Psychology 873
Community Research and Action Practicum
Spring, 2011
Tuesday 12:40 to 3:30 pm
134C Psychology
Office (353-5015); Home (333-4023)
Prof. Pennie Foster-Fishman
125 D Psychology
Course Purpose. Psychology 873 is the second course in a two semester sequence of
community practicum courses which make up part of the core courses in Ecological Psychology.
The total core set of course is designed to provide you with competencies and skills in
community intervention, research design, measurement, analysis, and conceptual thought. The
873 practicum is designed to support your involvement in your community setting and foster
your capacity to think critically about and engage in community-based research and action.
Psychology 873 is designed to complement your work in your other core courses, by providing
opportunities for you to apply the theories and methods that you have learned to date.
Format. This course will involve five components. These components will include
involvement in a community setting, class sessions, guest speakers, individual sessions with the
instructor, and a log book. Each of these is described below.
1. Involvement in a community setting. You are required to spend at least 6 to 8 hours per
week being involved in a community setting this semester. This will involve the final
arrangements for and pursuit of a community research and/or action project this semester. A
community setting might be a formal agency, organization, institution, or informal group.
It remains difficult to specify a priori how each of you will progress in this course. It is
likely to be a highly individualized matter due to several factors. The philosophy of the
Ecological Community Psychology Program is that students should take the initiative in
selecting, locating, and arranging a community research and action setting. We believe that this
is preferable to the "field placement or arranged internship" model of community work. In
addition, you each come in with varying experiences, interests, etc. Further, after the first
semester, some of you have found a "nitch" that fits well with your interests and presents
immediate research and action possibilities. Others of you are still exploring possibilities. Given
that it is now time to make a decision about where you are going to put your energies, I will try
to take this into account in planning the course and evaluating your progress.
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It is important to remember that you should co-design your project with the community
setting and that the project should: 1) be value added for the community setting; and 2) provide
you with an opportunity to develop your skills as a Community Psychologist. In the best of
worlds, the work this semester will lead to opportunities for your Master’s or Dissertation
research. Given the pressure to now "work something out" it is often easy to fall into a passive
research or service role that appears at first glance to be expedient.
You will need to provide me with a description of your practicum project. This
description is due by February 2. We will discuss in class what you should include in this
description.
You are also required to provide me with a summary of your practicum work this
semester. This summary is due May 2. We will discuss in class what you should include in this
summary.
2. Class sessions. The majority of our classes are organized to promote reflective practice
around your community work and the integration of theory into your practicum project. During
each class session there are a few assigned readings, some initial questions to promote reflection
and praxis, and assignments for Session Leaders. See the below course schedule for the specific
content and assignments for these sessions. Overall, sessions will be focused on several
objectives:
 Supervision and support of your community involvement. During each of
these sessions, you will be asked to discuss your work in the community, share a
description of your work with classmates, and problem solve next steps. As much
as possible, we will work to design this part of our class as a peer-to-peer learning
environment. To support that goal, you will be expected to give feedback to your
peers on their work and provide any written materials to the class two days prior
to our class time so we will all have a chance to provide you with feedback.
 Linking Action, Theory, and Research. Effective community psychologists
engage in praxis, reflecting on their work in the community and using the best
ideas, theories, and practices that can be found in the literature to inform their
work. To help you develop these skills, we will be reading and applying some key
articles to your work in the community. Be prepared to discuss the assigned
readings and questions and their potential application to your practicum. In
addition, at various points throughout the semester, I will provide you with
opportunities to highlight/apply theory articles you read last semester.
3. Session Leader Assignments. Each of you are expected to lead two sessions in class. Session
leaders are primarily responsible for creating useful summaries of the assigned articles and
helping the class link ideas to other readings from either this class or other classes. Assignments
for the summaries are listed on the below course schedule. We will select session leaders during
the first class session.
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4. Individual sessions. Four weeks during the semester we will schedule individual sessions
with the instructor. This should allow more intense discussion of each of your community
experiences.
5. Guest speaker panel. With direction from you, I will arrange for a guest speaker panel to
expose you to the varying roles of graduates of our program.
6. Community log books. Your practicum log book will detail your community research and
action work. It will be used in part to determine your grade for the practicum component of the
course. You should pay close attention to your notes, and at least one entry each week should
carefully describe your activities. This might include such items as notes about organizations,
contact people, phone numbers, results of contacts, future plans, etc. I would like to continue the
organization of your log book that was used in Psych. 992 in the fall. Your log book should be
organized in the following manner and provide the details for each session.
