Participatory Community Action Research in Homeless Shelters: Utilization of Service-Learning Pedagogy in Research and Advocacy

Homelessness will be framed as a human rights issue, with reference to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (e.g., Articles 25 and 27). A participatory action research project (sustained by service-learning pedagogy) in homeless shelters will be described. In the shelters, we implement Behavioral Activation, which is a strategy to (a) transform the shelter environment; (b) empower shelter guests; (c) enhance their coping; and (d) expand their opportunities for overcoming obstacles associated with homelessness. We will present both quantitative outcomes (using validated psychometric measures) and qualitative outcomes (examining written comments of guests using grounded theory methodology) for shelter guests, including evidence that the project contributes to their perceptions of hope, perceived capability/motivation for employment/education, purpose/meaning in life, well-being (managing anxiety and depression), social/emotional support, and shelter social climate. We will describe our plans for examining long-term outcomes for shelter guests, which involves quasi-experimental research to compare outcomes of shelter guests in Behavioral Activation with outcomes of other groups, such as: (a) guests who left shelters prior to Behavioral Activation implementation; (b) guests who declined Behavioral Activation; and/or (c) guests from similar shelters without Behavioral Activation. The project’s expanding collaborative network will also be described, such as our connection with the Montgomery County Ex-Offender Reentry Program, which prepares and empowers ex-offenders as they pursue housing, employment, and other positive endeavors. Further, we will show the relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 27 and 29) to our use of service-learning pedagogy. Outcomes for service-learning students are accessed via quantitative psychometric measures as well as qualitative approaches (examining written reflections using grounded theory methodology). We will review results of quasi-experimental research demonstrating that, relative to non-service-learning students, service-learning students assisting with this project show pre- to post-semester corrective changes in community service self-efficacy, stigmatizing attitudes, and awareness of privilege

Enhancing the Psychology Curriculum Through Service Learning

Educators in psychology should aspire to encourage students’ holistic growth in academic, personal, and civic domains. We propose that service learning is the most potent pedagogy for developing well-rounded, psychologically literate citizens capable of meeting the goals for the undergraduate psychology major. This article defines service learning, delineates the rationales for service learning, and summarizes research demonstrating the efficacy of this pedagogical approach. The article also describes the learning objectives derived from the American Psychological Association Guidelines for the Undergraduate Major (Version 2.0, 2013), with an emphasis on the ways in which service learning contributes to academic learning, civic learning, and personal growth. Finally, the article illustrates the four types of service learning, and it provides a concrete example for structuring reflection in order to connect community experiences with course content in a service learning psychology course

Psycho-Ecological Systems Model: A Systems Approach to Planning and Gauging the Community Impact of Community-Engaged Scholarship

This article presents the Psycho-Ecological Systems Model (PESM) – an integrative conceptual model rooted in General Systems Theory (GST). PESM was developed to inform and guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of transdisciplinary (and multilevel) community-engaged scholarship (e.g., a participatory community action research project undertaken by faculty that involves graduate and/or undergraduate students as service-learning research assistants). To set the stage, the first section critiques past conceptual models. Following a description of GST, the second section provides a comprehensive description of PESM, which represents an integration of three conceptual developments: the ecological systems model (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), the biopsychosocial model (Kiesler, 2000), and the principle of reciprocal determinism (Bandura, 1978). In the third section, we discuss implications of PESM for community-based research. A greater emphasis on the development of integrative conceptual frameworks may increase the likelihood that community-based research projects will: (a) address complex questions; (b) develop and implement efficacious (and sustainable) transdisciplinary (and multilevel) projects; (c) assess constructs at multiple levels using a blend of quantitative and qualitative approaches; and (d) utilize multiple research designs and methods to systematically examine hypotheses regarding a project’s influence on outcome variables and process variables

Homeless shelter food production: positive implications for clients and volunteers

