based participatory research project of the Detroit Community–Academic Urban Research Center, designed to enhance policy advocacy skills through training and support, thereby increasing community capacity, engagement, and empowerment of Detroit residents to change policies. Focus groups and conversational interviews were conducted with NWP participants. Results indicate that the workshop empowered participants and enhanced dimensions of community capacity. Participants reported engaging in policy advocacy activities and various policy successes. Participants identified challenges and facilitating factors to their policy campaigns. Recommendations for similar trainings are provided.     

Community Readiness Assessment: The Scoring Process Revisited

The Community Readiness Model is an innovative and widely embraced approach to determining a community's stage of readiness to address a particular community issue and match that stage with an appropriate intervention. The current study used this approach in five communities experiencing cancer health disparities. In each community, leaders were interviewed and their qualitative data scored to determine the community's stage of readiness. Two methods of triangulation, investigator and interdisciplinary, were used to increase the scoring process's rigor. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the consensus portion of the scoring process, these meetings were content analyzed. The results have important implications for scoring team composition, provide insight into consensus reaching strategies, and offer recommendations for addressing potential challenges.     

Coalition for a Healthier Community: Lessons learned and implications for future work

The Coalition for a Healthier Community (CHC) initiative was implemented to improve the health and well-being of women and girls. Underpinning CHC is a gender-based focus that uses a network of community partners working collaboratively to generate relevant behavior change and improved health outcomes. Ten programs are trying to determine whether gender-focused system approaches are cost-effective ways to address health disparities in women and girls. Programs implemented through coalitions made up of academic institutions, public health departments, community-based organizations, and local, regional, and national organizations, are addressing health issues such as domestic violence, cardiovascular disease prevention, physical activity, and healthy eating. Although these programs are ongoing, they have made significant progress. Key factors contributing to their early success include a comprehensive needs assessment, robust coalitions, the diversity of populations targeted, programs based on findings of the needs assessments, evaluations taking into consideration the effect of gender, and strong academic–community partnerships. A noteworthy impact of these programs has been their ability to shape and impact public, social, and health policies at the state and local levels. However, there have been challenges associated with the implementation of such a complex program. Lessons learned are discussed in this paper.     

Postmigration Living Difficulties,Help-Seeking and Community Resilience in the Initial Stages of Migration: Coproducing Community Practice with Recent Irish Migrants to London

This article describes a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) project that examined the postmigration living difficulties (PMLD), help-seeking and community resilience of recent Irish migrants to London (n = 176). The majority of respondents were young adults, in managerial or professional occupations and in good or very good health. Mixed methods indicate inadequate planning for relocation and poor social support as the main difficulties in the initial stages of migration. Community factors promoting resilience included employment opportunities, local and transnational supports, and cultural familiarity and acceptance. Community participation in the action orientated phase of this CBPAR is discussed.     

Making Connections: Community Organizing,Empowerment Planning,and Participatory Research in Participatory Evaluation

This article shows the intersections of participatory research, popular education, empowerment planning, and community organizing with participatory evaluation. It argues that a truly successful participatory evaluation involves participants in guiding and even conducting the research, doing a process of self- and program study, creating plans for change, and organizing themselves for implementing these plans. Next, the chapter shows how these elements played out in a participatory evaluation of a community organizing training and technical assistance project in Toledo, Ohio. The first year of the project was facilitated by participatory evaluation that helped identify early successes and problems so participants could make programmatic changes early in the process. The telling of the story also develops practices of participatory evaluation, including planning the evaluation, doing the research and adapting it to changing conditions, uncovering creative tensions, participatory validity checking, and linking the process to planning and action. The chapter concludes with some lessons for participatory evaluation practice.     

Community reintegration for people with psychiatric disabilities: challenging systemic barriers to service provision and public policy through participatory action research

People with psychiatric disabilities represent a growing group within the population of nursing home residents in the USA. Despite a preference for living in community‐based settings, the availability of supportive services for community living is hindered by barriers at both the service provision and public policy levels. Therefore, understanding and responding to the community living and participation needs of people with psychiatric disabilities is a highly relevant area for action research. This paper discusses a participatory action research endeavor carried out in collaboration with key personnel at Centers for Independent Living who work to provide community reintegration services for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. The events of this 15 month partnership are extensively described, analyzed and discussed. Findings reflect the critical need for communication, dialogue and action to support people with psychiatric disabilities in the community.     

Motivations for Involvement in Nonmetropolitan LGBTQ Organizations: A Multimethod Qualitative Exploration

Organizations serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities provide services aimed at improving the health and well-being of LGBTQ people, yet may face limited resources and community support in nonmetropolitan communities. This study seeks to understand LGBTQ individuals’ motivations for becoming and staying involved in nonmetropolitan LGBTQ organizations. Data collection methods included interviews, participant observation, and focus groups. Six categories of motivations emerged: (1) to access support and resources; (2) to establish an LGBTQ community; (3) to be generative; (4) to affirm identity; (5) to support an LGBTQ organization; and (6) to combine one’s personal and professional lives.     

Community Economic Development Organizations in Montreal

Summary

This chapter explores the dilemmas facing CED intermediary organizations as vehicles for progressive social change through an analysis of an urban Canadian model from Québec called corporations de développement économique communautaire (CDEC). CDECs are democratically controlled, not-for-profit, local development organizations that oversee and support CED efforts on three main levels: (1) job skills development and “employability” services; (2) business development; and (3) development of innovative partnerships among diverse groups to plan and coordinate CED strategies in their communities. These practices are analyzed and issues inherent to them are presented using specific contributions from CED literature. This analysis shows that within such organizations, contradictory practices and directions co-exist due to pressures exerted simultaneously by market, state, and community forces.     

