Cases are highly prevalent in teaching and practice in psychology. Case-based research is crucial for engaged and relevant community and applied social psychologies, but is often subject to critique. This editorial responds to such critiques, clarifies various misconceptions regarding this research strategy, and argues for the utility of case-based research. We explore the theoretical basis and implications of case-based research for community action and participative interventions. This special issue offers a collection of articles that showcase the use of a range of methods in case-based research. Contributions include: (i) a conceptual argument regarding the logic of case studies; (ii) a single-person case study; (iii) a group-level case study; (iv) a multi-site case study, (v) a reflection on challenges of participative research, using the action-researcher as the case. These contributions demonstrate how the use of exemplars is crucial for community and applied social psychologists developing knowledge about social issues in complex and diverse societies, with a view to improving the human condition. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Case‐based Research in Community and Social Psychology: Introduction to the Special Issue

In Canada, public housing programs are an important part of governmental strategies to fight poverty and public exclusion The Flash on my neighborhood! project is a four-year multiphase community-based participatory action research strategy currently implemented in six public housing developments (n = 1009 households) across the province of Quebec, Canada The goal is to reduce the mental health disparities faced by these public housing tenants compared to the general population, while identifying which environmental and policy changes are needed to turn public housing settings into healthier environments The protocol involves three successive, interconnected phases: 1) Strengths and needs assessment, including community outreach and recruitment of tenants to collaborate as peer researchers, an exploratory qualitative component (photovoice), a systematic neighborhood observation, and a household survey; 2) Action plan development, including a community forum and interactive capacity-building and discussion sessions; 3) Action plan implementation and monitoring The entire intervention is evaluated using a mixed-method design, framed within a multiple case study perspective Throughout the project and particularly in the evaluation phase, data will be collected to record a) contextual factors (tenants’ previous experience of participation, history of public housing development, etc); b) activities that took place and elements from the action plan that were implemented; and c) short- and medium-term outcomes (objective and perceived improvements in the quality of the residential setting, both physically and in terms of mental health and social capital) The study will provide unprecedented evidence-based information on the key ingredients of a collective intervention process associated with the increased collective empowerment and positive mental health of public housing tenants

/pdf/an-intervention-strategy-for-improving-residential-3sgdwfml00.pdf

An intervention strategy for improving residential environment and positive mental health among public housing tenants: rationale, design and methods of Flash on my neighborhood!

Active and collaborative teaching methods increase student learning, and it is broadly accepted that almost any active or collaborative approach will improve learning outcomes as compared to lecture. Yet, large numbers of faculty have not embraced these methods. Thus, the challenge to encourage evidencebased change in teaching is not only how to educate faculty about collaborative learning techniques, but how to support them as they attempt to implement paradigmatic changes in how they deliver their courses. This paper presents a multiple case study detailing the approach the University of Louisville’s J. B. Speed School of Engineering used to encourage faculty in all departments to embrace the use of collaborative learning techniques, and then analyzes the impact of the approach on faculty participants. Support structures to enable faculty to implement collaborative teaching techniques, as well as the benefits participants experienced from pedagogical shifts, are discussed.

/pdf/implementing-collaborative-learning-across-the-engineering-1zeb3p0siw.pdf

Implementing Collaborative Learning across the Engineering Curriculum.

Service-learning programs provide students with opportunities to gain discipline-specific skills, while providing community organizations with a steady pool of volunteers. However, because students may lack the skills needed to effectively serve the community, skills-based training may need to be incorporated into service-learning courses. Students in a community nutrition service-learning course engaged in 7 weeks of training before teaching a 6-week-long nutrition education course to community members. The training included three layers of activities: (1) basic activities, which introduced the students to material necessary to build skills for their service-learning experience; (2) directed activities, which allowed them to refine a targeted skillset; (3) and collective activities, which allowed for the application of multiple skills. Through qualitative interviews with 12 of the 19 students who had been enrolled in the course, we determined the impact of a pre-service-learning training program on the development of the skills necessary to successfully teach a nutrition education course. Thematic analysis of the data revealed two major themes: (1) “layered learning” activities facilitate skill building and (2) a stressful, yet supportive, environment facilitates growth. Together, these aspects of course design allow students to develop skills and their self-efficacy in those skills. Therefore, instructors who plan to incorporate servicelearning into their nutrition courses may benefit from designing a pre-servicelearning training to improve student learning outcomes.

/pdf/layered-learning-eustress-and-support-impact-of-a-pre-4qlou4k6qb.pdf

Layered Learning, Eustress, and Support: Impact of a Pre-Service-Learning Training on Students' Self-Efficacy in Teaching in the Community.

MATTHEWS MARTIN, MARTHA ANNE. Workforce Development in Transition: Perceptions of Leadership Among Progressive State Workforce Investment Board Chairs. (Under the direction of Dr. Diane Chapman.) In today’s global economy, few would deny that the pace of change is increasing at unprecedented rates. Leaders are faced with complex issues and emerging challenges on a daily basis. In the workforce development context, state-level workforce investment board chairs must deal with both difficult economic realities, such as globalization and widening workforce skill gaps, and significant shifts in federal expectations under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014. The purpose of this study was to understand how leaders of progressive state-level workforce investment boards perceive this leadership challenge. How do they maneuver their way through the process? How do they learn to be successful in the complex workforce development context? How do they maintain their commitment to strategic objectives, despite the challenges of the democratic process? Research questions were answered using a qualitative case study design that included semistructured interviews, an online survey, and artifact reviews from among the nation’s most progressive state-level Workforce Investment Boards. The findings suggest that successful state-level WIB chairs perform as integrative leaders, using collaboration as both a leadership tool and the foundation to an enduring regime. It is recommended that WFD leaders engage with the political system and seek avenues to continue professional development throughout their tenue. Further research could be undertaken to better understand the leadership experiences of newly appointed WIB chairs, or those from states with differing interpretations of federal regulations. © Copyright 2017 by Martha Anne Matthews Martin All Rights Reserved Workforce Development in Transition: Perceptions of Leadership Among Progressive State Workforce Investment Board Chairs by Martha Anne Matthews Martin A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Educational Research and Policy Analysis Raleigh, North Carolina 2017

Workforce Development in Transition: Perceptions of Leadership Among Progressive State Workforce Investment Board Chairs.

Cross-case study methodology is a more appropriate and still rigorous methodology for community and systems change research and evaluation. It supports learning about effective implementation, community capacity building, and resident engagementall core elements of community and systems change efforts. It also communicates more effectively to non-researchers and evaluators if, how, and why community and systems change occurred through the use of a narrative that combines qualitative and quantitative data to tell a story. The application of the cross-case study methodology, adapted from Yin's cross-case synthesis approach, requires five essential steps: developing a theory of change, establishing a measurement framework that reflects methodological and data source triangulation, developing a cross-case study protocol and building a database, analysing and interpreting the findings, and communicating the results. This methodology was applied to the evaluation of the Safe Start Demonstration Project, a national community and systems change effort funded by the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. This methodology has all the attributes of scientific rigour. In this paper, we argue for a reconsideration of case study research by funders, policymakers, researchers, and evaluators and advance the cross-case methodology as the emerging standard for community and systems change research and evaluation. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KW: Juvenile justice; Juvenile delinquency; Language: en

David M. Chavis

Papers

Cross-case Methodology: Bringing Rigour to Community and Systems Change Research and Evaluation