Vol. 14, No 2 - Summer 2014 - Faculty of Social Sciences

impact
Message du directeur
From the Director
Malgré le calme relatif qui caractérise la période
estivale, les dernières semaines ont été fort occupées
pour le CRSEC, et tout particulièrement pour bon
nombre de nos étudiants et membres du corps
professoral. Plusieurs d’entre eux ont pris part au
début de juin à la réunion de la Société canadienne
de psychologie, qui s’est tenue à Vancouver. Plus
récemment, certains ont participé à la conférence
nationale qui a marqué le 35e anniversaire de la
Société canadienne d’évaluation (SCE), ici au Centre
des congrès d’Ottawa. Nous avons été ravis que la
SCE et ses partenaires (le Consortium des universités
pour l’enseignement de l’évaluation et le Forum sur le
rendement et la planification) offrent des subventions à
l’inscription pour permettre à des étudiants d’assister à
la conférence de la CSE.
Despite the relative calm of the summer
period, it has been a busy time for CRECS
recently, particularly for many of our students
and Faculty. In early June, several took part in
the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
meeting in Vancouver and more recently,
the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) 35th
anniversary national conference was held
here at the Ottawa Congress Centre. We were
delighted that CES and partner organizations
(the Consortium of Universities for Evaluation
Education and the Performance and Planning
Exchange) provided registration subsidies for
students to attend the CES event.
Le CRSEC fait de sérieuses avancées dans la poursuite
de ses objectifs stratégiques. Récemment, nous avons
embauché Hang Tran (étudiante coop) et Allison
Paquette (Régime travail-études). Elles ont aidé le
CRSEC à faire des progrès importants dernièrement.
Dan Tamblyn-Watts poursuit à temps partiel son travail
au CRSEC. Dan a terminé au cours de la session d’hiver
un deuxième stage coop au CRSEC, et il continue
maintenant de fournir un soutien dans la production
de la série de vidéos de diffusion de résultats de
recherche appelées les Capsules de dix minutes. Dans
le présent numéro d’Impact, Dan décrit une solution
très astucieuse à un problème délicat que nous avons
éprouvé avec un questionnaire en ligne au cours de
la session d’hiver. Cette solution met en évidence
l’efficacité des outils de sondage en ligne dans le
traitement de défis complexes en matière de collecte
de données.
Ce numéro d’Impact inclut un aperçu détaillé de
certains de nos projets les plus intéressants, un profil
de l’une de nos chercheures principales ainsi qu’un
article concernant un heureux échange sur un média
social avec le fils du regretté Carol H. Weiss, évaluateur
d’illustre mémoire (Université Harvard). Une fois encore,
je tiens à remercier Alejandro Gomez pour s’être assuré
du maintien du haut niveau de qualité et de créativité
de notre bulletin. J’espère que vous aimerez ce numéro
d’Impact et que vous vivrez, en toute sécurité, un été
productif et remarquable.
Brad Cousins
Directeur CRSEC
CRECS is making great strides toward its
strategic objectives. We recently hired Hang
Tran (Co-op) and Allison Paquette (Work Study).
Both are helping CRECS make serious progress
of late. Dan Tamblyn-Watts continues with
CRECS on a part-time basis. Dan completed a
second co-op term with CRECS in the winter
term and continues now to provide support
for the production of the Ten Minute Window
CRECS video research dissemination series. In
this issue of Impact, Dan describes a very clever
solution to a challenging on-line questionnaire
survey problem we encountered in the winter
term. The solution demonstrates the power of
on-line survey tools to handle complex data
collection challenges.
The current issue of Impact includes an up-close
view of some of our more interesting projects,
a profile of one of our core Senior Researchers
and an article about a serendipitous socialmedia exchange with the son of legendary
evaluator, the late Dr. Carol H. Weiss (Harvard
University).
Once again I would like to thank Alejandro
Gomez for his effort to ensure that the
newsletter maintains its high standard of
quality and creativity. Please enjoy this issue
and have a wonderful, safe and productive
summer.
Brad Cousins
Director, CRECS
Vol. 14, No. 2
Été | Summer
2014
Contents
How to make use of randomization
and routing in an on-line survey 2
Carol H. Weiss and Social Media:
A Series of Unintended Outcomes... 3
Citizens Academy, understanding
Ottawa better
4
L’élaboration du Programme
d’intervention en lecture pour
adultes (PILA) 5
L’importance de créer des espaces 6
Celebrating Contributions to
Canadian Evaluation 7
Final report of the
At Home/Chez soi Study
8
From child mental health to
adult mental health services
8
Canadian Psychological Association
Conference 9
Annual Faculty of Education
Research Fair 10
Psychology Out of the Box
11
Prospective CRECS Researchers
11
Noon-hour Colloquium Series
12
Alejandro Gomez, Editor.
Impact is published semiannualy. For submissions and
queries please contact
[email protected]
www.crsec.uOttawa.ca
www.crecs.uOttawa.ca
136 Jean Jacques Lussier
Vanier 5002
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 6N5
How to make use of randomization
and routing in an on-line survey By Daniel Tamblyn-Watts < [email protected] >
CRECS offers survey formatting and hosting as a service
to its researchers. As part of my co-op semester from
January to April of 2014, I formatted a bilingual survey
produced by CRECS for uOttawa’s Faculty of Education.