Finding Place in Community Change Initiatives: Using GIS to Uncover Resident Perceptions of their Neighborhoods

The growing recognition that place matters has led to numerous foundation- and government-sponsored initiatives that attempt to simultaneously strengthen neighborhoods and address the needs of families that live there. Despite the centrality of the concept of neighborhood, these place-based initiatives have few tools to understand how residents identify with the space within their target areas. This article demonstrates how resident-drawn maps gathered in a household survey can be used to uncover individual and collective neighborhood definitions. Using data gathered as part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Making Connections program in 10 cities, the study finds that there is considerable variation among residents in how they define their neighborhoods, but that there are also commonly held neighborhood identities that need to be taken into account in community practice.     

The Community Tool Box: Using the Internet to Support the Work of Community Health and Development

SUMMARY

Despite limited preparation through formal and non-formal education, local people throughout the world are engaged in the common work of building healthier communities. Some core competencies-including community assessment, planning, mobilization, and evaluation-are needed to address the variety of issues that matter to local communities. This report describes an Internet-based support system for community work known as the Community Tool Box (CTB) [http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/]. We examine the idea and origins of the CTB and its core content, access features, and applications. We review evidence for its use, implementation and dissemination strategies, and discuss core values that guide this internet-based work.     

Participating in community research: exploring the experiences of lay researchers in Bradford

Considerable attention has been given in recent years to the merits of involving community members in the research process and the resulting benefits in terms of research outcomes. Far less is known about the experiences of individuals taking on the role of lay researchers within their own community. This research investigates the experiences of six young Asian women who, following training, undertook a community health needs assessment in a neighbourhood in Bradford. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings indicated that participating was overall a positive experience, having an impact on the women in two main ways. Firstly, a positive change in perception relating to their own capabilities and influence, resulting in increased confidence, self-esteem, and a greater understanding of the research process. Secondly, the women developed greater awareness of and interest in issues affecting their community coupled with greater empathy towards fellow residents, inspiring a determination to work towards achieving positive changes. However, the women expressed concerns that the needs assessment had raised expectations within the community and they would be held responsible for delivering change. Further research is recommended into the experiences of lay researchers, particularly the longer term impact of being involved both to themselves individually and the wider community.     

Assessing Community Needs of Sexual Minority Youths: Modeling Concept Mapping for Service Planning

Research devoted to interventions and other attempts to buffer the negative experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (GLBTQ) youths is lacking. This study used Concept Mapping to explore the psychosocial support needs of diverse sexual minority youths served in a GLBTQ youth-focused center and brings youth voice to currently limited literature on GLBTQ service planning. Conceptual maps generated represent the types of supports youths believe are needed to meet their needs. Three primary areas for service planning—developing protective supports, mental health-related supports, and culturally relevant services—were identified from the 58 statements and 5 clusters generated.     

Reflexivity in Practice: Developing a New Attitude as Part of Teaching and Engaging in Participatory Research and Development

The position taken in this article derives from a reflexive self-discovery of the assumptions underlying my teaching and conducting of social research over the years. Undoubtedly, as qualitative approaches continue to evolve in recognition of the plurality of persons, cultures, and ways of knowing, participatory research and development will increasingly require of teachers and researchers new self-knowledge, sensitivities, and humility. Using my experiences as the context for discussion, the article examines existing definitions and the place of participatory research and development within the qualitative paradigm and posits that there is room for radical reflection on the value of inclusionary processes in both the teaching and practice of social research and development.     

The Effect of Cooperative Concept Mapping on Misconceptions,Knowledge Achievement,and Transfer of Learning in Peace Education

Abstract

This study tested the effect of cooperative concept mapping on knowledge achievement and transfer in peace education on 159 social studies students using a quasi-experimental research design. Four intact classes—two each in rural and urban areas—were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions, and two instruments—Peace Education Achievement Test and Peace Education Transferability Test—were used for data collection. Findings showed that cooperative concept mapping unveiled students’ misconceptions in peace education and their perceptions about violent behaviors, raised students’ consciousness about asymmetric structures undermining peace, empowered them with ability to establish connections between intrinsic and extrinsic causes of conflict, and encouraged practical suggestions on how to resolve conflict and promote peace through enactment of peace virtues. Bivariate associations showed that students’ achievement in one context correlated with their transfer of learning in another context, with stronger correlation exhibited among experimental students. We attributed the stronger correlation recorded among experimental students to the “concepts connection” and visual effect occasioned by concept maps and overt effort of experimental teachers to create cooperative, experiential, and learner-centered lessons. Also, our assumption that female students will do better than male students in peace education was met. Implications of findings for curriculum review, instructional delivery and teacher education were discussed.     

An Approach to Community Facilitation Using Mediation Techniques: Skills for the Sociological Practitioner

Current community organization literature calls for a focus on the identification of community assets, not community deficits. This includes building relationships in the community to identify and solve community problems. In addition, the asset approach to community development redefines the role of the outside expert as one who is concerned with the process of community development, instead of the content of what needs to be changed. The shift to an asset-based approach calls for a new set of practice skills to be employed by the sociological practitioner. The authors suggest integrating specific skills from the mediation literature with the current community organization model as a first step in developing the practice skills necessary to being an effective community facilitator.