Psychological Effects of Bullying on Children free essay sample

Those four categories are â€Å"verbal, rumors and ostracism, cyberbullying, and physical† (Dell’Antonia). These four categories start occurring as early as five years old. Some children seem to think that physical aggression will increase their social status, but as stated by CNN, â€Å"there is no evidence that overall aggression increases social status†. Therefore, bullying has no effect on social status, contrary to children’s beliefs. The study done by Developmental Psychology has three goals. The primary goal is to examine interventional affects on bullying and bystander behavior on playgrounds. The first goal of the study was to reduce bullying and decrease the destructive behavior of bystanders. The second goal was to increase prosocial beliefs related to bullying. The third goal was to increase social-emotional skills. The secondary goal was to examine the effects of bullying on grade, gender, and behavior at the beginning of the school year. The first goal, reducing bullying and destructive bystander behavior was evaluated by playground behavior and student’s self-reports. We will write a custom essay sample on Psychological Effects of Bullying on Children or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The intervention group was predicted to have decreases in observed playground bullying compared to the control group, or the group who had no intervention. Since people were observing the children on the playground, it was predicted that children standing by would be less encouraging of the bullying activity. The experimenters separated bullying and non-bullying aggression, though they had no prior hypothesis regarding non-bullying aggression. Goal two of the study, increasing prosocial beliefs related to bullying, was measured by self reports by the students, stating that they accepted the bullying and aggression, they were interested in watching it happen, and whether or not they thought they had to intervene when a bullying incident was taking place. Goal number three was increasing social-emotional skills. This aspect was evaluated by teacher reports as well as observation. They were watching to observe both agreeable as well as argumentative social interactions. The children in the control group were predicted to have greater skills in the respect of agreeable social interactions, compared to the control group with no interventions whatsoever. The secondary goal was to examine the effects of bullying on grade, gender, and behavior at the beginning of the school year. The study included measures of physical and verbal  bullying, social exclusion, and malicious gossip in order to avoid false gender differences. Using a similar observation system formed in 1995, they  found that girls bully just as frequently as boys, although boys report higher levels of bullying than do girls, reaching physical levels far more often. Both students and teachers were asked to participate in this study. Six elementary schools in the Pacific Northwest were asked to participate in this study. Two suburban schools were matched for ethnic breakdown and size. Students in grades three to six were asked to participate, however they needed parental consent to do so. Teachers in 36 experimental classrooms and 36 control classrooms were asked to file a consent form. The majority of the teachers were females. All teachers agreed to participate in any and all study measures, and received monetary compensation. The program, Steps to Respect was designed to increase teacher and staff awareness and their response to bullying. Also, it was designed to make clear to students their responsibility to react. They also aimed to teach children how to avoid or counter bullying and form healthy relationships with their peers. They also wanted to promote conflict resolution for the children. The student curriculum combines skill and literature-based lessons presented by third to sixth grade teachers over 12 to 14 weeks. Level 1 is taught at Grade 3 or Grade 4, Level 2 at Grade 4 or Grade 5, and Level 3 at Grade 5 or Grade 6. Ten somewhat scripted skill lessons focus on social-emotional skills for positive relations with their peers, emotional management, and recognizing, refusing, and reporting of behavior regarding bullying. The topics of these lessons include being a responsible bystander and not a spectator, joining groups, distinguishing reporting from tattling, and so on. The study procedure was simple. The students were surveyed over a two week period in fall, around the middle of November, and in the spring, late in April to early May. The teachers also rated the children’s intrapersonal skills on a scale from one to four, one being poor and four being great. The children were also observed for five minutes a day over a ten week period. Though, a lot of their data was incomplete because of children moving schools or missing recess. They also interviewed the students about their bullying beliefs. The results showed no difference in withholding between pretest and posttest. Although the students did show less acceptance of bullying and more intention of intervening when bullying was witnessed. The perceived difficulty of intervening was lower in fifth and sixth graders than with grades four and lower. Bullying greatly affects a child’s self esteem. Though some say it makes people better in the long run, that almost sounds like justification for the act of bullying. Children deserve to have happy childhoods, and even though bullies and victims are one in the same, the bullies should not make other children miserable because they are miserable at home. When bullied, children feel inferior and worthless, especially if the bullying goes on long enough. Nothing good comes of bullying, and it needs to be stopped. In conclusion, bullying is a significant issue in today’s society, and younger children are too often victimized.

