5 credits

Human Services professional practitioners and leaders often participate in advocacy on behalf of the needs of a group, a community, or a population. Action research is a form of collaborative inquiry, with the full participation of members of the group to collect and analyze the information needed to support advocacy, which creates positive social change. In this course, students evaluate action research as a tool used for advocacy in human services. Using an example of action research, students analyze and evaluate the planning process, data collection, and use the findings to create a communication to stakeholders and other audiences as a method of advocacy. Students also consider how to include action research in their doctoral capstone project.