COMMUNITY

PSYCHOLOGY:
COMMUNITY
RESEARCH
SOCIAL AND
COMMUNITY Dr John Griffiths:
[email protected]

PSYCHOLOGY: Dr Leanne Rimmer:

[email protected]
SESSION PLAN
LECTURE SEMINAR
 CP refresher  Guest lecturer:
 Community research overview Nigel Allmark (PhD candidate,
 Community research & MMU)
Participatory Action Research - Community Research in Action
(PAR) (exploring homelessness in
 Asset mapping Manchester using PAR)
BEFORE WE START…
HAVE YOU COMPLETED THE PRE-WORK?!
1. Download Socrative app or open
up on laptop
http://www.socrative.com/apps.php (work in
groups if unable to access)

2. Enter room name:

DRLR1
3. Complete questionnaire
 Link to Learning Outcomes
RELEVANCE OF TODAY
1 Understand the impact of social, institutional & cultural environments on
human behaviour & experience
2 Use a range of different sources to understand how groups affect & are
affected by social phenomena.
3 Analyse social inequality & diversity from different perspectives.
4 Integrate information from different sources to construct a structured &
balanced argument with appropriate use of academic references.
5 Demonstrate the ability to appraise alternative theoretical models in Social
and Community Psychology
 2. Reflective Essay
RELEVANCE OF TODAY II relating to
Choose ONE topic/issue
Community Psychology (e.g. poverty,
ethnicity, social class, homelessness,
1. Essay (1000 social justice, repression). Reflect upon
words) your own experience, making links with
Drawing on appropriate theory, Community Psychology theory, research
research and practice, discuss and practice
the contribution of Community
Psychology in explaining and
understanding ONE of the
following topics:
1. Communities and place Link to Assessment
2. Coping and support
3. Power and inequalities
4. Human diversity
INTRODUCTION COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY
REFRESHER
INTRODUCTION TO
COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY
 ‘Community Psychology is about the social context of
people’s lives’ (Orford, 2008; p3)
 How CP challenges mainstream approaches to
psychology
 Aim to re-evaluate and re-frame current understandings
and practice
 Being critical and reflective
 COMMUNITY COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY
RESEARCH: OVERVIEW
BACKGROUND AND
DEVELOPMENT
 Community Psychologists unhappy with traditional research methods
 Believed clinical/laboratory based experiments were unrealistic, and not how
people act/behave/think etc. in real life – i.e. neglects context
 Behaviour setting
 Need to consider physical environment and individual behaviour (Orford, 2008)
 Psychology dominated by statistical techniques
 Evaluating important in CP – identifies effects of action for social change,
researchers must be accountable, need to ensure optimal usage of limited resources
COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY
JOURNALS
 Journal of Community Psychology
 Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology
 American Journal of Community Psychology
 The Australian Community Psychologist
 Psychosocial Intervention
 Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice
 Community, Work and Family
COMMUNITY COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY
RESEARCH
 Community What?
Research
Areas of research
CONSIDERATIONS
Where?
Context of research
Philosophical
Underpinnings Why?
 Paradigms in Goals/rationale of research
research
 Values, beliefs, How?
morals of Methodology, design, strategy
researcher
How?
Methods, Tools,
process/procedure
 Paradigms
Ontology Form/nature of reality/the ‘truth’. Does reality exist?
Is it independent of the researcher? Realism vs.
relativism
Epistemology Nature of knowledge. How is knowledge acquired?
Objectivity vs. subjectivity
Axiology Underlying values (explicit/implicit) that shape the
research/phenomena
Methodology Guiding strategy/set of principles which will then
inform methods (tools). How can the researcher
explore phenomena?
Adapted from Nelson and Prilleltensky (2010)
PHILOSOPHICAL
UNDERPINNINGS
 Paradigm shift away from positivism into constructionism
 Positivism - Logical empiricism – all human and social events could
be studied with one scientific method; good science should be value
free; statistics as tool; operationalised, measurement (Orford, 2008)

But this relegates human meaning – instead need contextualism

PHILOSOPHICAL
UNDERPINNINGS:
THE RESEARCHER
 Community research is values-driven - as opposed to
objective/value-free (Nelson and Prilleltensky, 2010)
 Researchers need to be self-reflexive to acknowledge
values, social position and disadvantaged citizens (Nelson
and Prilleltensky, 2010)
 Integrate our moral values, collaborative research with
community groups
 PHILOSOPHICAL Adapted from Nelson and
Prilleltensky (2010),