The survey’s design required complex routing (directing
users to different sets
of questions based on
pre-set conditions) to
meet the requirements
of the researchers who
designed it, as well as
sections of questions
which were presented
to users at random.
The design required
that participants begin
the online survey on a
common page. From
that common page,
the survey needed to
route students into
one of four categories.
Participants were
given a question with
three options: The first
option needed to send participants directly to a page of
questions for category A. The second option needed to
route participants randomly to either category B or C.
It also required that participants be able to switch from
the category to which they were randomly assigned (out
of category B or C) to the one for which they were not
assigned, in the event that the questions in their assigned
category did not apply to them. The final option needed
to send participants directly to category D. Having
completed their assigned section, participants would
then need to be routed back into a common final section
of the survey.
CRECS surveys are built using the web survey platform
“Fluid Survey”. Fluid surveys are divided into digital
“pages”, and in order to route, a formatter must either
set pages of questions to “hide” or “must hide” individual
questions. “Hiding” pages or questions ensures that
survey participants only see pages with the questions
that researchers want them to see. Using this method,
participants can be directed to certain questions or sets
of questions, while unknowingly skipping past others.
Fluid Survey only allows for routing to jump users forward
2
(users can skip past questions or sets of questions,
but cannot be sent backwards to a previous page or
question). The Faculty of Education survey contained
enough questions that it was much more efficient to hide
pages rather than individual questions.
Knowing that sending
participants backwards
was impossible, it
seemed impractical to
allow for participants
to switch between
section B and section
C after they had been
routed to one or the
other. However, after
experimenting with
different techniques
to work around the
problem, I was able
to find a solution. The
final layout began with
the common page for
Concept map of survey logic all participants, and
from there
participants were given the three options, and routed
to one of the four categories. The first and last options
both sent users directly to a section (category A or D).
The second option (randomly routing to category B
or C) would randomly send participants to one of two
“gate pages” which would ask them whether or not the
questions in their randomly assigned category applied to
them. The actual pages for categories B and C followed
after the gate pages, meaning that there would be no
need to jump participants backwards, and that the
researchers’ requirements would be met.
It is always helpful to bear in mind when formatting an
online survey that platforms are extremely versatile, and
that what may initially seem impossible can actually be
quite straightforward. Complex routing, randomization,
and gates can be used to ensure that the only questions
asked of survey participants apply to them directly,
reducing the amount of time required for participants to
complete surveys, and in turn increasing overall response
rates.
Can you imagine trying to accomplish this result using
a traditional paper and pencil questionnaire?!
Carol H. Weiss and Social Media:
A Series of Unintended Outcomes...
In evaluation literature, theorists often discuss the
importance of examining a program’s unintended
outcomes. This past winter, when I chose Carol H. Weiss as
the subject of a presentation, I had no idea of the chain of
effects that were set in motion.
This “Scholar Profile” project
is a requirement of Dr. Brad
Cousins’ course EDU 6299:
Theory and Contemporary
Issues in Program Evaluation
(which I joined last minute
because its hybrid format suited
my broken ankle!) The assignment
asks students to “present to the class
the development of the scholar’s
intellectual and academic thinking
and contributions over time”.
Unfamiliar with
evaluation
scholars at
the time, I
randomly
chose
Carol Weiss. Delving into
the project, I gradually
discovered the
details of Carol Weiss’
incredibly valuable
impact on evaluation theory
and practice. I collected
information about her past
influences, her impressive list
of publications and her most
important contributions to the field.
Through the project, I came to feel connected
with the scholar, and felt that my presentation
represented a way of honouring her life and work.
I decided to use this project to develop my skills using an
online presentation program called Prezi. This website
allowed me to present my research and analysis in a
unique way; I represented the text content graphically
around a timeline and used Prezi’s voiceover tool to
narrate my presentation. Further, Prezi provides the
option of publishing presentations on the web or
keeping them private. The seemingly trivial decision to
display it publicly proved to be pivotal.
by Beth Peddle < [email protected] >
The day before Mother’s Day, in a surprising and uplifting
turn of events, I received a message on Facebook from a
man named Daniel Weiss. He asked if I had created the
Prezi about Carol Weiss, and soon identified himself as
Carol’s son. He thanked me for honouring his mother
in such a way, and mentioned that he had shared
the presentation with his
family. He wrote, “I have
heard that my mother was
an inspirational teacher,
but when you’re not there to
see her in action, it’s kind of
abstract. Whereas to hear your
presentation is vivid.”
It was amazing to see how a series
of small decisions, in a world so
connected by social media, can
create such an
impact.
Speaking
with Daniel
Weiss has
reminded me
that the internet
represents a
limitless
opportunity for
sharing knowledge and
ideas, and that social media
connects people around
the world to learn from one
another.
Social media set one chain of events
in action. But on a personal note, this
project has had an unexpected impact on my
own life. Carol Weiss’ work to promote evaluation use in
decision making sparked my interest. I continued to read
her work, and the work of those she had influenced, and
I was inspired to abandon my thesis proposal for a new
focus: the use of program evaluation in not-for-profit
organizations.
I bet Dr. Cousins didn’t anticipate that the “Scholar Profile”
would create so many unintended outcomes!