Section 1: Weekly Activities. A description of your activities in the last week, including
their purpose and actions taken. Provide specifics on the work you did, how you participated in
your organization, the role(s) you took on, who you met with, meetings you participated in.
Include any organizations contacted, contact people, phone numbers, results of contacts,
including what you have learned. This section should be an account of the events which
happened during the week in your practicum.
Section 2 : Subjective report. What were your impressions of what happened this
week? To what extent is the setting meeting your needs and goals? To what extent are you
meeting the settings objectives? How is your project proceeding? What changes needs to be
made to your plans? I also expect you to use this section to talk about the application of the
readings to your practicum experience. You can use this time to respond to the praxis questions I
have provided and/or identify other issues you want to discuss.
Section 3: Future plans. What are your plans for the next week? What do you plan to
do? With whom? When? Is this leading where you want it to? Is it likely to match with your
research needs? Given what you read this week, how might you apply these ideas next week in
your practicum?
Section 4: Troubleshooting. What problems/obstacles/frustrations did you encounter
this week? Do you have plans for resolution? Do you need my assistance?
Your log books are due to me at noon on Monday of each week. Please send them to me
as a Word file and copy your classmates.
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Grading Scheme.
Grades will be determined in the following manner.
1. Log book
20%
2. Leading your topic
20%
3. Instructor evaluation of practicum
60%
This component of the grade will be my subjective judgment of your community
field work. It will involve an assessment of your effort in field work, your
planfulness, your perseverance, and your class participation. It will also include
attention to your efforts to practice praxis – integrating theory into your thinking
and practice within your practicum. Grades will be given on a weekly basis and
averaged over the quarter. I will give you feedback on your progress in this area
during our individual sessions.
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CLASS SCHEDULE
Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments
1/11/2010
1
Class Organization
1/18/2010
2
Class Session:
University/Community
Collaboration
Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, Gary W. Harper and Rhonda Lewis. An
interactive and contextual model of community-university
collaborations for research and action. Health Education
Behavior 2005; 32; 84 – 101.
Harper, G.W., Bangi, A.K., Contreras, R., Pedraza, A., Tolliver, M.,
& Vess, L. (2004). Diverse phases of collaboration: working
together to improve community based HIV interventions for
adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 33
(3/4), 193-204
Langhout, R.G., & Dworski-Riggs, D. (2010). Elucidating the Power
in empowerment and the participation in participatory action
research: A story about research team and elementary school
change. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45,
215-230.
Stufflemeam, D.L. (1999). Evaluation plans and operations checklist.
www.wmich.edu/evalctr/checklists
Practicing Praxis:
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Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments




What do these articles offer that could explain some of your
practicum experiences last semester?
What do these articles say about how to create an effective
relationship/project with your practicum site?
What might be some of the power boundaries you face in your
setting/social issue domain?
Which processes and skills do you think you will be good at?
Which ones could you develop more?
Session Leader: Create a checklist that you and your peers can use to
guide your collaborative work in the community.
1/25
3
Class Session
Ecological Theory in
Action
Community Ethics
Ryerson-Espino, S. L. & Trickett, E. J. (2008). The spirit of
ecological inquiry and intervention research reports: A
heuristic elaboration. American Journal of Community
Psychology, 42, 60-78.
Elder, J.P., Lytle, L., et al. (2006). A description of the socialecological framework used in the trial of activity for
adolescent girls (TAAG). Health Education Research, 1-11
American Evaluation Association, (2004) Guiding principles for
evalulators. www.eval.org
American Psychological Association (2002) Ethical principles of
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Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments
psychologists and code
of conduct. APA: Washington, D. C.
SCRA Principles (see http://www.scra27.org/about)
Practicing Praxis


Which ethical guidelines might pose the greatest challenges in
your practicum site?
Consider the questions listed on pg 12 of this syllabus to
identify ways to more fully integrate ecological theory into
your practicum project. What can you do now – in your entry
process – to facilitate an ecological approach? What can you
do with your project to facilitate an eological orientation
Session Leader: Create a checklist that you and your peers can use
that integrates the ethical principles across AEA, APA, & SCRA
2/1
4
Individual sessions
2/8
5
Class Session
Logic Models and
Theories of Change
Community Action &
Tools
7
Hernandez, M. & Hodges, S. (2006). Applying a Theory of Change
Approach to Interagency Planning in Child Mental Health,
American Journal of Community Psychology, 38, 165-173.
