COURSE DESCRIPTION:
overview of basic survey methods, interview techniques, correlational research, longitudinal studies, secondary/archival data analysis, qualitative research and sociometric techniques, needs assessment and program evaluation, case studies.

Required Text:
Mertens, D. M., Research Methods in Ethication and Psychology: Integrating Diversity with Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches

Recommended Text: Kranzler, G., & Moursund, J. Statistics for the Terrified

Class Materials:

Data Sets: Qualitative and quantitative data sets have been created through collaboration with community agencies and service providers. The data include narratives provided by clients or residents; program materials describing services provided by the facility; archival records on individuals; participants, or clients who agreed to such access; raw data from previous assessments; surveys completed by participants; quarterly and annual evaluations; and service delivery statistics for workshops, special meetings, and conferences. The appropriate data set for each team task will be passed out in class.

Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS): A quantitative SPSS data set has been constructed using real data from a wealth of interesting research projects to provide concrete examples of statistical principles.

Assignments

1. Eleven (11) team tasks (assigned and completed during class sessions)

2. Six (6) semester exams (5pp, typed, 1" margins, minimum 12pt font, double spaced)

St. Margaret's House is a day center for women and children in need in St. Joseph county living at 125% of the poverty level or below. It provides a safe and caring environment where women and children can help themselves and each other to develop their self-esteem and potential. The House strives to empower guests in planning and decision making as an expression of shared ownership of St. Margaret's House. Services and programs provided include: laundry and bathing facilities, children's supervised play area, free phone for local calls, and meals. The House has also established life skills programming for adults in the areas of parenting, self-esteem, rape and incest survival, health and nutrition education, and non-denominational spiritual reflection. Staff include a part-time director and 25 regular volunteers.

The Social Action Project (SOCACT) is an action research project operating in two communities: Benton Harbor, Michigan and Johannesburg, South Africa. The project objective is to foster the growth of effective and competent communities. This is being accomplished through a series of project activities that deal with psychological and sociological problems in living associated with urban decline. The SOCACT is both a community-based intervention and a research project.

As an intervention, the project collaborates with community members to identify the needs. The activities that are created are the "tools" used to meet the needs of a particular neighborhood or other social setting. The project team works alongside residents in both communities to help them address their concerns. As the activities progress, the project team trains residents in techniques for community development and acts as a conduit for needed resources.

As a research project, SOCACT looks at the process of community development and social change. To this end, several studies are currently underway; some are continuations of earlier pilot studies, others are studies just being developed. (Project activities are described in materials you have already received.) Ultimately, the findings of the research will help test the prevailing theories about the nature of social change. In turn, this information will be used to design more effective community interventions here in the US and in South Africa.

Project activities include these areas:

Youth Community Theater: using drama and theater to work with youths on issues related to esteem, identity, expression, and psychological development. Youths perform original material and adapted plays.

Building Unity Between Old and Young: an intergenerational program pairing youths and elders to explore cultural heritage as it relates to life satisfaction and locus of control. Youths and elders collaborate on plays for the community theater group.

Addiction Squared: working with. treatment centers to design services for addicts and alcoholics. The objective is to align service delivery with the needs of clients also dealing with issues related to sexuality and alienation.

Recovery International: using arts education with youths near Johannesburg, South Africa to help them make the adjustment from being soldiers of the resistance to being children again.

Education 2000: established a public library in a Nigerian community that had none. The component to develop and implement a model primary school curriculum without culture bias was suspended due to the unstable political climate.

How Project Activities Fit Together

The Social Action Project has three basic objectives: To develop and replicate models for community bui1ding and empowerment; to create psychological assessment tools sensitive to differences caused by race, gender, and class inequities; and to establish a university-community partnership as a mechanism to bring about social change. The components are designed to serve marginalized and under-represented groups, helping them gain a sense of empowerment and building self-efficacy. Each of the SOCACT studies uses a service-leaming approach; that is, the research does not seek knowledge for its own sake. Rather the findings are applied to problems residents face in their daily lives.

The Youth Community Theater uses arts education as the mechanism to meet the Benton Harbor community's expressed need for youth activities. The work is mirrored in Johannesburg where the Theater is used to help youths there adjust to post-apartheid life. The Theater, in collaboration with the intergenerational program, has three components: DRAMA/ STORYTELLING: "Back Porch Stories" will bring opportunities for youths to create stories, plays, and improvisations incorporating their own "life in my neighborhood" experiences, as well as select ancient and contemporary wisdom from the oral traditions of their cultures. MUSIC/DANICE.- "I Must Tell This World" will connect ritual, rhythm, and relation to the social world in a physical format. Body movement will be choreographed and incorporate the young dancer's own friendships, romances, and family relationships in griot song lines. Students will make their own instruments for accompaniment. CHOREOPOETRY: "Flow for Life" will offer youth the chance to produce rhythm and rhymes incorporating their own dreams, reflections and wishes for the future.