The project can be viewed at:
http://prezi.com/bbziaxv9d8xq/carol-h-weiss/
3
Citizens Academy, understanding Ottawa better
By Hang Tran < [email protected] >
Citizens Academy isn’t
a new concept; it has
been implemented in
Syracuse, New York for
some time. Recently a
small group Ottawans,
among them Caroline
Andrew who is currently
the Director of the
Centre on Governance
Citizens understanding Ottawa better at uOttawa and a senior
researcher at CRECS,
saw how effective the program was and decided to bring
it to Ottawa. To understand the program, I sat down with
Catherine Laska, the Program Manager, and learned
about how the project started and expanded quickly in
just over a year and a half.
see in their community. Participants were able to pitch
their idea to a panel of experts, among them the general
manager from the city, former mayors, representatives
from community associations, health centres and
journalists from the Ottawa Citizen.
Citizens academy began with the 5 founders injecting
start up funds that were matched by the Metcalfe
Foundation. It is now entirely funded by grants and is
volunteer-led. “We are delighted by how this initiative has
captured the hearts and minds of Ottawans”, says Manjit
Basi, a catalyst in bringing together the founders. She
has noticed that people are excited by the democratic,
experimental, and co-creative process. There’s an energy
in Ottawa for dialogue, getting more involved, and
taking collaborative civic action. So far, 150 citizens have
experienced the program. Citizens Academy is expanding
programming to include mentorship, workshops, and
Civic Conversations
on various intractable
issues.
The objective of the
project is to get citizens
involved with municipal
affairs, demystifying
I asked Catherine why
how Ottawa works
it is so important to
and create a network
get citizens involved in
of city builders. The 5
their municipal affairs
founders of the project
and she says: “You can
strongly believed that
focus on international
city building concerns
partnerships but at
everyone and that if
the end of the day,
people understand how
people truly connect
the city works, then
with people locally
they can take actions
and within their
to make a powerful
community”. When
impact. Citizens
Second Citizens Academy Civics Boot Camp, May 2014
asked about the most
Academy started
memorable moment for
with a pilot project in 2012 when the team selected 40
her thus far, Catherine mentions the GottaGo! Campaign
participants out of 120 applicants and to educate them
which was developed during the practicum of the
about the city. The team brought city counselors, city
Fall 2013 Civics Boot Camp by a group of participants.
staff and community leaders to the sessions. After the
Everyone in the group were very concerned about the
pilot project ended and with the amount of interest that
lack of washrooms in major public spaces in Ottawa
it sparked, Citizens Academy launched the Civics Boot
but had major difficulties working together towards a
Camp in the Fall of 2013. The Boot Camp’s curriculum
solution. However, they overcame those challenges and
covers topics such as governance, budgeting and land
the campaign is now moving forward as a real initiative
use planning and was designed by volunteers who were
with mentors providing help to make it happen. This
not necessarily experts on the topics. “The volunteers did
truly demonstrated that the sense of community is very
all the research on the topics, then created the curriculum
precious and that when we talk about the city, it isn’t its
and handouts”, says Catherine. The Fall 2013 Civics
buildings and infrastructures but its citizens. Catherine
Boot Camp spanned over 5 weeks and was delivered
ended our interesting conversation with a quote from
by experts who the volunteer team brought in. The
Margaret Mead which resonates strongly: “Never doubt
most interesting session during the Boot Camp was the
that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
practicum at the end which allowed participants to work
change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever
in groups and come up with a solution to a problem they
has.”
4
L’élaboration du Programme d’intervention en lecture
pour adultes (PILA) By Alain Desrochers < [email protected] >
De gauche à droite, dans la première rangée, Denise Morin, Alain Desrochers et Yolande Clément, accompagnés d’un groupe de formateurs en
alphabétisation affiliés à divers centres de formation des adultes au Canada.
On mène, depuis le début des années 1990, des enquêtes
sur le niveau de littératie des personnes de 16 à 65 ans
dans les pays de l’Organisation de coopération et de
développement économique (OCDE). Les résultats de
ces enquêtes reflètent le niveau de littératie atteint par
les adultes consécutivement à une dizaine d’années
d’instruction publique obligatoire ainsi que leur capacité
à maintenir le niveau de compétence atteint tout au
long de leur vie. Les résultats rapportés depuis 1994
sont alarmants et ils ne s’améliorent toujours pas. Le
compte rendu le plus récent (Statistique Canada, 2013),
par exemple, indique que, environ 49 % des adultes
canadiens ont un niveau de littératie insuffisant pour
répondre adéquatement aux exigences d’un emploi
de base dans le marché du travail (p.ex. comprendre
ou écrire une phrase simple). Une analyse détaillée des
capacités d’adultes inscrits aux centres de formation
de base en Ontario montre que leurs faiblesses en
lecture sont étroitement liées à une maîtrise insuffisante
des opérations fondamentales dans le traitement de
la langue écrite (Desrochers, 2009). Par exemple, on
observe, chez ces adultes, des faiblesses importantes
sur le plan de la distinction des sons de la parole, de
la maîtrise des correspondances entre les lettres et les
sons de la parole, de l’identification visuelle des mots et
de l’analyse des phrases. Pour pallier ces faiblesses, une
équipe associée au Centre franco-ontarien de ressources
en alphabétisation (Clément, Desrochers & Morin, 2012)
a amorcé l’élaboration d’un programme d’enseignement
des fondements de la lecture du français à l’intention
des adultes illettrés ou semi-lettrés. Le matériel
afférent aux deux premières années de ce programme
d’enseignement est accessible, sans frais, à l’adresse
Internet suivante : http://centrefora.on.ca/PILA/.