Art and Human Nature Essay Example

Art and Human Nature Essay Example Art and Human Nature Essay Art and Human Nature Essay When discoursing art it has continuously been examined how much it is applied to human nature. In The Art Instinct by Denis Dutton he spend an full chapter discoursing the colours between the two. Art can be seen in human nature through its history. it’s comparing to linguistic communication. and its creative activity from worlds through genetic sciences and their inclinations. Language has ever been considered a portion of human nature. All civilization through all ages has some mode of linguistic communication. Though it changes throughout the universe with over six thousand known types. the cosmopolitan ability to pass on is unquestionable Despite vocabulary and surface grammar differences †¦ linguistic communications are neer reciprocally incommensurable †¦ This is possible because linguistic communication construction is shared across civilizations and because linguistic communications are ties to cosmopolitan prelinguistic involvements. desires. demands. and capacities ( 30 ) . Language is cross-cultural and though the idiosyncrasy and address are different they are all built-in in their ability. At the same clip one can non reason that each linguistic communication and gesture changed throughout the different civilization. This is how linguistic communication can be considered so cosmopolitan in human nature. Art can be said to hold the same catholicity of linguistic communication. Like linguistic communication it has transcended through all civilizations and history. Different civilizations all express them in a different manner. and though everyone doesn’t needfully understand all others civilizations art. it is still a human universals. Besides similar linguistic communication. art has the innate ability throughout all societies. Art in many manner is really comparable to the human nature of linguistic communication The field of natural linguistic communications resembles the field of art considered cross-culturally: both exhibit an interplay between. on the one manus. deep. unconditioned constructions and mechanisms of rational and emotional like and. on the other manus. a huge ocean of historically contingent cultural materials ( 31 ) . With these many colours art appears basically connected to human nature. This thought that art has colour with human nature has been around throughout history. Plato though jilted art as a signifier of cognition. he still admitted it connexion with nature. He saw art as an imitation of nature. which was already the imitation of the Forms. which make up our true world. This he felt was disenchantment. which brought out the worst imposts of human nature. Either it represented a deceptive position of our universe in the sense of the beauty ever found in art. but non in true world. Or that it feeds our most basic inherent aptitudes From a Platonic point of position. much of the violent amusement offered by dramatic signifier – from the theatre of the Greeks to the force and carnal passions of today’s amusement media †¦ For Plato. the humanistic disciplines at their worst are bad for the psyche because they engage and reward its basest elements ( 32 ) . Though you sense that Plato fears the unsafe of the humanistic disciplines. this is merely because he admits the inherit nature of it. Aristotle nevertheless has quiet a different sentiment of art. He realized that with the assortment in art it provides awareness into the human status. In his plants on play and poesy he demonstrates that impact that art has had throughout the civilization and history of his ain society. Besides he argues for the natural inclination that world has to stand for themselves with art expresses the unconditioned nature of it Human existences are born image-makers and image-enjoyers ( 33 ) . Though the thought behind art and its connect between human nature is non ever the same. it has existed during the class of history. Like art. human nature itself has been questioned on wither it is genuinely natural or has evolved over clip and civilizations. With the development of adult male many of human inherent aptitudes has developed over clip. Natural choice over 1000s of coevalss have helped hones many accomplishments needed to last throughout mankind’s beings. These effects over many coevalss can be considered portion of what makes up human nature pressure over 1000s of coevalss can deeply scratch a physical and psychological traits into the heads of any species ( 42 ) . However it can besides be argued that much of natural inherent aptitudes come from our societal nature. There is ever the built-in hunter-gather sense that all worlds have. but on the other side are the societal inclinations we all have in common Human existences. for illustration. are funny about their neighbours. like to dish the dirt about them. feel for their bad lucks and envy their successes. Peoples everyplace tell prevarications. justify and