Research And Research Methods For Youth Practitioners

Increasingly youth practitioners need to be able to develop, review and evidence their work using a variety of research and assessment tools. This text equips students and practitioners with a thorough understanding of research design, practice and dissemination, as well as approaches to evidence-based practice.

This edited volume develops critical discussions of prominent methodological approaches in participatory youth research. Chapters give special attention to power issues and dilemmas concerning young people’s and researchers’ involvement in research processes. The collection brings together perspectives of authors from throughout Nordic countries, all with comprehensive experience of qualitative research methods involving young people.

Youth-led research is increasing in popularity around the globe and empowers today's youth to help shape social interventions seeking to reach this population group. Designs and Methods for Youth-Led Research provides a foundation from which to plan and implement social research and program evaluation projects that place youth in central roles. In this text, author Melvin Delgado emphasizes how youth-led research represents a profound political and social statement about making relevant research result in significant changes to programs in the field of youth services. Key Features: Brings together the worlds of practice and academia by providing numerous examples of field-based youth-led research projects Encourages a partnership between youth and adults to facilitate mutual respect and give young people the opportunity to make significant and lasting contributions to the creation of solutions to many of their concerns and needs Examines future challenges in the field to help develop programs that will enrich tomorrow's youth Designs and Methods for Youth-Led Research is an excellent textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying youth development in a variety of Social Work, Psychology, Education, and Social Research courses. It is also a valuable resource for practitioners in the fields of youth development and youth services.

There is now a widespread expectation that teachers and coaches should be reflective practitioners, an expectation written into national standards of education in many countries. This innovative book introduces the methods by which teachers and coaches can conduct research into their own professional practice and therefore become more effective reflective practitioners, improving their students’ learning as a result. As the only book on practitioner research that focuses specifically on the unique challenges of working in a physical education or youth sport environment, it uses real-life case studies and applied practical examples to guide the reader through the research process step-by-step. Examining the what, why and how of four key research methods in particular – action research, narrative enquiry, autoethnography and self-study – it provides an expert analysis of the strengths and limitations of each method and demonstrates how conducting reflective research can produce tangible results in improving both teaching and learning. This is an invaluable resource for all those interested in enhancing their professional development as students, practitioners or researchers of physical education and youth sport.

′Researching young people′s lives will be useful to both the novice researcher and anyone interested in learning about new methods of practice′ - Youth Studies Australia Researching Young People′s Lives provides an overview of some of the key methodological challenges facing youth researchers and an introduction to the broad repertoire of methods used in youth-orientated research. The book is split into two sections. In the first half of the book, the authors consider the broad methodological and contextual concerns of relevance to the design and conduct of youth research, including ethical issues, the importance of context, and the rise of participatory approaches to youth research. The second part of the book focuses on the use of specific research methods in the conduct of youth research, ranging from surveys and secondary analysis through to interviewing, ethnography, visual methods, and the use of the internet in youth research. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on research in practice, and examples are drawn from recent youth research projects from a wide range of disciplines and substantive areas, and from a range of both UK and non-UK contexts. This is an ideal introduction to the field for novice researchers, in particular students studying and researching in the broad area of youth studies. It should also appeal to practitioners engaged in evaluation of service provision to young people, and to established youth researchers who might wish to explore the potential of using a different set of methods to those with which they are already familiar.

More and more people working in public services have to do research on top of their main jobs. This can include workplace research, such as evaluation, audit, training needs analysis or satisfaction surveys, or research for a professional development qualification such as diploma, master's degree or PhD. Unlike most how-to books that treat research as if it exists in isolation, this book will show you how to juggle research, work, family, and social life. Based on interviews with practitioners from health, education, social care, criminal justice, government and the third sector, as well as the author's extensive experience, it provides a wealth of practical information and tips to save you time, effort and stress. This book is for anyone in the public or third sector, an independent research organisation or academia, who wants to know how to do research on top of their main job and still have a life. The book is supported by a companion website, containing additional materials for both students and lecturers, which is available from the link above.

This book showcases rights based participatory approaches to policy-making, practice and research with children and youth. Throughout its three parts, the book conceptualises a rights-based participatory approach; showcases constructive and innovative rights based participatory approaches across the domains of research, policy and practice; and interrogates the challenges and complexities in the implementation of such an approach. In recent times, Ireland has been at the forefront of promoting and implementing participatory approaches to policy-making, practice and research focused on children and youth. This edited volume is a timely opportunity to capture previously undocumented learning generated from a wide range of innovative participatory initiatives implemented in Ireland. In capturing this learning, real world guidance will be provided to international policy-makers, practitioners and researchers working with children and youth. This book is essential reading for those interested in a rights based participatory approach, for those who want to appropriately and meaningfully engage children and youth in research, and for those wishing to maximise the contribution of children and youth in policy-making.

′This text will be of great use to postgraduate researchers in education, social work and nursing, and any practitioner involved in carrying out research with children and young people′ - CPD Update ′[T]here is a sense of newness and innovation about the book, whereby the reader is treated to insight into the life and work of collaborators who wrote each case study....[T]he book is highly accessible for students at graduate and undergraduate level, for example BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies students′ - ESCalate Researching with Children and Young People covers every stage of the process of doing a research project, from research design and data collection, through to analysis and writing up. The book is divided into three sections, in which the authors cover: - Introducing research and consultation with children and young people - Collecting and analysing data - Whole-project issues. Each chapter includes activities, discussion questions, tips and extended case studies to help the reader to engage with the material and investigate the practical implications. This text will be of great use to postgraduate researchers in education, social work and nursing, and any practitioner involved in carrying out research with children and young people.

This straightforward and original text sets out best practice for designing, conducting and analysing research on work with young people. A creative and practical guide to evaluation, it provides the tools needed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and applied practice. Written by an experienced, erudite team of authors this book provides clear, pragmatic advice that can be taken into the classroom and the field. The book: Provides strategies for involving young people in research and evaluation Showcases creative and participatory methods Weaves a real world project through each chapter, highlighting challenges and opportunities at each stage of an evaluation; readers are thus able to compare approaches Is accompanied by a website with downloadable worksheets, templates and videos from the authors This is the ideal text for postgraduate students and practitioners who work with young people in the statutory and voluntary sectors.

Avoiding both over-simplification and jargon-riddled complexity, this book is an invaluable, straightforward guide to participatory research for you and your fellow practitioners working with community groups and organisations. The book offers a route map for co-research projects with groups and communities, taking you through each stage of the participatory research process, from planning a project to sharing the findings. Keeping in mind imperatives such as engagement and voice, the book explores how to carry out research in ways that are meaningful for communities. This book includes valuable resources such as reflection points, tasks and further reading lists, offering support to practitioners to plan and undertake participatory research projects with confidence.