De quoi est fait le Programme d’intervention en lecture
pour adultes (PILA)? D’abord, ce programme s’appuie sur
l’enseignement systématique des savoirs fondamentaux
en lecture-écriture : l’analyse auditive des sons de la
parole, les correspondances entre les lettres et les sons,
le décodage des mots et l’orthographe, le vocabulaire, la
lecture et la production de textes. Le matériel didactique
se déploie en une série de leçons structurées, chacune
étant centrée soit sur un graphème particulier du français
(p.ex. une lettre ou un groupe de lettres: « o », « ou »,
etc.) ou sur un autre aspect de la langue écrite (p.ex.
le h aspiré, la liaison, les homonymes, les procédés de
construction des mots). Dans une leçon axée sur un
graphème de la langue (p.ex. « o », « ou »), on travaille,
dans l’ordre, le phonème correspondant, le décodage
et l’encodage du graphème, la lecture des mots et
des phrases, puis la rédaction de phrases. Le matériel
est également assorti de livrets de lecture adaptés au
niveau des apprenants adultes, d’épreuves standardisées
pour suivre leurs progrès tout au long du programme,
d’activités de consolidation des apprentissages et
d’épreuves de classement pour estimer leur niveau de
compétence en lecture. Le PILA répond à un besoin réel,
car il existe très peu de matériel sur le marché commercial
conçu pour l’enseignement des fondements de la lectureécriture aux adultes.
Références
Clément, Y., Desrochers, A. & Morin, D. (2012). Programme d’intervention
en lecture pour adultes. Sudbury, ON : Centre FORA.
Desrochers, A. (2009). Apprendre à lire à l’âge adulte. Sudbury, ON : Centre
FORA.
Statistique Canada (2013). Les compétences au Canada : Premiers résultats
du Programme pour l’évaluation internationale des compétences des
adultes (PEICA). Ottawa : Statistique Canada, Division du tourisme et du
centre de la statistique de l’éducation, document 89-555-X.
5
L’importance
de créer des espaces
Par Hang Tran < [email protected] >
Ruth Kane, ancienne
directrice de la
formation des
enseignants (secteur
anglophone) à la
Faculté d’éducation
de l’Université
d’Ottawa (20062012), s’est jointe
au Comité de
direction du CRSEC
en janvier 2014. Elle
a pris un moment
pour partager avec
moi son histoire
incroyable et sa
passion pour la
justice sociale,
Professeur Ruth Kane, Faculté d`éducation
l’égalité d’accès à
l’éducation supérieure et la formation des enseignants.
Mme Kane a commencé sa carrière comme enseignante
de géographie et d’économie au secondaire en
Nouvelle-Zélande. Elle a ensuite enseigné dans des
collectivités autochtones en Australie. C’est là qu’a pris
naissance sa passion pour la justice sociale et l’égalité
d’accès à l’éducation postsecondaire. Elle a remarqué
que les élèves n’aspiraient pas à faire des études
supérieures ou suivre des parcours professionnels
après leurs études secondaires. Ils pensaient n’avoir
ni les ressources ni les capacités, car ils voyaient très
peu de gens comme eux, des Autochtones, dans des
postes de professionnels. Mme Kane s’est demandé : «
Comment pouvons-nous changer l’accès à l’éducation
supérieure? Comment arriver à diplômer des
enseignants autochtones pour les élèves autochtones?
Comment nous assurer que tous les enseignants sont
bien préparés pour enseigner à des étudiants dont les
antécédents et les expériences de vie sont très différents
des leurs? »
Cela a inspiré Mme Kane à faire une maîtrise en éducation
à l’Université Griffith, en Australie, tout en étant
chargée de cours adjointe au Centre pour étudiants
autochtones et insulaires du détroit de Torres. Elle
a par la suite décroché un doctorat en éducation à
l’Université Griffith, puis a travaillé comme chercheure
à l’Australian Independent Schools Association, avant
de devenir chargée de cours au Centre for University
Teaching, à l’Université d’Otago en Nouvelle- Zélande.
Mme Kane s’est alors vu confier le poste de directrice de
la formation des enseignants. En 2003, elle est devenue
professeure titulaire de formation des enseignants
6
du secondaire à la Faculté d’éducation de l’Université
Massey, et en 2006, elle est devenue directrice de la
formation des enseignants (secteur anglophone) à
l’Université d’Ottawa. Elle a commencé à s’intéresser
au CRSEC en 2013. Constatant que sa volonté de créer
des espaces pour les étudiants moins favorisés et
d’améliorer la formation des enseignants concordait
avec la mission du CRSEC consistant à améliorer les
programmes sociaux pour les citoyens, notamment pour
les personnes confrontées à l’exclusion sociale, elle s’est
jointe avec enthousiasme à notre Comité de direction.
Son engagement auprès du CRSEC lui permet de se
tenir au fait du travail de ses collègues en dehors de la
Faculté d’éducation, ce qui crée d’excitantes possibilités
de collaboration du fait qu’ils travaillent dans les mêmes
communautés scolaires qu’elle.