UNDERPINNINGS: original source: Gil (1987)

PRINCIPLES AND AGENDA IN

1. CP
Re-examine value positions 7. Integrity is key
2. Integrate values at every 8. Integrity linked to values and
stage of research politics
3. Changes in social order 9. Avoid jargon
4. Social life, forces and 10. Liberated space in teaching
processes, transformation
5. No manipulation or 11. Social-political liberation
exploitation movements
6. Inductive in design
WHAT?
AREAS/FOCUS OF RESEARCH
*Ties in with ‘Foundations of Community Psychology’ Lecture*
 Under-represented/minority/marginalised people/groups
 Those facing discrimination/oppression/repression/stigma
 Situations involving power dynamics, social institutions,
inequality
 Issues of human diversity – gender, sexual orientation, mental
health, physical health, wellbeing, disability, colonialism, racism,
ethnicity, poverty, class, social deprivation, social stratification,
unemployment, income, homelessness, crime, war, immigration
WHERE?
CONTEXT OF COMMUNITY
RESEARCH
 In communities
 Contextualism – importance of social/environmental
 Against laboratory/false/manipulated situations/scenarios
 Can’t facilitate change unless there is a full understanding of the
context
 E.g. can’t remove person from home, change behaviour in
structured setting (controlled/manipulated), and then expect same
result when they return
WHY?
GOALS OF COMMUNITY
RESEARCH
*Ties in with ‘Foundations of Community Psychology’
Lecture*
 Goal – challenge the status quo, promote liberation and well-
being for all (Nelson and Prilleltensky, 2010)
 Empowerment – giving people a voice – not just a number
among hundreds
 Transformative change (not ameliorative change)
HOW?
METHODOLOGY - QUALITY CRITERIA
IN RESEARCH
All research Community Psychology
Explication of context and purpose Sensitivity to people’s context
Use of appropriate methods Respect for diversity among people and settings
Transparency of procedures Addressing competencies
Ethical treatment or participants Promoting empowerment
Importance of findings Giving voice to traditionally under-represented
populations
Promoting social justice
Research using multiple methodologies

Adapted from Baker and Pistrang, (2005)

 HOW?
METHODOLOGY Qualitative
Narrative Analysis
Quantitative Ethnography
 Cluster analysis (e.g. Rapkin
Discourse Analysis
and Luke, 1993)
Grounded Theory
 Multilevel modelling (e.g.
Christens and Spear, 2011) Interpretative Phenomenological
Analysis
 Geographic information
systems (e.g. Chirowodza et al, Thematic Analysis
2008)
HOW?
QUALITATIVE EXAMPLE -
NARRATIVE RESEARCH
 Shared or common stories (Orford, 2008)
Popular approach in CP
 Narratives ‘indicate a psychological sense of community,
meaning and identity, explaining to people themselves, and to
others who they are and what they are doing and why’ (Orford,
2008; p75)
 Can be communicated numerous ways – archives, community
rituals/performances, written documents, diaries, newspapers,
 Qualitative
HOW?
METHODS  Allow the capturing of in-depth
perspectives and views of multiple
people – emic view (Orford, 2008)
Quantitative
-Interviews
 Statistics
-focus groups
 Questionnaires
-investigative reporting
 Parametrics
-construction of oral histories
 Modelling
-observations
 Empirical observations
-journal/diaries
-field notes
HOW?
METHODS - QUALITY
CRITERIA IN RESEARCH
Quantitative research Qualitative research
Reliability and validity of Disclosure of perspective
measurement
Internal validity Grounding interpretation in the data
External validity Coherence of interpretive framework
Statistical Conclusion validity Credibility checks (e.g. consensus,
auditing, respondent validation,
triangulation)

Adapted from Baker and Pistrang, (2005)