apologize their ain behaviour. overstate their selflessness. Human existences like to expose and mock the false pretentions of others. They enjoy playing games. stating gags. and utilizing poetic linguistic communication ( 45-46 ) . This societal nature can be seen as innate within all civilizations. Both this and familial sensitivities of worlds is what human nature is derived from. This is where Dutton true statement comes full circle. Human nature no affair its beginnings is what makes up worlds and all that they create. With our natural inherent aptitudes we developed many inclinations. and theories. Our history as humanity we have gone through many things such as endurance. non merely those from the environment. but from the societal forces that surrounds us. All of this is what genuinely makes up human nature. and from all this is where we create art. This is what makes worlds what they are. and with that what they feel inspired to make no affair the civilization and its signifier of art. This is how he grounds that art is human nature finally produced the intensely societal. robust. love-making. homicidal †¦ knowledge- seeking. reasoning. clubby. language-using. conspicuously uneconomical. various species of archpriest we became. And along the manner in developing all this. the humanistic disciplines were born ( 46 ) . Since art is derived from all that is human nature how can itself non be human nature. Through its colours with linguistic communication. the history. and the effects that human genetic sciences and societal inclinations have had art can be considered to be a portion of human nature. Art like human nature has transcended throughout all of mankind’s being. Wither art will of all time be considered a portion of human nature. its impact on worlds non merely through history but civilization can non be denied. Dutton. Denis. The Art Instinct: Beauty. Pleasure. A ; Human Evolution. Array New York: Bloomsbury Press. 2009.

Professional Resume Writer Wants to See Clients Land Their Dream Jobs

Professional Resume Writer Wants to See Clients Land Their Dream Jobs This past Sunday, thanks to the hard work of my publicist Scott Becher, I was featured in the â€Å"Executive QA† section of the Wisconsin State Journal. I invite you to take a look and find out more about how I got to where I am today. Some teasers on what you will discover: Why transitioning from a lawyer in NYC to a resume writing business owner in Madison, WI was not as huge a leap as it might seem Why I made that leap and why I’m glad I did What the story is with certified resume writers What makes Madison, WI an ideal place to live and to start a business Why job seekers will benefit from hiring a professional resume writer How I helped an executive land a job as a sorority house mother What success means to me What’s coming next for The Essay Expert (stay tuned for my New Year’s Ressaylutions for more on that topic)! Please enjoy the read, and share with anyone in your life, especially those at an executive career level, who would benefit from an expertly written resume and LinkedIn profile. This is college admissions season as well, and deadlines are approaching, so if you know someone who is struggling with an application essay, send them my way! As the holidays approach, I also recommend you check out an article I wrote last year on how to increase your happiness by giving gifts. Have a wonderful start to your holiday season! Save Save Save Save

Organization Development and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Organization Development and Change - Essay Example lly taking into consideration are the content of the agreement (contract) as well as the inter-personal relationships that may occur in the process of organizational development. It is usually imperative that certain issues, specifically the content of the contract are mentioned and comprehended at initial stage of the contract. One of the issues that is usually addressed by many organizations making efforts to engage into contract is clarification of the specific terms of the agreement: This is usually undertaken in order to ensure that the two parties do not engage in future conflicts by improving the level at, which they understand the terms of the contract. Another main focus in regard to content-oriented issues that are usually exhibited during contracts in organizational development process is the essence of addressing complex issues that may arise among professionals and stakeholders engaged in making the contract. That is, it is imperative to set terms that basically indicate the role of each stakeholder for instance: Who is responsible for solving any form of conflict that may arise in future; indicating issues to be addressed by the contract; ways by, which the overall goals of the contract will be achieved and the specific phases/stages of the organizational development process. The process of organizational development also involves the engagement into contract that basically leads into development of relationships. The process of organizational development usually begins with a scenario where one of the stakeholders in the organization contacts other organizational development practitioners in order to engage into a contract. The stakeholder may be the Chief Executive Officer or even a project manager that is facing challenges in regard to certain issues of organizational development. The process of determining whether the two parties should engage into any form of relationship is usually guided by a clear statement of the specific functions of the