Un des projets que Mme Kane gère actuellement est
l’évaluation de l’Initiative de soutien aux écoles pour
la réussite des élèves, pour le ministère de l’Éducation
de l’Ontario. Cette initiative vise à fournir ressources et
mentorat aux directions des écoles secondaires urbaines
à faible rendement. « Le plus grand défi consiste
à s’assurer que les nouveaux enseignants sauront
comment travailler avec des étudiants provenant
de milieux variés et ayant des capacités différentes
des leurs », affirme-t-elle. Pour cette raison, dans ses
différents projets, elle s’attache à établir des relations
avec les conseils scolaires, les directions d’école, les
enseignants et les étudiants, en s’assurant que la
communauté scolaire s’approprie la recherche. Il s’agit
de « faire de la recherche avec l’école », et non de «
faire de la recherche sur l’école ». « Les enseignants
qui obtiennent leur diplôme aujourd’hui enseigneront
pendant les 30 prochaines années. Si nous sousestimons maintenant l’importance de la formation des
enseignants, nous ne progresserons pas », précise-t-elle.
Revenant sur ses 35 ans d’expérience en formation
des enseignants, elle cite ceux qui l’ont inspirée et
encouragée à saisir les possibilités qui se présentaient.
Ils ont créé des espaces pour elle, et elle désire
maintenant s’assurer que les enseignants font de même
pour les étudiants marginalisés d’aujourd’hui. « On ne
peut assurer l’accès et l’équité sans créer des espaces
», dit-elle, et « le plus grand défi en formation des
enseignants consiste à créer des espaces où le candidat
pourra définir l’enseignant qu’il est et l’enseignant qu’il
veut devenir, pour ensuite examiner d’un œil critique
les croyances et valeurs qui sous-tendent ces deux
identités d’enseignant. C’est alors seulement que nous
diplômerons des enseignants aptes à créer des espaces
et des possibilités pour tous les étudiants. »
Celebrating Contributions to
Canadian Evaluation By France Gagnon and Kate Svensson
This year’s Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) annual
conference provided a forum for reflecting back on the
past 35 years of practice, research, and theory in evaluation
in Canada.
Patricia Rogers opened the conference with a reflection
on why ‘The evaluation world needs more Canada’. Some
of Rogers’ observed strengths were: (1) the existence of
a Canadian federal policy on evaluation, the monitoring
and management of a program performance as opposed
to the evaluation of projects which can only offer a partial
view of and “band aid” solutions to social problems, and
the cumulation of knowledge of what works, for whom,
when, where, and how; (2) collaborative approaches to
evaluation that have crossed the Canadian border to
influence the way practitioners locally and globally think
about and conduct evaluations; (3) an acknowledgement
of the diversity of values and of outcomes making it
possible for program stakeholders and evaluators to focus
beyond the “what works” question; and (4) a pragmatic,
eclectic approach to evaluation methods and design.
Rogers noted the contributions of several prominent
Canadian researchers, notably: Brad Cousins and Elizabeth
Whitmore - participatory evaluation, Arnold Love - internal
evaluation, Sandra Mathison - diversity of what works
for whom, Sanjeev Sridharan - the complex nature of
interventions, Steve Montague - use of a program theory
of change as a tool for managing change, and John Mayne
- contribution analysis as a methodology for exploring
causality.
The CRECS presence was strong. Brad Cousins and Isabelle
Bourgeois presented results of a Canadian research
program on evaluation capacity building suggesting value
in thinking of evaluation as an organizational learning
system - a means to assist organizations and programs
to leverage change. Rebecca Cherner and Tim Aubry
introduced a methodology for evaluating homelessness
interventions. Jennifer Volk presented the results of a
developmental and outcome evaluation of a capacity
building mental health promotion strategy. Jill Chouinard
and her colleagues facilitated a round table
discussion on using the narrative voice to
navigate between invited and public space
in evaluation. Jennifer Volk, Tim Aubry and
Robert Flynn facilitated a panel discussion
on navigating the use of the RCT design in a
community context.
The CRECS presence was also strengthened
by the contribution of Brad’s, Tim’s and
Robert’s students to the theory of evaluation.
The conference included a new studentdedicated stream hosted by the Consortium
of Universities for Evaluation Education
(CUEE) with support from CES and the
regional organization, the Performance
and Planning Exchange (PPX). Seventeen
students were given the opportunity to
present their research in a series of twentyminute segments. Hind Al Hudib, Amandeep
Bassi, France Gagnon, Nathalie Gilbert,
Jennifer Rae, Barbara Szijarto, Kate Svensson
and Joanne Tucker from CRECS were
among those who presented. The sessions,
supported by discussant feedback, were
well-attended reflecting the community’s
interest in research about evaluation and
interest in supporting the next generation of
researchers. Discussants complimented on
numerous occasions the high caliber of the
student contributions.
In closing, Melvin Mark reminded us of the
importance of theory to evaluation practice.
He quoted Kool and the Gang and concluded
in a deadpan voice and to the amusement
of all: “There’s a party going on right here. A
celebration to last throughout the years.”
Next year, the CES’ 36th annual conference
will take place in Montreal, Quebec, May
24 to 27. We hope to see you there!
