Competency #4: Engage In Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice

Evidence: Research Study

Evidence One: Senior Research Study

My senior year I was assigned a time intensive assignment in which I had to devise my

own research study. Interning at a refugee resettlement there were some policies in place that I

wasn’t sure was fit for best practice. The policy that I am regarding is a time limitation on the

refugee resettlement case management period in which refugee clients are limited to 90 days.

Over time I was able to witness case terminations and I noticed that clients would often return

post the 90s requesting further service because they weren’t able to develop the skills to be self-

sufficient within this amount of time. Similar to competency four’s learning behavior, using

practice experience and theory to inform scientific inquiry and research, my experience at the

agency informed my decision to research the practice’s efficiency for clients as a part of my

assignment.

When initially choosing this research topic I used client based approach theories to

inform my assessment. In my research literature and the results of my instrument I identified that

the efficiency of the time restriction is case based, and therefore client oriented in the sense that

it recognizes different factors of the client that influence their position upon termination. For

example my literature review acknowledges populations at risk for being more susceptible to

needing extended case management such as the elderly and low English literacy populations.

This concept resonated in my instrument’s results when I asked refugee resettlement faculty their

opinion of what populations may need more time for case management, in which the most

common responses were elderly and those with low English ability. These characteristics are

determinants of the success of the client upon termination. When researching what populations

were more at risk I utilized qualitative methods in my instrument. The question regarding their
opinion of what constituted as at risk populations was and open ended question, and requested

participants to identify these populations and to exemplify them.

The study was not limited to qualitative measure and utilized quantitative measures to

make it a mixed methods study. The styling of some of the questions in my instrument were

quantitative because I utilized nominal questions. I used this information to measure the

prevalence of certain opinions and to identify common themes from recording how many times

staff members chose an answer in relation to other options. Like the second learning behavior of

competency four, to engage in analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods and

research findings, my study utilized mixed methods to determine the efficiency of the current

policy’s time restriction on case management. To complement my instrument’s data I collected

mixed methods studies in my literature review. The literature review consisted of theoretical

articles and empirical articles. Researching outside of my own instrument allowed for my

hypothesis to have more validity because the sample is expanded, and common themes were

brought to a larger global scale.

The purpose of my study was to determine best practice for refugee resettlement

intervention. Interventions are meant to be effective because they are evidence based and

research informed. These tactics are meant to inform professionals as to what services constitute

as best practice. When initially choosing this research topic I felt as though the policy that was

studied was not effective for all refugee populations, therefore the purpose of my research was to

investigate what practices to pursue or changes to make to service delivery to implement best

practice in resettlement.
Evidence Two: R/P Exit Survey

One of the tasks I was assigned at my agency that specialized with refugee resettlement

was to conduct a survey on clients upon termination of their case management period. This

period is titled by the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) as the Reception

and Placement period. This period is mandated by all agencies funded by USCRI for

resettlement services. During this period the client receives case management and numerous

services enforced by USCRI for case managers to complete. The Reception and Placement

director requested that I conducted surveys on clients that have recently terminated from their

case management period in regard to the services they have received. This data is then collected

by the Reception and Placement director to evaluate the success of the program through the how

the clients reviewed the program.

Questions on the survey pertained to the client’s particular experience with the agency’s

services. They were asked their opinion on a Likert scale their opinion of their relationship with

their case manager and other staff members and Dorcas. To expand upon this question they were

also asked to rate how comfortable they were with staff members and whether or not they were

well informed and their questions were answered. The responses I had varied amongst the clients

I was interviewing. Some answered that they were completely satisfied with the service at the

agency, whereas others expressed dissatisfaction with the services and the agency. For example

in my journal reflection I recorded that one client expressed intense dissatisfaction in his

responses to my survey questions. When hearing his responses to the survey I asked his to

expand upon his response and to explain his thinking. First he reported that he had experienced

racism from his ESL teacher. This was troublesome for me to hear so as I recorded in my journal

I investigated further into his response, and travelled outside of the survey’s formalized
questions. I recorded his testimony to bring to the attention of the Reception and Placement

director to seek appropriate intervention.

Other respondents resonated with this client’s dissatisfaction within their responses to the

survey. There was a common theme of dissatisfaction in regard to their housing placement and

employment services. When reporting this to the Reception and Placement director she made an

assessment that clients are upset with circumstances that are outside of the case managers’

control. Case managers are only able to connect them with means to employment and housing,

and it is out of their control whether or not they find housing or employment. For example, she

evaluated that a change to the program should be within the implementation of the cultural

orientation. Instead of a singular cultural orientation there should be an ongoing cultural

information meeting informing clients on the housing and employment process in America so

that there are no misinformed expectations of clients for their case.

The collection of data that I obtained in the Reception and Placement survey was a means

of evaluation to educate future intervention and therefore completed the last learning behavior,

using and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy, and service

delivery. Through this collection of data the program was able to make changes to the program

as a means of best practice. This is a skill that I will be utilizing ongoing in my practice to best

meet the needs of my clientele.