Addiction Squared looks at alcohol and substance abuse in the gay and lesbian community, which has a higher rate of substance abuse than the majority heterosexual community. The project focuses on alienation and other psychosocial factors, exploring the role the bar plays in developing a culture of addictions. The project consists of three phases, with surveys and structured, in-depth Interviews of gay and lesbian subjects in six cities in the United States.

Education 2000 involved the design of a model primary school in response to the identified need for improved education in a Nigerian community in lboland. Educators and students participated in curriculum development, equipping students to successftilly compete on standardized national academic exams. In addition, local culture and history was incorporated into the lesson plans. The other component of this project was to establish a library. Through the Africa Book Project, 26,000 books were collected, sorted, and shipped for what became known as the Pioneer Library. Nigerian and U.S. elementary students exchanged Nigerian folklore, music, and dance through the pen pals program. The component has been suspended as a result of the political turmoil currently going on in the country.

Membership on the Field Teams

SOCACT is divided into two teams- the Benton Harbor team and the overseas team. The two teams are at the same time autonomous and interdependent. Activities of the Benton Harbor team "feed" the work of the overseas team and vice versa.

Membership on either field team requires a commitment of three consecutive semesters. Summer I and Summer II count as one semester.

This is necessary because activities SOCACT undertakes require time to unfold; short-term participation is disruptive not only to fellow team members, but also to contacts in the community.

Membership on either team requires:

Attendance at scheduled team meetings
Submission of research data
Satisfactory progress in Community activity

Attend Team Meetings. The Project teams meet regularly; the Benton Harbor team meets once a week, the overseas team meets every two weeks. Full team meetings are the first Saturday of each month. Attendance at these meetings is the basic requirement to participation.

This is an important time in the operation of the project. Between meetings team members work on different schedules and activities. This meeting is the only time the entire team comes together. Failure to attend not only means you do not participate, it also means others on the team do not hear what you are doing. The result is duplicated efforts, missing information, unfinished tasks, and more frustration for everyone.

Team meeting day and time is arranged after reviewing the schedules of everyone on the team. Although "arranged" implies a level of flexibility, be aware that historically finding a day and time that everyone can meet has been difficult. Be aware of this possible difficulty as you review the remainder of these materials.

Submit Research Data. The Intervention Team Log is used to collect the data. These logs are then given to a coder for analysis. The log sheets are due each team meeting.

The logs are the key instrument in a spectrum of tools used in the research. When you do not submit your logs, that means no analysis can be done. That means the research bogs down and eventually grinds to a halt. SOCACT uses other research instruments in addition to the logs. You will be instructed in their use during periodic training sessions

The logs are also my best window into the progress of SOCACT activities. My role as the director is to facilitate your work in the field; your logs are the documentation I need as to the nature of that work. Failure to submit your logs hampers my ability to properly manage the project.

Progress in Community Activity. Each of you has expressed interest in one of the project's activities. For those who are still undecided, this is not a problem- It is not uncommon for team members to initially invest time trying to decide what role they will play with SOCACT. Discussions at the meetings and reviewing other project materials will help clarify that role.

Clearly, "progress" is defined relative to the type of activity in which you are involved. Some interventions unfold almost by themselves, moving forward smoothly and quickly. Others are slow and tedious, filled with frustrations and backtracking. This is the reality of the kind of work SOCACT undertakes.

"Progress", then, is a matter of process. It involves problem solving, brainstorming, tenacity, consistency, patience, and no small amount of creativity. The team meetings are the time this process takes place. Status reports on each activity are given and members have a chance to discuss their progress — or lack thereof — with the group. The purpose of a team approach is access to multiple talents and viewpoints. This facilitates the process/progress of any individual activity.

Survey of Activities

Other support activities are also a part of the SOCACT work. Unlike membership on a field team, you can participate in any one of these on a per semester basis.

Members involved in support activities do not travel overseas.

Members of the field teams travel overseas. As stated previously, membership on a field team requires a commitment of three consecutive semesters (Summer I and Summer II count as one semester). In addition, members of the field teams work directly in the communities where SOCACT operates. Participation in a support role does not include consistent community contact.

-LITERATURE SEARCH -Culture and history of Nigeria and South Africa -Issues in cross-cultural psychology -Collective action and social movements -Race relations and managing diversity

-NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE -Herald Palladium (Benton Harbor) -National Concord (Nigeria) -South Africa News Update

-PROJECT OPERATIONS -Library search and bibliographic research -Assist team members as needed -Coding and data management -Clerical support

TEXTS:
Berg, B., Qualitative Research Methods for Social Sciences Lofland & Lofland, Analyzing Social Settings