7
Final report of the
At
Home/Chez soi Study
By Daniel Tamblyn-Watts < [email protected] >
From child mental health to
adult
mental health services
By Stephanie Rattelade < [email protected] >
The five year long At Home / Chez Soi study released
its final report in April, and that report is already having
significant impact on national public policy surrounding
homelessness and mental health. CRECS co-director
Tim Aubry acted as a member of the National Research
Team and was Co-research Lead of the Moncton site for
the study. The study provided strong evidence that the
“housing first” approach to housing is not only an effective
strategy to reduce homelessness and improve quality of life
and community functioning, but also a sound investment
of public dollars. The strong impact of the study comes
both from its unconventional approach to ending
homelessness, and from its size.
The Youth In Transition Intensive Case Management (ICM)
program was created in Eastern Ontario to address the
lack of service integration and transition from child mental
health services to adult mental health services. It provides
integrated community mental health support to 90 high
risk youth aged 16-24 with serious mental illness through
ICM services in four agencies across the Champlain LHIN.
Two evaluations of the program were conducted with
support from the Mitacs Accelerate Intern program and
the Canadian Mental Health Association-Ottawa Branch
(CMHA-O). Two interns, Stephanie Rattelade and Aman
Bassi, both graduate students in Psychology, completed
these evaluations under the supervision of Dr. Tim Aubry
and Dr. John Sylvestre.
The study provided a direct challenge to conventional
methods of dealing with homelessness, particularly for
people living with mental illness. Typically, the “treatment
as usual” approach to ending homelessness in Canada has
involved requiring people seeking housing to meet specific
requirements (such as abstaining from drugs and alcohol)
before they are placed in housing. The study examined
the differing outcomes of homeless people living with
mental illness who were provided a home without any
preconditions. It found that the less conventional “housing
first” method is significantly more efficient than the
traditional “treatment as usual” method.
The first evaluation considered the implementation of the
program at all four program locations. First, a program
logic model was created to develop a model of intended
implementation. A key components profile, created for
CMHA’s ICM program considered intended implementation
and was used to structure the key informant interviews
and focus groups. Fifteen key informant interviews and
two focus groups with staff and clients were completed
to assess actual implementation. Results showed that the
program is being implemented as intended, with most
key components considered to be well implemented. Staff
and clients also reported improvements in client housing,
mental health, and quality of life. However there were
several unique challenges related to youth experiences
of ICM and limited youth-appropriate services for client
referrals. Six recommendations outlined ways in which the
program can develop youth-specific ICM practices and
improve program functioning.
In addition to its unconventional approach to the problem,
the impact of the At Home / Chez Soi project can be
attributed to its scale. The study was one of the most
ambitious social experiments ever conducted in Canada,
and the largest study on homelessness in the world. Its final
report was the culmination of five years of research by a
team of over 50 researchers spanning five Canadian cities,
funded with a $110 million dollar investment by Health
Canada through the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
The study’s results are already having a major impact
on public policy. The financial savings associated with
the program, with estimated savings of nearly $22 per
$10 invested, have caught the attention of the federal
government. Based on the findings of the study, the
government made the decision to emphasise Housing
First approaches in its 5-year renewal of the federal
Homelessness Partnering Strategy beginning April 1st 2014.
The Federal Homeless Partnering Strategy holds major
influence over how services are delivered to homeless
people living with mental illness across the nation.
8
The outcome evaluation was conducted at the Youth
Services Bureau location and followed two groups of
youth. Youth in the program (YouIT) were compared with
a care-as-usual group from the same organization and
both groups were interviewed at baseline, 4 months, and
9 months. A total of 32 YouIT clients and 27 care-as-usual
youth were interviewed. YouIT clients reported fewer days
homeless, less drug use, and fewer court appearances
at follow-up than the care-as-usual group. Both groups
showed improvements in mental health symptoms, quality
of life, and reduced service use over the 9 months.
Results and recommendations from both evaluations were
disseminated at a half-day public forum. The event started
with a presentation of both evaluations, followed by a
panel discussion with representatives from three of the
program locations. The day ended with Dr. Simon Hatcher
and his research on youth suicide. The forum was wellreceived and over 70 people were in attendance.
Canadian Psychological Association Conference
By John Ecker < [email protected] >, Jennifer Rae < [email protected] >, Aman Bassi < [email protected] >.
The Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
Community Psychology Pre-Conference took place
on June 4th in beautiful British Columbia. The day
began with a lively panel discussion amongst a group
of community psychology students, researchers, and
practitioners, including CRECS Affiliated researcher Dr.
Susan Farrell. Members of the panel began by offering
their own definitions of Community Psychology, then
addressed contemporary issues facing the field, such
as the importance of pursuing transformative, rather
than ameliorative change, and whether to choose to
work within or outside of the systems we are trying to
change.
The panel discussion was followed by a roundtable,
which addressed Community Psychology in the
Canadian context. The group discussed how to market
Community Psychology training programs, how to
bridge community practice and academia, and how to
foster interdisciplinary connections.
The conference concluded with a series of five-minute
student thesis presentations. Two PhD students from
CRECS working under the supervision of Dr. Tim Aubry,
Jennifer Rae and John Ecker, participated in this session.
Jennifer discussed her work with the Youth Futures
Program, which promotes access to post-secondary
education for disadvantaged youth. The program is
being evaluated as part of a CRECS-affiliated research
project. For her thesis, she is assessing the educational
outcomes of the program using both quantitative and
qualitative methods.