Anderson, A.A The Community Builders Approach to Theory of
Change: A Practical Guide to Theory Development. The
Aspen Institute. www.theoryofchange.org
Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments
The Community Toolbox: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/
Practicing Praxis



Review two sections of the Community Toolbox most linked to
your practicum project. Use the table of contents to identify these
sections. Be prepared to describe how you might use this info in
your practicum.
Find one project on the NREPP website or Promising Practices
website that might benefit your practicum site or target population
using the above internet sites.
What are some core outcomes your site is trying to achieve? What
strategies is it using to achieve these outcomes? Be prepared to
work on developing a theory of change/logic model in class.
ASSIGNMENT: Description of your practicum project is due.
2/15
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Power and Oppression
Hayward, D.R. (1998). De-Facing Power Polity, Vol. 31, No. 1., pp.
1-22.
Davidson, H., Evans, S., Ganote, C., Henrickson, J., Jacobs-Priebe, L.,
Jones, D.L., Prilleltensky, I., & Riemer, M. (2006).
Power and Action in Critical Theory Across Disciplines: Implications
for Critical Community Psychology. American Journal of Community
Psychology, 38, 35-49.
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Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments
Prilleltensky, I. (2003). Understanding, Resisting, and Overcoming
Oppression: Toward Psychopolitical Validity
American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 31, Nos. 1/2,
March 2003 ( C° 2003)
DOI: 10.1177/0959353509105620
Lykes, M.B., & Moane, G. (2009).
Editors' Introduction: Whither Feminist Liberation Psychology?
Critical Explorations of Feminist and Liberation Psychologies for a
Globalizing World. Feminism Psychology 2009; 19; 283
Practicing Praxis




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Which approach to power most fits with your assumptions?
Why?
Which approach to power best fits with your social issue or
your practicum site? How might your practicum site or the
approach to your social issue change if a different approach to
power was adopted?
How might these power frameworks help you understand your
social issue and the process of social change?
Pick one of the above articles and think about: 1) a research
question you could ask in your practicum site using this
framework; 2) three variables that you would measure using
this framework.
Date
Week
2/22
7
Class Topic
Assignments
Class Session
Theories for
Community Research
& Health Promotion
Theory at a Glance: A Guide For Health Promotion Practice (Second
Edition). U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services National
Institutes of Health. http://www.cancer.gov/PDF/481f5d53-63df41bc-bfaf-5aa48ee1da4d/TAAG3.pdf
Practicing Praxis
 What theories included in this manual do you find the
staff/volunteers/clients at your practicum site using to explain
either organizational or client behavior?
 Which theories might be helpful for your practicum site (for
either your work or the setting members)? Why?
 Be prepared to describe in class how you could integrate one
of these theories into your practicum project. For example,
what intervention would you do, what research question might
you include, etc?
Session Leader. Create a brief summary guide of the key theories
included in this manual.
3/1
8
Class Session
Promoting Utilization
Miller, R.L., & Shinn, M. (2005). Learning from communities:
Overcoming difficulties in dissemination of prevention and
promotion efforts. American Journal of Community
Psychology, 35(3/4), 169-183.
Durlak, J.A., & DuPres, E. P. (2008). Implementation Matters: A
Review of Research on the Influence of Implementation on Program
Outcomes and the Factors Affecting Implementation. American
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Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments
Journal of Community Psychology, 41, 327-350.
Promising Practices Network: http://www.promisingpractices.net/ http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/find.asp
Practicing Praxis

Using ideas from the Miller/Shinn article and Durlak & Dupre’s
article, assess the capacities of your practicum to implement an
evidence based practice. What challenges might your site
experience in trying to implement one of these programs or your
practicum project? What challenges might you experience as you
try to implement your practicum project?
Session Leader. Create a checklist for you and your peers that
includes recommendations for promoting the adoption and
implementation of programs within community settings (using Miller
& Shinn’s and Durlak & Dupre’s article).
3/15
9
Assessing Social
Settings
11
Tseng, V. & Seidman, E. (2007). A systems framework for
understanding social settings. American Journal of Community
Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments
Psychology, 39, 218-228.
Practicing Praxis
 What social processes, resources, and organization of
resources significantly influence the outcomes within your
setting/target population? How might they (or how are they)
influence the success of your practicum project? How could
they be shifted to improve outcomes?