HOW?
MIXED METHODS
COMMUNITY RESEARCH
 Methodological pluralism – knowledge accumulates
from a variety of sources and in diverse ways (Barker and
Pistrang, 2005)
Triangulation, pluralism, bricolage
 Combinations of methods to investigate an area
 Could be Qualitative and Quantitative combined (e.g.
interviews and a questionnaire); or a range of Qualitative
(e.g. narrative analysis and discourse analysis)
 PARTICIPATORY COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY
ACTION RESEARCH
 PARTICIPATORY ACTION
RESEARCH (PAR)
 Participative methods as important as controlled research designs (Orford,
2008)
 Multidisciplinary and multiform (Swantz, 2008)
 Not formally linked with any methodology (Nelson and Prilleltensky,
2010)
 Methods as ‘appreciative inquiry’
 More applied and concerned with practice - aim to improve the
community/group/individuals in question – not overhaul international
models
 GENERAL
PRINCIPLE
S

Orford (2008; p85)

 TRANSFORMATIVE
RESEARCH

Taken from
Nelson and
Prilleltensky
(2010; p299)
ROLES
 Community activist as a ‘scientist practitioner’ –
collaborate not consult
 Research done WITH communities, not ON them
 Participants are not passive recipients of intervention –
have involvement in the whole research process
 Participant involvement – advisors, consultants, owners
of research, representation at all stages – development,
implementation and evaluation
RESEARCHER
REQUIREMENTS

Orford (2008;
p86)
EVALUATING A COMMUNITY
Needs assessment: Qualitative approaches - evaluate needs and
resources in a community
Asset mapping: Qualitative interviews – participants asked to map
strengths/assets in the community (Nelson and Prilleltensky, 2010)
Cost-effectiveness/cost-benefit evaluation
Evaluability assessment – extent to which a programme is
amenable to evaluation (Nelson and Prilleltensky, 2010)
 ASSESSMENT/
EVALUATION

Taken from Kretzmann and McKnight (1997)

ASSET MAPPING EXERCISE
 Let’s see what strengths
we have in the group…
 Journal Article (In MMU Harvard Format):
RESEARCH TASK:
JOURNAL ARTICLE What? - Was the area/focus of research? Why is this relevant to
CRITIQUE Community Psychology?

Where? - Was the study undertaken? (Context of the Research)

1. Download/print Ahari
et al (2012) article from
Why? – Identify the goals of the study
Moodle
2. Download/print How? – Describe the methodology and methods
critique sheet from
Moodle Other indicators of Community Psychology research
3. Complete questions
4. Check answers (answer
sheet from Moodle)
RECOMMENDED READING
 Orford (2008) – Chapter 3
 Nelson and Prilleltensky (2010) – Chapter 11, 12, and 13
REFERENCES
 Barker, C., and Pistrang, N. (2005). Quality Criteria under Methodological Pluralism:
Implications for Conducting and Evaluating Research. American Journal of Community
Psychology, 35 (3-4), 201-212.
Chirowodza, A.., van Rooyen, H., Joseph, P., Sikotoyi, S., Richter, L., and Coates, T.
(2009), Using participatory methods and geographic information systems (GIS) to
prepare for an hiv community-based trial in Vulindlela, South Africa (Project Accept–
HPTN 043). Journal of Community Psychology, 37 (1): 41–57
 Christens, B.D. and Speer, P.W. (2011). Contextual Influences on Participation in
Community Organizing: A Multilevel Longitudinal Study. American Journal of
Community Psychology, 47 (3), 253-263.
 Israel, B. A., Eng, E., Schultz, A.J., and Parker, E.A. (2013). Methods for Community-
Based Participatory Research for Health (2nd ed.). San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass
REFERENCES II
Krenzmann, J.P., and McKnight, J.L. (1997). A Guide to Capacity Inventories: Mobilizing
the Community Skills of Local Residents. Chicago: ACTA Publications.
Nelson, G., and Prilleltensky, I. (2010). Community Psychology: In Pursuit of Liberation
(2nd Edition). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Orford, J. (2008). Community Psychology: Challenges, Controversies and Emerging
Consensus. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
Rapkin, B.D. and Luke, D.A. (1993). Cluster analysis in community research:
Epistemology and practice. American Journal of Community Psychology, 21 (2), 247-277.
Swantz, M.L. (2008). Participatory Action Research as Practice. In: Reason, P., and
Bradbury, H. (Eds.). The SAGE Handbook of Action Research (2 nd Edition). doi:
10.4135/9781848607934.n8