Community-Based Research
Curriculum guideline
Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course code
THRT 3710
Descriptive
Community-Based Research
Department
Therapeutic Recreation
Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
201820
PLAR
Yes
Semester length
Flexible delivery ranging over 2 to 15 weeks
Max class size
30
Contact hours
60 Hours
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities
- Lecture and class discussion
- Small group work and workshops
- Community experiences
- Student dialogue/presentations
Course description
This course provides guidelines and skills to enable neophyte practitioner researchers to move comfortably through a process of scientific inquiry. Students will learn the methodological, technical, and ethical demands of doing community-based research (CBR). The course is structured in an interactive workshop format including lectures, class discussions, student-led discussions, and small group work. Students will conceptualize and design a community-based research project and learn specific research skills that will enable them to deal effectively with many of the research issues that confront them as they work with multi-disciplinary health and recreation teams.
Course content
Define research and community-based research (CBR)
- Research as a daily human activity
- CBR and links to practitioner research, action research, and participatory action research
- Theoretical foundations of CBR
Epistemological and methodological underpinnings of CBR
- Define ontology, epistemology, theory, framework, methodology and methods
- Quantitative and qualitative research methods
- Role of literature
- Orientation of CBR and links to recreation and therapeutic recreation
Research ethics
- Informed consent, confidentiality, and anonymity
- Familiarity with Tri-Council Ethics processes
- Complete research ethics forms at Douglas College
Ask an “answerable” research question
- Construct meaningful and important research
- Understand contribution the research question makes and the gap it fills in the literature
Operationalize the research question
- Write a short literature review on chosen topic
- Design effective research
- Determine the appropriate research methodology and research methods to answer the question
- Create inclusion and exclusion criteria for research participants
- Determine “when” and “where” research will occur
Conduct student research projects
- Data collection
- Organize and manage research data
- Analysis and interpretation I – descriptive coding and identification of major themes
- Analysis and interpretation II – structural coding and linkages between themes
- Analysis and interpretation III – linking analysis to literature
Communicate research findings
- Generate recommendations for various stakeholders
- Write a research report
- Present research findings in symposium format
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- idefine research and community-based research (CBR)
- understand the epistemological and methodological underpinnings of CBR
- explain when and how quantitative and qualitative research methods would be applied in the field of therapeutic and general community recreation
- describe the ethical considerations of any CBR project
- determine the research methodology and methods required to answer a particular research question;
- construct an effective research plan
- apply strategies for collecting, managing and analyzing data
- recommend a range of actions that may result from a particular study.
Means of assessment
This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations. Typical means of evaluation would include a combination of:
- Research proposal
- Off-campus activities
- Research report
- Symposium presentation
This is a letter graded course
Textbook materials
T.B.A.
Prerequisites
60 credits of coursework
Which prerequisite