Action Research Project Proposal
Assignment
Instructions: This is a three-part assignment, in which you develop a proposal for a viable action research project. The purpose of the proposal is to engage and inform potential funders of the project, as well as other key stakeholder groups invested in social change initiatives. The proposal should clearly and succinctly describe all aspects of your proposed project, clearly explaining what you will do and why. Please note that you are not required to implement the project as part of the SOC-481 coursework.
In PART 1 of the assignment, you will develop the initial sections of an action research proposal.
In PART 2, you will build upon and revise the initial sections of the proposal (as needed), adding the last sections of the proposal and completing a final draft of the proposal.
In PART 3, you will develop a PowerPoint presentation, to include an overview of your proposed project, as well as a completed SWOT Analysis which could potentially be used to guide further development of the proposed project.
PART 2
Instructions
Use the instructor feedback you received to revise Part 1 of this assignment. Next, use Part 2 (below) to create the final draft of your community-based action research proposal. In a separate Word document, the completed proposal (not including the list of references) should be approximately 1,500-2,300 words and include the following:
Section Two
- Study Design and Data Collection Methods (750-800 words)
Action Research Approach
Provide an overview of the why and how of your proposed investigative approach and study design.
Recruitment of Community Participants and Partners
Briefly describe the approach you will take to recruit and engage community partners (e.g., organizations, service providers) and participants (such as individual members of the community, “change agents”).
Community Needs Assessment
Briefly explain the approach you will take to assess community needs and assets, and how information generated from the needs assessment will be used to advance project aims. Note specific data collection tools and methods you will use in this phase of the project (e.g., focus groups, surveys)
Community Planning and Capacity Building
Briefly describe what you will do to foster community connections, planning and decision-making processes, and individual and/or organization skills/capacities to support community change efforts.
- Analytic Approach and Methods (150-250 words)
Briefly describe the processes and procedures you will follow to analyze collected data. Explain the purpose of analytic tools such as a SWOT analysis, and describe how you will use generated information.
- Quality Control and Evaluation (250-400 words)
What steps will you take to strengthen the quality of the proposed project? If you are collecting and analyzing quantitative data, what will you do to strengthen study validity? If you are collecting and analyzing qualitative data, what will you do to strengthen trustworthiness of results?
Briefly describe the approach will you take to engage in formative and/or summative evaluation of the project/initiative as a whole (e.g., will you contract with an independent evaluator or will you adopt a participatory evaluation approach)?
- Ethical Considerations (250-300 words)
Informed Consent
Briefly explain processes and procedures you will use to negotiate informed consent with study participants. How will you manage participant expectations and power differentials?
Confidentiality and Anonymity
With action research, confidentiality may be situational. Briefly describe how you will negotiate issues related to confidentiality, privacy, and attribution with study participants and partners.
Efforts to Limit Risk and Optimize Benefit
Briefly describe what you will do to limit potential risks and optimize potential benefits to individuals, organizations, or communities involved with, or affected by, the proposed initiative.
Describe what you will do to be sensitive to emergent ethical issues as they unfold over the course of the project.
- Dissemination of Information and Community Learning (150-250 words)
Briefly describe the approach you will take to share gathered information and generate individual, organizational, and community knowledge building and learning related to the envisioned social change.
- Project Significance (150-250 words)
Briefly explain the significance of this proposed project, and what it can potentially contribute to improving community conditions and/or advancing meaningful social change.
- References
Incorporate information and supportive evidence from at least five scholarly sources of direct relevance to the proposed action research project.
- Appendices (Optional)
Attach materials (e.g., charts, tables, diagrams) that clarify and/or elaborate upon information contained in the main body of the proposal.