Cisco Case Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cisco Case Analysis - Research Paper Example As per the 2010 company data, Cisco employed over 60,000 people and earned annual revenue of US$ 40 billion. Despite the adversities of 2009 global financial crisis, the company remains an attractive investment option for global investors. Networking industry comprises of a number of huge players like IBM. Therefore, the degree of competitive rivalry is very high in this sector. In addition, threat of substitutes is also high in networking industry since majority of the networking equipment is substitutable. However, the industry is less affected with the threat of new entrants because entry cost is huge in the networking sector. Evidently, supplier has less bargaining power over networking companies as there are a large number of potential suppliers. Although there are numerous potential suppliers, companies rarely opt to change their suppliers because of high switching cost. At the same time, buyer power is relatively high in the networking industry since modern customers are well informed of the prevailing market prices and increased provider options. Hence, the Porters’ five forces analysis indicates that the networking industry’s external environment does not offer potential opportunities to Cisco. The Cisco was founded in 1984 by two Stanford computer scientists, and the company was made public in 1990. As Nolan (2005) reports, from the beginning, the company concentrated to dominate the dramatically growing ‘internetworking’ market. In 1997, Cisco was included in the top five companies listed by Fortune 500 on the basis of return on revenues and return on assets. In the following year, the company’s market capitalization crossed $100 billion mark. The company overtook Microsoft in 2000. In the same year, some surveys reflected that Cisco products play a role in more than 75% of all internet traffic. Mission statement of Cisco is; â€Å"shape the future of the

Case Study: Why do People Migrate? :: Immigration Mexico USA Wages Work Essays

Case Study: Why do People Migrate? The Migration and Culture class field trip to Nogales Mexico was an educational trip. It served to give the students a greater understanding of other cultures and the migration issues that affect them. The mere sight of Nogales makes it easy to see the disorganization. The terrain and apparent lack of city planning makes the thought of reorganization a daunting task. The many houses that rest precariously on the hillsides are densely packed. The poverty is striking and the businesses, houses and lack of services are the obvious signs. The trip to one of the maquiladoras was informative. It was clean and well organized. In appearance it was no different than many of the assembly line production companies in the US. What was markedly different was the wage. Our tour guide hesitantly told us the wage was approximately eight US dollars a day. When comparing eight dollars a day to the eight dollars an hour paid by assembly lines in the US it is easy to see why people would be inclined to immigrate to the US in search of a higher wage. The maquiladoras are a strip of foreign owned factories that provide employment for the Mexican population. Maquiladores came about in 1965 as an attempt to combat Mexico’s unemployment problem. In exchange for providing jobs, these industries are given tax exemptions and very little regulations are placed on them (Falcoff 9). The impact maquiladoras have on immigration are both direct and indirect. The direct impact is that it created an immigration problem in Nogales. People from the interior of Mexico flooded Nogales in search of employment (Trujillo). These new immigrants needing a place to live, haphazardly built houses and communities on property that was not theirs and became squatters. These communities have developed into what is referred to as colonias or colonies in Spanish. In questioning one of the colonia residents, it became apparent that property ownership and systematic records had become a problem. She indicated that she had previously been making payments on the property but had ceased to do so. She went on to say that the person she was paying had not been the rightful owner of the property and that she was told to stop paying. When asked who had told her to stop paying she indicated that it was an attorney who was going around trying to help the people of the colonias.