3/22
10
Utilization
Ludema, J.D., Cooperrider, D.L., & Barrett, F.J. (2001). Appreciative
inquiry: the power of the unconditional positive question. In P.
Reason & H. Bradbury (Eds). Handbook of action research:
Participative inquiry and practice. (pp. 190-199). London:
Sage.
Patton, M.W. (2002). Utilization-focused evaluation (u-fe) checklist
www.wmich.edu/evalctr/checklists
Mark, M.M., and Henry. G.T. (2004). The Mechanisms and
Outcomes of Evaluation Influence. Evaluation 2004; 10; 35 –
57.
Practicing Praxis
 According to the material you read for class this week, what
have you done in your practicum that will help to promote the
utilization of your work/findings? What have you done that
might hinder utilization? What else can you do moving
forward to promote utilization?
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Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments


Complete Patton’s checklist for yourself and your practicum.
What does this checklist tell you?
To what extent have you used the unconditional positive
question in your interactions with your site? How might this
approach shift your relationship and work in your practicum
setting?
Session Leader. Create a top 10 list of things a community
psychologist can do to promote the utilization of findings within
community sites.
3/29
11
Class Session
Strategic Planning &
Community Coalitions
Watson-Thompson, J., Fawcett, S. B., & Schultz, J. A. (2008).
Differential effects of strategic planning on community change
in two urban neighborhood coalitions. American Journal of
Community Psychology, 42, 25-38.
Practicing Praxis
 How does your site engage in planning? Does it plan with
community partners or on its own? What recommendations
emerge from this article around how to improve your sites’
planning processes or your planning for your practicum
project?
4/5
12
Guest Speaker Panel
4/12
13
Individual Sessions
4/19
14
Class Session
Plagarism
13
Stolley, K., (2009) Avoiding plagiarism. OWL at Purdue. Owl.
English.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/
Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments
Capacity Building
& Systems Change
The Writing Center, (2009). Plagiarism. University of N.
Carolina.
Unc.edu/depts./wcweb
Bond, L., Glover, S., Godfrey, C., Butler, H., Patton, G.C. (2001).
Building capacity for systems-level change in schools:
Lessons from the Gatehouse Project, Health Education &
Behavior, 28(3), 368-383.
Practicing Praxis
 Does your practicum site have the capacity for systems-level
change? Why or why not?
 How could you build your site’s capacity for system-level
change?
 How would capacity building in your site need to differ from
that described in the article?
4/26
15
Class Session
Understanding Help
-Seeking
Behaviors
Liang, B., Goodman, L., Tummala-Narra, P., & Weintraub, S. (2005).
A theoretical framework for understanding help-seeking
processes among survivors of intimate partner violence.
American Journal of Community Psychology 36(1/2), 71-84.
Practicing Praxis
 To what extent do the processes of defining the problem,
deciding to seek help, and selecting a source of support
explain the access to services processes for your target
population?
 What individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors might
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Date
Week
Class Topic
Assignments
influence that decision-making for your target population?
5/2
16
Individual Feedback
Sessions
15
Final practicum report due
Questions to guide your Integration of Ecological Theory into your Practice
Adopted from Ryerson-Espino, S. L. & Trickett, E. J. (2008).
What is the environmental press of your context?
• What are the demand characteristics, norms, values, historical and current processes and resources are play? What are the
developmental histories of local change efforts?
• What challenges have communities identified in the past? How have communities attended to these challenges? How have
communities partnered with others to address challenges? What experiences and actions resulted from such partnership?
• What are communities’ current and future action priorities, debates and/or struggles?
Appreciating diversity
• What are the diversity issues within your practicum site that you should be aware of and attend to?
Assessment of Ecological levels of theoretical framework, intervention components and analyses
 What levels are you theories, interventions, and data collection efforts?
Responsiveness to the community context
• How does your proposed project attend to the community context (e.g., the environmental press)?
• Is there community member consensus over the planned project? How might you support community decision making
processes and commitment to intervention activities?
What kind of feedback is promised and delivered to participants and community settings?
• How will you negotiate the closure of the relationship with setting members?
• How will you prepare yourself, participants and community of concern for closure?
What is the purpose and nature of participation?
•How will you involve community members in conceptualization, planning, implementation of intervention activities, evaluation,
dissemination of findings, & post intervention activities/sustainability efforts?
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