Within the context of a longstanding project (Behavioral Activation Project in Homeless Shelters), the Shelter Farm was developed on the grounds of a homeless shelter located in a food desert. The Behavioral Activation Project, which represents a decade-long collaboration between a Professor of Psychology at the University of Dayton (Roger N. Reeb, Ph.D.) and St. Vincent de Paul (Dayton, Ohio), fosters self-sufficiency in shelter residents as they strive to overcome personal challenges and obstacles associated with homelessness. Past research shows that the Behavioral Activation Project enhances the psychological (and adaptive) functioning of shelter residents as well as the civic-related development of service-learning students who assist in implementing the Project. In 2017, Dr. Reeb (University of Dayton) established a collaboration with Ms. Mills-Wasniak (Extension Educator, The Ohio State University Extension Montgomery County) to develop the Shelter Farm at the St. Vincent de Paul Gettysburg Gateway Shelter for Men. A Memorandum of Understanding among the three collaborative entities was developed and approved. Shelter residents volunteered to work alongside service-learning students and community partners on the farm. In the first season, we harvested nearly a ton of produce – all of which was delivered to the shelter kitchen to enhance the nutrition of shelter residents. The Shelter Farm also enhanced St. Vincent de Paul’s budget for food, as we estimated wholesale value of the produce at almost $4,000. This same level of success was replicated in Shelter Farm’s second season. As we faced COVID-19 obstacles in the third season, safety protocols were approved by all three aforementioned collaborative entities, and we sustained the Shelter Farm, harvesting approximately 1500 pounds of produce for the shelters. In the first season, a graduate student in clinical psychology at the University of Dayton completed an M.A. Thesis providing preliminary evidence that, as shelter residents volunteer to work alongside students and community partners on the farm, they show decreases in state anxiety and improvements in wellness over time. This manuscript provides the following: (a) a description of the long-standing Project that provided the infrastructure for developing the Shelter Farm, (b) a description of the collaborative process underlying the initiative, the Shelter Farm itself, and the success in sustaining the Shelter Farm, even in the face of COVID-19; (c) an overview of the benefits (nutritional and psychological) of the Shelter Farm for shelter residents; and (d) plans for sustaining and expanding the Shelter Farm (and associated research)

Participatory Community Action Research in Homeless Shelters: Sustaining the Pandemic and Flourishing beyond It

The purpose is threefold. First, I will describe my long-term (12-year-old) and ongoing (and funded) transdisciplinary participatory community action research initiative – the Behavioral Activation Research Project in Homeless Shelters. In this part of the presentation, I will describe my ongoing long-term campus-community collaborative partnership with St. Vincent de Paul, as well as note the contributions of other campus-community partnerships. It will be explained that the Project has served as an “infrastructure” for student-driven independent studies. Our strategy (and success) in sustaining the Project during the pandemic will be briefly discussed. Second, I will review research (quantitative and qualitative) over the years demonstrating that the Project has significant benefits for (a) the psychological functioning of shelter residents and (b) the civic development of undergraduate service-learning students serving as research assistants. Third, the above discussion will set the stage for review of student-driven studies that have been conducted within the infrastructure of the Project since the pandemic. There will be a special focus on a recent study completed by an undergraduate honors thesis student that involved the following: the Montgomery County (Ohio) Office of Reentry (one of our collaborative partners); developing and implementing an intervention for shelter residents with a history of incarceration; and conducting a study (quantitative and qualitative) to show that the intervention had a significant benefit on self-efficacy for success in community reentry, with residents with disabilities and residents without disabilities benefiting from the intervention. There will be an emphasis on providing time for questions and discussion

Service Learning in Psychology: Enhancing Undergraduate Education for the Public Good

Service learning allows psychology undergraduates to improve their academic, personal, civic, and preprofessional outcomes through civic engagement. Students hone knowledge and skills from the classroom by collaborating with community organizations and residents in community-based activities. Community service that is integrated into a psychology course might include tutoring children, developing informational brochures, promoting social change, or conducting participatory community action research. This book reviews the theory, research, and practice behind service learning, establishing it as an effective pedagogy that can help psychology departments meet the five key learning goals outlined in the Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major: knowledge base in psychology scientific inquiry and critical thinking ethical and social responsibility in a diverse world communication professional development Chapters provide clear guidelines for designing service learning courses and integrating them into the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Specific implementation strategies — including sample project designs and reflection assignments — are applied to introductory, major, and capstone courses in a wide variety of popular subjects. Bringle and colleagues also examine faculty development, assessment, and scholarship, providing useful blueprints for department-wide civic engagement