John also spoke of his thesis work, which investigates
neighbourhood-, housing-, and individual-level
predictors of community integration among homeless
and vulnerably housed individuals in Ottawa. His data is
taken from the Health and Housing in Transition Study,
which is a CRECS-affiliated longitudinal research project.
He hopes his research can influence policy and practice
standards in order to assist individuals with vulnerable
housing statuses to feel a part of and engage with their
communities.
panel included two other researchers who were also
presenting the results of their work with individuals
living with homelessness, mental health and addiction
issues. The chair of the presentation was well-known
community psychologist Dr. Sean Kidd, who has worked
extensively with marginalized populations.
Both John and Aman’s presentations examined the
concept of community integration using quantitative
and qualitative methods. Aman’s presentation
focused on the qualitative methods and findings for
women participants living in supported housing.
Participants were recruited from the Supported
Housing Addiction Recovery Program
Evaluation (SHARPE). The presentation
focused on women’s experiences in their
neighbourhoods and what their views
were about being part of a community.
All three of the PhD students were
appreciative the financial support
they received from CRECS, which
made their participation in the
conference possible. They
valued the opportunity to
showcase their research to
a national audience and
to establish networks
with other researchers
doing similar work in
the field. They look
forward to the
next conference
in 2016!
Following the Community Psychology Pre-Conference,
the students took part in the annual convention of
the Canadian Psychological Association. John was
joined by Aman Bassi, a PhD student from CRECS
working under the supervision of John Sylvestre,
on a panel to present their thesis findings. The
Photo by John Ecker.
The Suspension Bridge, B.C.
9
Annual
Faculty of Education Research Fair
By Daniel Tamblyn-Watts < [email protected]>
Individual research projects were tied together through the
event’s theme, which was “Breaking Boundaries: images of
collaborative inquiry”.
Brad Cousins and Daniel Tamblyn-Watts
The annual Faculty of Education Research fair is a frequent
source of inspiration and collaboration for its attendees.
The fair provides researchers with an ideal opportunity to
showcase their work while also learning about the work
of their colleagues. Given the opportunity that the event
provides, CRECS researchers were excited to learn that this
year’s fair would be held in the ballroom of the Faculty of
Social Sciences, almost next door to CRECS’ main offices.
Wednesday March 5th 2012 from 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm,
researchers and interested guests from both the Faculty of
Education and the Faculty of Social Sciences gathered in the
Faculty of Social Sciences ballroom to showcase research.
10
CRECS Director Brad Cousins and CRECS assistant coordinator
Daniel Tamblyn-Watts represented CRECS at the event, and
showcased many of the latest developments at CRECS. The
CRECS display focused on increasing awareness about CRECS,
highlighting CRECS knowledge mobilization initiatives, and
describing the benefits of becoming a CRECS researcher.
Attendees of the research fair were able to read the CRECS
mission statement and logic model, to look through the
posters from more than five years of CRECS colloquia, to
pick up a copy of the latest issue of Impact, and even to view
excerpts from CRECS’Ten Minute Window video library. The
CRECS knowledge mobilization initiatives received a lot
of interest from researchers unfamiliar with the centre. In
particular, many researchers from outside of CRECS were not
aware of the CRECS Noon-hour Colloquium series. The CRECS
Ten Minute Window video library drew significant interest
from researchers due to its potential to quickly confer the
results of research to viewers. The research fair proved to be
a great environment for knowledge mobilization in and of
itself.
As might be expected, the event was well attended and
enjoyed by attendees from both the Faculty of Education
and the Faculty of Social Sciences. CRECS would like to thank
the organizing team at the Faculty of Education for putting
together a productive and well managed event.
Psychology Outside
Prospective CRECS
the Box By Hang Tran < [email protected] > Researchers
With CRECS’ support,
the Psychology
Outside the Box
(POTB) 2014
committee was
able to bring the
interdisciplinary
spirit to the POTB
conference this year,
which took place on
the 19th and 20th of
June on the 4th floor
of the Faculty of Social
Science building at the University of Ottawa.
Marianne Beauchamp, Research
Administrative Officer at FSS gave
birth to her son Phillip the 21st of
January 2014.
Senior Researcher Jessica Whitley
gave birth to her daughter Marley
Anne on September 17, 2013
Senior Researcher Cameron
Montgomery and his wife Nathalie
welcomed their son Theodore
Dennis on May 7, 2014.
The event had a total of 132 participants, including
University of Ottawa delegates and members of the
community, as well as from other Universities across
Canada and the United States. Approximately 25 poster
CRECS Coordinator Alejandro
presentations and at least 70 symposium presentations
were displayed (special round tables, parallel symposia, and Gomez welcomed the arrival
of his second child Nicolas,
oral presentations).
born on May 26, 2012
Dr. Mario Beauregard gave a keynote speech on “The
emergence of a post-materialist paradigm in psychology”,
suggesting that the nearly absolute dominance of
Senior Researcher Cintia
materialism in the academic world has seriously constricted
Quiroga, gave birth to her
psychology and hampered the development of the
daughter Tamara Salomé on
scientific study of mind. The lecture was well-received
December 10 2013.
despite its controversial nature and recorded 75 attendees.