Qualitative research Essay

PREPARING A CASE STUDY: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input By Palena Neale, PhD, Senior Evaluation Associate Shyam Thapa, PhD, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor Carolyn Boyce, MA, Evaluation Associate May 2006 P AT H F I N D E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L T O O L S E R I E S Monitoring and Evaluation – 1 PREPARING A CASE STUDY: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input By Palena Neale, PhD, Senior Evaluation Associate Shyam Thapa, PhD, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor Carolyn Boyce, MA, Evaluation Associate. May 2006 Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the following Pathfinder employees and partners for their technical inputs into this document: Emmanuel Boadi (Pathfinder/Ghana), Anne Palmer (Futures Group International), Ugo Daniels (African Youth Alliance (AYA)), Veronique Dupont (Pathfinder/Extending Service Delivery (ESD)), Cathy Solter, Lauren Dunnington, and Shannon Pryor (Pathfinder headquarters). Jenny Wilder and Mary Burket are also thanked for their inputs and assistance in editing and producing this document. 2 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY. What is a Case Study? A case study is a story about something unique, special, or interesting—stories can be about individuals, organizations, processes, programs, neighborhoods, institutions, and even events. 1 The case study gives the story behind the result by capturing what happened to bring it about, and can be a good opportunity to highlight a project’s success, or to bring attention to a particular challenge or difficulty in a project. Cases2 might be selected because they are highly effective, not effective, representative, typical, or of special interest. A few examples of case study topics are provided below—the case studies would describe what happened when, to whom, and with what consequences in each case. Case Study Examples Shifting Attitudes of Youth-Serving Service Providers Uniqueness/Point of Interest Your program was able to change service providers’ attitudes towards dealing with Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) needs in an environment where provider’s attitudes have been a barrier to young people accessing SRH services. Your program was effective in introducing YFS to the MOH and in institutionalizing an YFS curriculum in a setting where the MOH did not provide YFS. Your program was able to integrate HIV prevention in several FBO service delivery points in an environment that normally does not include or welcome HIV prevention activities. Your program built the leadership capacity of youth to advocate, promote, and participate in decision making around ASRH. This transpired in a setting that did not include ASRH on the agenda nor encourage youth participation in general or in decision making in particular. Integrating Youth-Friendly Services (YFS) in the Ministry of Health (MOH) Integrating HIV Prevention in Faith-Based Organization (FBO) Health Services Delivery. Developing Youth Leadership in Tanzania 1 2 Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oakds: Sage Publications. Case refers to the unit of analysis or topic chosen for study (i. e. , the individual, organization, or program). PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 3 When is a Case Study Appropriate? Case studies are appropriate when there is a unique or interesting story to be told. Case studies are often used to provide context to other data (such as outcome data), offering a more complete picture of what happened in the program and why. What are the Advantages and Limitations of a Case Study? The primary advantage of a case study is that it provides much more detailed information than what is available through other methods, such as surveys. Case studies also allow one to present data collected from multiple methods (i. e. , surveys, interviews, document review, and observation) to provide the complete story. There are a few limitations and pitfalls however, each of which is described below. Can be lengthy: Because they provide detailed information about the case in narrative form, it may be difficult to hold a reader’s interest if too lengthy. In writing the case study, care should be taken to provide the rich information in a digestible manner. Concern that case studies lack rigor: Case studies have been viewed in the evaluation and research fields as less rigorous than surveys or other methods. Reasons for this include the fact that qualitative research in general is still considered unscientific by some and in many cases, case study researchers have not been systematic in their data collection or have allowed bias in their findings. In conducting and writing case studies, all involved should use care in being systematic in their data collection and take steps to ensure validity3 and reliability4 in the study. Not generalizable: A common complaint about case studies is that it is difficult to generalize from one case to another. But case studies have also been prone to overgeneralization, which comes from selecting a few examples and assuming without evidence that they are typical or representative of the population. Yin, a prominent researcher, advises case study analysts to generalize findings to theories, as a scientist generalizes from experimental results to theories. 