Community-based Research with Students

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Community-based Research with Students

• Bow Valley College
• June 7, 2010
• Dawne Clark, PhD
• Mount Royal University
• Centre for Child Well-Being

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What is Community-based Research?

• My definition community-based research
• is housed in the community
• is mutually beneficial (faculty, students,
  community)
• supports community needs
• enhances student learning
• impacts curriculum

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Supporting Community Needs

• Agencies seeking to improve their practice
• Program evaluations
• Needs assessments
• Community scans
• Few in-house resources
• Lack capacity
• Staff too busy

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Enhancing Student Learning

• Engages students in practical experiential
  learning
• Teaches skills
• Builds confidence and awareness
• Increases students employability and career
  satisfaction

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Impacts Curriculum

• Cycles new knowledge from projects back into
  curriculum
• Enhances and supports faculty knowledge and
  skills
• Builds strong connections with community

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An Example
Physical Activity For Preschool Children
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Year One

• Questions
• How much physical activity do children in group
  care settings in Calgary have each day?
• What are caregivers attitudes
• towards physical activity
• for children?

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What We Did

• Child Studies students framed the research
• Literature review
• Research question
• Surveys
• Ethics application
• ELCC students
• Explored issue of physical activity
• Collected data

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Year Two

• How to support caregivers to provide more
  physical activity or preschool children?
• 35 ELCC 2nd year students (Play 3)
• Created activities to support physical activities
  
• 40 ELCC 1st year students (Practicum) and 3 CHST
  students
• Piloted, revised, and refined activities

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Results from Year Two

• Resource manual
• Workshops for caregivers
• Changes in ELCC curriculum!
• Involvement
• 8 faculty from 3 programs
• 150 students (ELCC, CHST, COMM)
• 110 child care centres

http//www.mtroyal.ca/wcm/groups/public/documents/
pdf/hop_skip_and_jump_completed_pd.pdf
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Year Three

• Students helped to revise resource manual
• Adaptations and extensions
• Injury prevention and safety
• Student conference presentations
• Students co-authored articles

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Results to Date

• Change in ELCC curriculum at MRU
• Second edition of resource manual
• (July 2010)
• 120/150 child care centres in Calgary thinking
  about and planning for physical activity

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In the Works

• Cultural understandings and expectations of
  physical activity for preschool children
• ELCC cultural awareness staff and children
• CHST survey of new Canadian parents
• ELCC and CHST creating brochures for families
• Policy
• Working with AELCS to add examples into
  accreditation self-study

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How to Sustain Change?

• Education caregivers, owners/operators,
  licensing officers, students, faculty
• Resources - equipment, materials, and space
• Policy develop activity guidelines and add to
  accreditation standards

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Why is this Project Working?

• Grass roots engagement
• Students, caregivers, owners/operators
• System support
• MRU faculty
• Children and Youth Services
• Alberta Health Services
• ASRWPF, Canada Sport for Life
• Health Quality Council of Alberta
• AB Association of Colleges and Technical
  Institutes
• Useful end products
• Resource manual and workshops

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How to Become Involved in Community-based Research

• Ask questions
• Pursue improvement
• Seek partners
• Advocate for change
• systemic
• policy
• in-house
• ?

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The End
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• Dawne Clark, PhD
• Centre for Child Well-Being
• Mount Royal University
• www.mtroyal.ca/wellbeing