COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM REASERCH PROJECT

Engagement Unit

The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with the opportunity of integrating theory, research and practice through community engagemente and reflection. The process entails the following tasks: community engagemente, gathering/analyzing and interpreting data, and developing an action plan to improve communication.

The two major purposes are:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of teories and methods of communication research and analysis such as rhetorical, critical, interpretative, performative and social scientific approaches.
2. Demonstrate social responsibility and community engagement as obligations of democratic citizens.

Each team selects:
1) A Specific Issue or Topic to be researched. (Each team is free to select the topic)
2) A Specific Sample from a Community Organization
3) Complete the following tasks:

I.  Introduction: Purpose and Preview the main points of the research project. (1/3 of a page)

II. Literature review on the topic selected (3 pages) This literature research should be based on the reading of Three (3) qualitative/quantitative communication articles related to the topic of your research project..  Discuss the (6) most important insights (related to literature review, research questions, methods, findings, and/or conclusions) that you have gained after reading the three (3) articles). What are the insights that you consider to be most relevant for you to have a better understanding of the research topic and to guide the design of the course of action for improving communication and promoting social change.

III. Description of the sample: (1/2 of a page) First, Indicate the type of Non-Probalility Sampling you are going to use and why. Second, Describe the sample you used for this study (how many subjects and some of their characteristics: education, sex, cultural background, tenure, and position). The information should be collected by the DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS (5-7 questions) that go at the end of your Questionnaire or Interview Guide.

IV. Description of the organization (1/2 of a page) Describe briefly the organization or department in which you are conducting this study (Type of Org., Mission, Number of Members and Cultural Background, Org. Structure (Chart), Location).

V. Description of the research methods (1 to 2 pages)

1. Describe of the method you are going to use for collecting data: You can select one of these methods:

a) Interviews: Describe the INTERVIEW GUIDE you are going to use for collecting data. A copy of your Interview Guide should go as an appendix after the Reference Section. (Description should include: Names of the FOCAL AREAS and number of questions for each focal area)

The Interview Guide should have 4-5 Focal Areas (Subtopics of the Main Topic of the research project) and under each focal area you should have 3-4 questions. The total number of questions for the Interview Guide should be around 10-15.(Instructions will be given in class).

    Every team member will conduct 2 interviews using the same Interview Guide

b) Questionnaire or Survey: Describe the QUESTIONNAIRE OR SURVEY you are going to use for collecting data. A copy of your questionnaire should go as appendixes after the Reference Section. (Description should include: Names of the Focal Areas and number of questions for each Focal Area

The Questionnaire should have 4-5 Focal Areas (Subtopics of the Main Topic of the research project) and under each focal area you should have 4 to 5 questions. The total number of questions for the questionnaire should be around 20-25.(Instructions will be given in class).

2. Describe the method you are going to use for analyzing data: 

a) CONTENT ANALYSIS if you are using INTERVIEWS to collect data

Download Content Analysis Instructions.

b) STISTICAL TESTS if you are using a QUESTIONNAIRE OR SURVEY to collect data, such as mean, standard deviation, etc. (Instructions will be given in class).

VI. Research results or findings (2 pages)

In this section report the findings gathered through the interviews (Outline, in rank order, the most important ones by FOCAL AREAS) and select and outline the 6 more important for each Focal Area (2 for each question).

VII. Conclusions (2 pages). (Report 1 or 2 main conclusions for each of the Focal Area). Report the most significant learnings you have gained about the research topic based on the findings reported in the above section. Present these learnings in the form of conclusions. A good conclusion integrates findings and the theoretical inputs discussed in the literature review or other sources, if they are related, in a paragraph format. conclusions should address positive and negative aspects. A good conclusion integrates findings and theoretical imputs in a paragraph format.

VIII. Action Plan and Recommendations (2 pages). (Report 2 actions to improve each Focal Area). Develop an Action Plan in the form of recommendations for improving communication in the community organization. These recommendations should specify concrete actions to be implemented to promote organizational change. 

IX. Major Learnings (1 page). Report 5 major learnings that you (as a team) have accomplished by conducting this Organizational Communication Intervention in a non-profit organization.

The two main sources of information in order to complete this assignment are:

A. Library research to complete the literature review.
B. Field research. Field research means that you must gather information using an interview or questionnaire as suggested above.

 
The REFERENCES should go in page 14 ( Acaademic Journals or Books)

• The WRITTEN REPORT (Download Instructions for Table of Content of the written report)

• Prepare a Presentation Outline for classmates (2 pages). This outline is due the day of presentation.

• Please hand in TWO COPIES of written report

This group project will require a formal presentation (Power Point Presentation) in class, of the final report. Each group will have 30 minutes for this presentation. Each member of the group will have 5-6 minutes to present a section of the final project report. At least 15 minutes must be reserved for group discussion with class members.

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