1
|
Paterson S, McInerney EEW, Evans SD. Using social network analysis as a tool in action research. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 50:3421-3437. [PMID: 35322891 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The following paper presents case examples of one research team's use of social network analysis (SNA) with three different collaboratives in South Florida: (a) a Collective Impact initiative seeking to end youth homelessness, (b) a university collaborative of campus organizations working towards Black students' concerns, and (c) a movement network of local social justice organizations. The research team used SNA to assess the level of connectivity of three different community coalitions. While research questions were slightly different for each collaborative, each project asked about the frequency of communication between organizations to determine connectivity. Results vary between case examples. Both the Youth Homeless Collaboration and the Black Student Association used Gephi to analyze results, while The Community Partnership used R to measure network centrality. The paper concludes with a general discussion of challenges related to using SNA as an action research tool, as well as the role of power in organizational networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susan Paterson
- Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Elizabeth E W McInerney
- Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Scotney D Evans
- Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Broccatelli C, Wang P, McDaid L, McCann M, Simpson SA, Elliott L, Moore L, Mitchell K. Social Network Research contribution to evaluating process in a feasibility study of a peer-led and school-based sexual health intervention. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12244. [PMID: 34112848 PMCID: PMC8192897 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90852-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
There is growing interest in social network-based programmes to improve health, but rigorous methods using Social Network research to evaluate the process of these interventions is less well developed. Using data from the "STis And Sexual Health" (STASH) feasibility trial of a school-based, peer-led intervention on sexual health prevention, we illustrate how network data analysis results can address key components of process evaluations for complex interventions-implementation, mechanisms of impacts, and context. STASH trained students as Peer Supporters (PS) to diffuse sexual health messages though face-to-face interactions and online Facebook (FB) groups. We applied a Multilevel Exponential Random Graph modelling approach to analyse the interdependence between offline friendship relationships and online FB ties and how these different relationships align. Our results suggest that the creation of online FB communities mirrored offline adolescent groups, demonstrating fidelity of intervention delivery. Data on informal friendship networks related to student's individual characteristics (i.e., demographics, sexual health knowledge and adherence to norms, which were included for STASH), contributed to an understanding of the social relational 'building' mechanisms that sustain tie-formation. This knowledge could assist the selection of opinion leaders, improving identification of influential peers situated in optimal network positions. This work provides a novel contribution to understanding how to integrate network research with the process evaluation of a network intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Broccatelli
- Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
| | - Peng Wang
- Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Lisa McDaid
- Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Mark McCann
- MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Sharon Anne Simpson
- MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Lawrie Elliott
- Department of Nursing and Community Health, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK
| | - Laurence Moore
- MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Kirstin Mitchell
- MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gibbs L, Kornbluh M, Marinkovic K, Bell S, Ozer EJ. Using Technology to Scale up Youth-Led Participatory Action Research: A Systematic Review. J Adolesc Health 2020; 67:S14-S23. [PMID: 32718510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Rapid advances in technology create opportunities for adolescents to influence practice and policy in health and other domains. Technology can support the scaling of Youth-Led Participatory Action Research (YPAR), in which adolescents conduct research to improve issues that affect them. We present the first known published systematic review of the use of technology to scale YPAR. METHODS A systematic review of the empirical literature was conducted from 2000 to 2018 using databases PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and PubMed. The review included peer-reviewed articles of YPAR studies involving adolescents (aged 10-19 years) using technology for scaling. Appraisal of papers included the role of technology and consistency with YPAR principles. RESULTS Nine peer-reviewed YPAR publications focusing on a range of health issues with adolescents aged 11-19 years were identified. Technology included Facebook (most common), Twitter, Instagram, Skype, e-mail, blogs, and personalized mapping applications. Overall, technology was primarily used for adolescent participants to gather data. The appraisal revealed the complexities inherent in conducting YPAR using technology across multiple sites, with different adults in supportive roles and varying levels of opportunities for adolescent engagement. CONCLUSIONS This review provides insights at the intersection of youth-led research and technology, highlighting opportunities in a changing technological landscape and the challenges of YPAR at scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Gibbs
- Jack Brockhoff Child Health & Wellbeing Program, Centre for Health Equity, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
| | - Mariah Kornbluh
- Pscyhology Department, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
| | - Katitza Marinkovic
- Jack Brockhoff Child Health & Wellbeing Program, Centre for Health Equity, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Sherry Bell
- College of Behavioural & Social Sciences, California State University, Chico
| | - Emily J Ozer
- Berkeley School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Anderson AJ. A Qualitative Systematic Review of Youth Participatory Action Research Implementation in U.S. High Schools. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 65:242-257. [PMID: 31489643 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
This qualitative systematic review examined the context-specific factors that influence the implementation of youth participatory action research (YPAR) projects in high schools within the United States. Thematic synthesis was conducted to identify and analyze the YPAR implementation factors that were present in 38 peer-reviewed studies. Results indicate the following two analytic themes concerning YPAR implementation in high schools: (a) pedagogical strategies and (b) stakeholder dynamics and needs. The themes provide support for existing ecological frameworks of implementation factors and demonstrate that adult researchers' project-specific decisions are nested within educational power structures. This paper will discuss the implications of these YPAR implementation themes in executing YPAR projects in high schools.