5 3 4 Validity refers to the degree to which a study accurately reflects or assesses the specific concept that the researcher is attempting to measure. Reliability is the extent to which an experiment, test, or any measuring procedure yields the same result on repeated trials. 5 Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. 4 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY. What is the Process for Conducting a Case Study? The process for conducting case study research follows the same general process as is followed for other research: plan, collect data, analyze data, and disseminate findings. More detailed steps are given below. 1. Plan †¢ Identify stakeholders who will be involved. †¢ Brainstorm a case study topic, considering types of cases and why they are unique or of interest. †¢ Identify what information is needed and from whom (see â€Å"What are Potential Sources of Information? † and â€Å"What are the Elements of a Case Study? †). †¢ Identify any documents needed for review. †¢ List stakeholders to be interviewed or surveyed (national, facility, and beneficiary levels) and determine sample if necessary. †¢ Ensure research will follow international and national ethical research standards, including review by ethical research committees. For more information, please see the International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects, available at http://www. cioms. ch/frame_guidelines_nov_2002. htm. 2. Develop Instruments †¢ Develop interview/survey protocols—the rules that guide the administration and implementation of the interview/survey. Put simply, these are the instructions that are followed to ensure consistency across interviews/surveys, and thus increase the reliability of the findings. The following instructions for the should be included in the protocol: †¢ What to say to interviewees when setting up the interview/survey; †¢ What to say to interviewees when beginning the interview/survey, including ensuring informed consent of the respondent (see Appendix 1 for an example); †¢ What to say to respondent in concluding the interview; †¢ What to do during the interview (Example: Take notes? Audiotape? Both?); and †¢ What to do following the interview (Example: Fill in notes? Check audiotape for clarity? Summarize key information for each? Submit written findings? ). †¢ Develop an interview guide/survey that lists the questions or issues to be explored and includes an informed consent form. Please note that you will likely need interview guides/surveys for each group of stakeholders, as questions may differ. †¢ Where necessary, translate guides into local languages and test translation. PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 5 3. Train Data Collectors †¢ Identify and train data collectors (if necessary). (See â€Å"Training Tips for Data Collectors†6. ) Where necessary, use interviewers that speak the local language. Training Tips for Data Collectors Staff, youth program participants, or professional interviewers may be involved in data collection. Regardless of what experience data collectors have, training should include: †¢ An introduction to the evaluation objectives, †¢ A review of data collection techniques, †¢ A thorough review of the data collection items and instruments, †¢ Practice in the use of the instruments, †¢ Skill-building exercises on interviewing and interpersonal communication, and †¢ Discussion of ethical issues. 4. Collect Data †¢ Gather all relevant documents. †¢ Set up interviews/surveys with stakeholders (be sure to explain the purpose, why the stakeholder has been chosen, and the expected duration). †¢ Seek informed consent of each respondent (written or documented oral). Re-explain purpose of interview, why the stakeholder has been chosen, expected duration of, whether and how the information will be kept confidential, and the use of a note taker/tape recorder. †¢ If the respondent has consented, conduct the interview/survey. 5. Analyze Data †¢ Review all relevant documents. †¢ Review all interview/survey data. 6. Disseminate Findings †¢ Write report (see â€Å"What are the Elements of a Case Study? †). †¢ Solicit feedback. †¢ Revise †¢ Disseminate 6 Adamchak, S. , et. al. (2000). A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluating Adolescent Reproductive Health Programs. Available at http://www. pathfind. org/site/PageServer? pagename=Publications_FOCUS_Guides_and_Tools. 6 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY What are Potential Sources of Information? Case studies typically rely on multiple sources of information and methods to provide as complete a picture as possible. Information sources could include: †¢ Project documents (including meeting minutes) †¢ Project reports, including quarterly reports, midterm reviews †¢ Monitoring visits †¢ Mystery client reports †¢ Facility assessment reports †¢ Interviews †¢ Questionnaire/survey results †¢ Evaluation reports †¢ Observation †¢ Other What are the Elements of a Case Study? Case studies do not have set elements that need to be included; the elements of each will vary depending on the case or story chosen, the data collected, and the purpose (for example, to illustrate a best case versus a typical case). However, case studies typically describe a program or intervention put in place to address a particular problem. Therefore, we provide the following elements and example on which you might draw: 1. The Problem i. Identify the problem ii. Explain why the problem is important iii. How was the problem identified? iv. Was the process for identifying the problem effective? 