During two special debates (“The influence of sex and
aging on the mind from an animal to a human perspective”
and “Darwinian academia: publish or perish norms and the
peer-review imperative in the academic profession”), the
committee utilized social media and communication with
the audience to create an interactive framework. There
were approximately 40 attendees for each debate.
Marie-France Hebert, the Conference Chair, and the
Director of the School of Psychology, Dr. Pierre Gosselin,
gave speeches in the closing ceremony of the conference.
Cash prizes were also handed out, along with certificates.
Christine Beaudoin won the prize for best poster, best
individual presentation went to Olivier Mesly and best
group symposia presentation went to Samantha Dawson,
Jackie Huberman, and Megan Sawatsky. The conference
was successful in fulfilling its bilingual mandate as
presenters and the audience members were able to discuss
in French or English.
Laure Tchamba Tchobet,
CRECS Research
Administrative Assistant
gave birth to her son Hako
Kaydmiel on June 5, 2014.
Meagan Miller, CRECS
Research Coordinator and
Erik Michael welcomed their
daughter Freya Ysobel on
November 19, 2012.
CRECS Research Associate
Stephanie Yamin gave
birth to her son Henri
William Westwood on
August 10, 2013.
11
Noon-hour Colloquium Series
Knowledge Mobilization at hand
CRECS continues to expand its knowledge mobilization
initiatives through its Noon-hour Colloquium Series both
on- and off- campus. Most colloquia are recorded and
released as podcasts on the CRECS website.
September 19
What are the factors associated with the
educational outcomes of children in care?
A review of the literature to identify factors
like risk, promotive or protective factors and
the genesis of interventions that underlie the
theory of change and their relationship to
educational achievement of children in care.
October 24
Lemyre and Pinsent
Aoiff O`Higgins, Oxford
Join us on these upcoming presentations.
Turning data into community
engagement: mobilizing
knowledge to increase volunteering
and donating
The E=MC2 Project is a unique approach in connecting
communities with data. Using data from the Canadian
Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participation, an
interdisciplinary team of researchers, service providers,
community organizations, and students are working
together to improve levels of community engagement
in the areas of volunteering and donating in diverse
AJ Hickey
November 21
Improving the Math and Reading Skills of
Children in Care
AJ Hickey is conducting three randomized
controlled trials that aim to improve the often
poor academic outcomes of children in care.
The first one compares two one-to-one direct-instruction
tutoring intervention, the second aims to evaluate a new
version of professional one-to-one tutoring and the third
will assess the effects of working memory on basic reading
and math skills of children in care.
Are you a researcher of Educational
or Community Services and want to
present your research findings and
hold a dialogue on your research?
Contact [email protected]
12
Who are we?
Comité consultatif CRSÉC | CRECS Advisory Committee
Kevin Barclay Réseau local d’intégration des services de santé de Champlain |
Senior Integration Specialist, Champlain Local Health Integration Network
Pino Buffone Superintendent du curriculum, Ottawa-Carleton District School
Board | Superintendent of Curriculum, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Rose Anne Devlin Vice-doyenne à la recherche, Faculté des sciences sociales |
Vice-Dean Research Faculty of Social Sciences
Mathieu Fleury Conseiller Quartier 12 Rideau-Vanier | City Councillor, Ward 12
Rideau-Vanier
Terry Hunt Direction générale de la vérification et de l’évaluation, Commission
de la fonction publique | Director General, Auditing and Evaluation, Public
Service Commission
Mary Jelinic Superviseur du programme, Ministère des services à l’enfance et à
la jeunesse | Program Supervisor, Developmental Services Ministry of Children
and Youth Services
Marilyn Kasian Officier de recherche, Ottawa Carleton Catholic School Board |
Research Officer, Ottawa Carleton Catholic School Board
Raymond Leblanc Vice-doyen à la recherche et au développement du
personnel, Faculté d’éducation | Vice-Dean Research and Professional
Development, Faculty of Education
Jean-Pierre Voyer Président-directeur général, Société de recherche social
appliqué | President and C.E.O., Social Research and Demonstration Corporation
Gestion et personnel soutien | Management and staff
Brad Cousins Directeur | Director
Tim Aubry Codirecteur | Co-Director (on sabbatical leave)
Robert Flynn Codirecteur | Co-Director (interim);
Ruth Kane Comité de gestion | Management Committee
John Sylvestre Comité de gestion | Management Committee
Alejandro Gomez Coordinateur | Coordinator
Allison Paquette Coordonnateur Adjointe | Assistant Coordinator
Hang Tran Coordonnateur Adjointe COOP | CO-OP Assistant Coordinator
Daniel Tamblyn-Watts La personne de soutien technique | Technical resource person
Coordonnateurs de la recherche |
Research Coordinators
Meagan Miller Ontario Looking After Children
Shannon Balla Families First
Joel Beaupré Kids in Transition
Abra Adamo Population Health Interventions
David Hole Ottawa Neighborhood Study
Katlyn Carr Ottawa Neighborhood Study
Associés à la recherche | Research Associates
Cynthia Vincent Ontario Looking After Children
Elizabeth Hay Health and Housing in Transition
Stagiaires postdoctoral | Postdoctoral Fellows
Rebecca Cherner Supported Housing Addiction Recovery Evaluation
Jennifer Volk At Home / Chez Soi
Arnaud Duhoux Health and Housing in Transition