Abstract
Doing community-based research presents a set of challenges that often are not taught in undergraduate or graduate school research method courses. Researchers must deal with multiple levels of influence without the rigorous controls that lab-based research offers. Done well, community-based research has the advantage of adding ecological validity to the results and providing information applicable to real-world problems. This book offers a unique collection of chapters that address many of the challenges in doing such research.
The intended audience for this book includes social and behavioral science researchers investigating social problems, researchers in related fields (i.e., public health, education, and social work), advanced graduate students, and community-based professionals. This book contains something to meet the interests and needs of all of these groups. For the researchers in social and behavior science and other fields, it presents a plethora of useful techniques, along with the theories behind them and additional resources to develop the competency. It would serve as an excellent text for advanced graduate students to expand their skills and knowledge beyond the basic graduate level statistics and research method courses. For professionals working in the community, the book offers valuable insight to demystify the research process.
The first section of this book is dedicated to discussions of pluralism and mixed methods. The information presented and discussed in these three chapters should be must read for all advanced graduate students in social sciences, and is a highly recommended read for all others who engage in community-based research. The ordering of the chapters takes the reader from the philosophical to the practical, enhancing its relevance for the student while increasing the depth of knowledge necessary to fully understand the reason for using mixed methods, not just the skills. For the seasoned practitioner who regularly uses mixed-methods designs, it reignites the appreciation for doing so, as well as reminding the reader of the intersection of methodological criteria with community psychology values and principles.
The second section includes three chapters on methods for grouping data. They include clustering, the person-centered approach, and meta-analysis. The first two, clustering and person-centered approaches are presented as very useful departures from traditional analytic tools. Traditional analyses use the means for the entire group to determine the response for everyone. Clustering techniques and person-centered analyses move the reader away from thinking that posits that unless one size fits all, an intervention is not effective, or vice versa, that an intervention that has significant results can be applied for everyone. Meta-analysis is by no means a new technique, but this chapter reminds us of its usefulness for quantifying a large body of completed studies, to guide the future direction of a body of work.
One of the primary tasks in evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention is determining whether there has been change over time. The third section presents two chapters on this subject: time-series analysis and survival analysis. The chapter on time-series analysis makes a good case for the use of this technique when randomized controlled trial designs are not possible. Information presented is practical and useful for evaluators who might consider using it. Survival analysis is presented for use with prevention and intervention programs. This technique, long used in medical studies to determine treatment effectiveness, has been underutilized in the social sciences to study program outcomes.
Perhaps, the hallmark of conducting community-based research is the inclusion of contextual factors. The fourth section is dedicated to methods that involve contextual factors, including multilevel modeling (MLM), epidemiologic approaches, geographic information systems, and economic cost analysis. MLM allows the researcher or evaluator to understand how settings and behaviors interact with one another. The use of epidemiologic approaches, geographic information systems, and economic cost analysis demonstrate the utility of drawing on methods developed within other disciplines, such as public health, geography, and economics to more fully understand context. These three analytic approaches broaden the scope of available analytic tools for individuals trained in social science methods. Contextual analytic tools are useful for the community-based researcher, for implementation research, and for program evaluation.
The strength of this book is the breadth and depth of the coverage of each topic. The book would serve as a valuable text for any graduate-level course on community research methods, particularly because of its associated web-based appendices and exercises. Although several chapters relate the material to community psychology, it is equally applicable for public health, applied social psychology, social work, education, nursing, applied sociology, and any other discipline that would conduct community-based research. While the greatest benefits would be derived from reading the entire book, each of the chapters stands well on its own and could easily be used as a separate reading for a graduate course or seminar. Additionally, throughout the book, there are web addresses for online appendices with statistical applications and guidelines for testing them, giving readers an opportunity for some hands-on learning.
Perhaps, the only drawback is that some chapters are somewhat heavily academic in style which makes reading them tedious. Some of the chapters covering statistical analyses require a somewhat sophisticated level of knowledge (e.g., time-series analyses), which all evaluators and researchers may not have. Some of this is overcome with the more concrete examples that are provided.
For those who are already in their careers, either doing community-based research or working with community-based organizations, this book provides a good opportunity for professional development. There is a nice combination of new material and reconceptualization of some old concepts that even the most seasoned professional will find worth reading. For those who have been working in the field for a long time, the introduction of alternative approaches such as the person-centered approach and application of epidemiological methods to social science phenomena adds to their toolbox. The writing style ranges from academic, highly technical, and bordering on tedious to an easier read across chapters, and sometimes within the same chapter. It is not a volume to be read quickly, but one to be read through slowly, with time between each chapter to digest what was presented and perhaps test out some of the techniques.
This book meets its goal to specifically address the gap in research methods literature for community researchers. It builds bridges between community theories and methods, and other disciplines, such as public health and economics, which can be highly useful for those who wish to be, or are, engaged in interdisciplinary work. Because it delivers what was promised, I recommend it for all intended audiences.