2. Steps taken to address the problem 3. Results 4. Challenges and how they were met 5. Beyond Results 6. Lessons Learned. PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 7 1. The Problem: It is essential to identify what the problem was. Specifically: i. Identify the problem. For example, certain FBO leadership was opposed to including HIV prevention activities within their programming. Specifically, they felt that prevention activities would promote sex among youth and thereby increase the incidence of HIV. In addition, the FBO felt that the promotion of condoms as a form of prevention was morally wrong. ii. Explain why the problem is important. Following the same example, to provide a comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS, prevention activities are an important part of HIV programming, in addition to care and support. Addressing moral and religious concerns and objections of FBO leaders in order to incorporate this component greatly expands the prevention effort and offers a greater breadth and depth in HIV programming. iii. How was the problem identified? It is likely that program staff will have an idea of what general problems exist. For example, YFS is not integrated in the MOH, FBOs do not include prevention activities, youth involvement does not occur, etc. What was likely missing and required exploration were the details around this general problem. In the case of working with FBOs, an initial project planning meeting was held to discuss the specifics behind the problem. It was revealed during this process that certain FBOs who conducted care and support activities did not offer prevention activities, specifically condom promotion. The primary reason given was religious objections; another reason identified but not explicitly stated was stigma. iv. Was the process for identifying the problem effective? After additional one-on-one discussions with FBO leaders, it was determined that the leaders had concerns based on moral and religious grounds regarding prevention efforts, particularly promoting condoms. Furthermore, discussions revealed that a number of leaders had limited and/or erroneous information regarding transmission and prevention options. 8 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 2. Steps Undertaken to Address the Problem: What was done (activities/ interventions/ inputs), where, by whom, for whom? In the case of integrating prevention in FBOs, an illustrative outline of steps undertaken to address the problem is given below: What was done? Phase 1: Sensitization Sensitization of leadership: activities included reviewing FBO policies and bylaws by program staff in order to demonstrate to leadership that there were no constitutional objections to prevention activities. Project staff engaged liberal FBO leaders to supply quotes from the Bible to build their evidence-based argument to convince other leaders that there was in fact no biblical basis for the preclusion of prevention activities. Sensitization of facility managers: meet with managers to discuss leadership approval and present evidence-based arguments on why integration activities can be included. Sensitization of community: work with groups to explain that these activities have been approved by the FBO leadership and where they can go to receive services. Phase 2: Integration Facility assessments Selected facilities Project Staff, FBO representatives Local Implementing Partners (IPs) Project Staff, Facility Managers Contractor FBOs, Project Staff Facility Staff District/ National Project Staff FBO leaders Where? By Whom? For Whom? Facilities Project Staff Facility Managers Community catchment areas Project Staff Community members Training of service providers Selected facilities Conduct staff orientations Facilities Facility Staff Physical infrastructure improved Phase 3: Outreach Identify peers that you want to work with Training Provide Tools Supervision Phase 4: M&E Reassessments Facilities Facility Selected facilities Facilities Facility Staff IPs Project Peer supervisors Beneficiaries Peers Peers Peers Sample of selected facilities Project Staff, Facility Management, Youth Trained mystery clients Project Staff, Peer Supervisors. Facility, Project Staff Mystery client interviews Monitoring visits Facilities Facilities, Peers Facility staff, Project Staff PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 9 3. Results: What were the results of your intervention, particularly the significant or unique results? For example: your activities resulted in the FBO including HIV prevention activities in their programming, which contributed to an increase in condom distribution. Or, your activities resulted in youth-serving service providers adopting a youth-friendly attitude which contributed to improved services and an increase in youth visits. Church leadership may have made a commitment and modified policies to include ASRH activities, leadership talking about the issues publicly. Facility managers may make financial commitments to refurbishments, training, etc. 4. Challenges and how they were met: This focuses on what challenges or difficulties you encountered and what you did to overcome them. One of the challenges in working with FBOs may have been dealing with Catholic FBOs and your response could have been to negotiate with them to include certain prevention activities like abstinence, and/or providing a referral point to youth who may want to get information about condoms. Another possible challenge is that not all FBOs who you had hoped to work with were willing to come on board and this required additional attention. 