RESEARCH METHODS EDUCATION FOR PUBLIC SECTOR CAREERS: THE CHALLENGE OF UTILIZATION

As the world rapidly becomes more complex, there is a greater need for tools of research and data analysis to assist the public administrator. While many university programs recognize this need and include several methodology courses in their curriculum, there is little evidence that students are taking this knowledge into the field. In this article, the need for usable methodology courses are stressed. The first section of this article is dedicated to identifying those factors that make methods classes more practical. The remaining portion concentrates on two approaches to teaching that the author asserts will help students to use in the field what they have learned in the classroom. Copyright 1989 by The Policy Studies Organization.

Common insights, differing methodologies toward a fusion of indigenous methodologies, participatory action research, and white studies in an urban aboriginal research agenda

In this article, we discuss three broad research approaches: indigenous methodologies, participatory action research, and White studies. We suggest that a fusion of these three approaches can be useful, especially in terms of collaborative work with indigenous communities. More specifically, we argue that using indigenous methodologies and participatory action research, but refocusing the object of inquiry directly and specifically on the institutions and structures that indigenous peoples face, can be a particularly effective way of transforming indigenous peoples from the objects of inquiry to its authors. A case study focused on the development of appropriate research methods for a collaborative project with the urban aboriginal communities of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada, provides an illustration of the methodological fusion we propose

Clinical psychology for cardiac disease

From its very beginning, modern scientific psychology has dealt with issues regarding mind-body, health-disease relationships; in particular, clinical psychology, in its various applications, has tried to provide a structure to psychological concepts tied to organic disease. Clinical psychology is described as the “area of psychology whose objectives are the explanation, understanding, interpretation and reorganization of dysfunctional or pathological mental processes, both individual and interpersonal, together with their behavioral and psychobiological correlates” [2]. Clinical psychology is characterized by a variety of models, methods, theories and techniques, each of which has its own historical reason. Its core and indispensable common denominator is clinical practice, be it intended for individuals, groups or collectives [3]. Among its areas of application we can include psychosomatics, health psychology and hospital psychology, where clinical psychology offers a relevant and coherent scientific, professional and training frame through contributions aimed at health maintenance and promotion, identification of etiological and diagnostic correlates, analysis and improvement of health care, and enhancement of public health [4]