Collapse
|
5
|
Neal JW. A systematic review of social network methods in high impact developmental psychology journals. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/sode.12442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|
6
|
Bell S, Kornbluh M. Networking in the digital age: Identifying factors that influence adolescents’ online communication and relationship building. APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2019.1702042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
|
7
|
Kennedy H, DeChants J, Bender K, Anyon Y. More than Data Collectors: A Systematic Review of the Environmental Outcomes of Youth Inquiry Approaches in the United States. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 63:208-226. [PMID: 30843254 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Over the last twenty years, research on the impact of engaging children and adolescents in the generation of new knowledge about their lives, schools, and communities, has grown tremendously. This systematic review summarizes the findings from empirical studies of youth inquiry approaches in the United States, with a focus on their environmental outcomes. Searches of four interdisciplinary databases retrieved a total of 3,724 relevant articles published between 1995 and 2015. Sixty-three distinct studies met the systematic review inclusion criteria, of which, 36 (57.1%) reported that the youth inquiry approach contributed to positive changes among adults, peers, organizations, and/or institutions. These environmental outcomes were qualitatively recorded, inductively categorized, and then organized into Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework. Youth inquiry approaches led to practitioner growth and changes in peer group norms at the micro-system level, program development or improvement and research benefits at the meso-system level, and school, city, and state level policy adoption at the exo-system level. Qualitative methods, especially case studies, were most commonly used to evaluate the impact of youth inquiry approaches on environmental outcomes. Studies of approaches that utilized advocacy to create change, targeted decision-makers as the audience for the youth's work and convened for a longer duration were more likely to report improved environmental outcomes. This systematic review suggests that youth inquiry approaches are a promising strategy for ecological systems change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heather Kennedy
- Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Jonah DeChants
- Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Kimberly Bender
- Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Yolanda Anyon
- Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Neal ZP, Neal JW. Network Analysis in Community Psychology: Looking Back, Looking Forward. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 60:279-295. [PMID: 28815612 PMCID: PMC5638082 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Network analysis holds promise for community psychology given the field's aim to understand the interplay between individuals and their social contexts. Indeed, because network analysis focuses explicitly on patterns of relationships between actors, its theories and methods are inherently extra-individual in nature and particularly well suited to characterizing social contexts. But, to what extent has community psychology taken advantage of this network analysis as a tool for capturing context? To answer these questions, this study provides a review of the use network analysis in articles published in American Journal of Community Psychology. Looking back, we describe and summarize the ways that network analysis has been employed in community psychology research to understand the range of ways community psychologists have found the technique helpful. Looking forward and paying particular attention to analytic issues identified in past applications, we provide some recommendations drawn from the network analysis literature to facilitate future applications of network analysis in community psychology.
Collapse
|
9
|
Ballard PJ, Cohen AK, Littenberg-Tobias J. Action Civics for Promoting Civic Development: Main Effects of Program Participation and Differences by Project Characteristics. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 58:377-390. [PMID: 27982470 PMCID: PMC5654523 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this study examined the effect of participating in an action civics intervention, Generation Citizen (GC), on civic commitment, civic self-efficacy, and two forms of civic knowledge. The sample consisted of 617 middle and high schools students in 55 classrooms who participated, or were soon to participate, in Generation Citizen. Hierarchical linear models revealed that participating in Generation Citizen was associated with positive gains in action civics knowledge and civic self-efficacy. Qualitative coding identified three types of project characteristics that captured variability in the action projects student chose to complete: context, content, and contact with decision makers. Interactions between project characteristics and participation in GC revealed differences in civic outcomes depending on project characteristics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Parissa J Ballard
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alison K Cohen
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Generation Citizen, New York, NY, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|