5. Beyond Results: Are the results mentioned above sustainable? Why or why not? For example, an integrated approach to programming (which included a strong policy and advocacy component) created an enabling policy environment with strong stakeholder support that can be nurtured and leveraged beyond the project duration. 6. Lessons Learned: What lessons were learned: programmatic, technical, financial, process, etc.? For example, the experience showed that it was imperative for project staff to have a very solid understanding of government policies to speak to these issues with key stakeholders. In addition, it was important to have a good understanding of the various religious beliefs in addition to their respective policies and by-laws for developing and delivering advocacy arguments. How are Case Studies Presented? Case studies are flexible in that they can be presented in a number of ways—there is no specific format to follow. However, like all evaluation results, justification and methodology of the study should be provided, as well as any supporting information (i. e. , copies of instruments and guides used in the study). Case studies may stand alone or be included in a larger evaluation report. If presented as a stand-alone report, the following report outline is suggested: 1. Introduction and Justification 2. Methodology a. How was the process carried out? (Describe the process of selecting the case and data collection sources, as well as how data was collected. ) b. What assumptions are there (if any)? 10 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. c. Are there any limitations with this method? d. What instruments were used to collect data? (You may want to include some or all in the appendix. ) e. What sample(s) is/are being used? f. Over which period of time was this data collected? The Problem The Steps Taken to Address the Problem The Results The Challenges and How They were Met Beyond Results Lessons Learned Conclusion Appendices Where Can More Information on Case Studies be Found? Information on Case Study Research Adamchak, S. , et. al. (2000). A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluating Adolescent Reproductive Health Programs. Available at http://www. pathfind. org/pf/pubs/focus/guidesandtools/PDF/Part%20II. pdf. Patton, Michael Q. (2002). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Stake, Robert E. (1995). The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. United States General Accounting Office, Program Evaluation and Methodology Division. (1987). Case Study Evaluations. Available at http://161. 203. 16. 4/t2pbat22/132683. pdf. Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. London: Sage Publications. Examples of Case Studies Cornwall, A. and Welbourn, A. (2002). Realizing Rights: Transforming Approaches to Sexual and Reproductive Well-Being. London: Zed Books. Population Council. Quality/Calidad/Qualite series. Available at http://www. popcouncil. org/publications/qcq/default. htm. SRI International. (2001). The Organization of Learning in Community Technology Centers: Learning with Technology in Six Communities. Available at http://www. americaconnects. net/research/SRI_case_study_report. pdf. PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 11 Appendix 1: Sample Informed Consent Form Key Components: †¢ Thank you †¢ Your name †¢ Purpose †¢ Confidentiality †¢ Duration †¢ How interview will be conducted †¢ Opportunity for questions †¢ Signature of consent I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. My name is ________________________ and I would like to talk to you about your experiences participating in the African Youth Alliance (AYA) project. Specifically, as one of the components of our overall program evaluation we are assessing program effectiveness in order to capture lessons that can be used in future interventions. The interview should take less than an hour. I will be taping the session because I don’t want to miss any of your comments. Although I will be taking some notes during the session, I can’t possibly write fast enough to get it all down. Because we’re on tape, please be sure to speak up so that we don’t miss your comments. All responses will be kept confidential. This means that your interview responses will only be shared with research team members and we will ensure that any information we include in our report does not identify you as the respondent. Remember, you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to and you may end the interview at any time. Are there any questions about what I have just explained? Are you willing to participate in this interview? __________________ Interviewee __________________ Witness __________ Date ______________________________________ Legal guardian (if interviewee is under 18) 12 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: SAMPLE INFORMED CONSENT FORM Pathfinder International 9 Galen Street, Suite 217 Watertown, MA 02472 USA Tel: 617-924-7200 Email: Information@pathfind. org 05/06/500.