Community Planning and Community Operationalization

Community Planning and
Community Operationalization
Community Research Refresher
Research is the soul that theory into practice. The understanding of theory
is vital in deep into the study pf community.
Community researchers use most of the similar to those used in other fields
of study under the social sciences. The only obvious difference is in terms of
variables being studied. Social scientists need a different set of tools that
will be useful in studying people and the difference phenomena that exist.
Community Research Tools
1. Key Informant Interviews – Conducted by engaging people through a prepared set of questions that highlight the
necessary information to be acquired to answer the research question.
2. Focus Group Discussion – (FGDs) - Compared to interviews, FDGs, need more participation by people fr om specifi c
groups that share common agenda or coming fr om the same background to crowdsource much-needed information as
reinforced by the group.
3. Participatory Observation/Field Research – A data gathering method wherein the researcher embeds himself/herself
with his/her subjects for a specifi ed length of time to observe and gather data for research use.
4. Sampling/Surveys – Gathering of data samples through the use of a set of questionnaires to be distributed to a specifi c
or nonspecifi c subset of the population.
5. Secondary Data Analysis – The use of documents to gather data, such as related studies, policy notes, journals, and
books in articulating and supporting the ideas within a topic being studied.
Kinds of Research
1. Exploratory Research – This is kind of research where the study is aimed at exploring the
different variables of a topic where little or no prior work was done on the matter and there-
fore, substantial time will be needed to fully incorporate concepts, factors, and variables.
2. Descriptive Research – This merely describes the topic at hand without digging deeper
into the concepts and theories underlying it.
3. Explanatory Research – This is focused on identifying conceptual and ideological links be-
tween variables.
4. Policy Research – This strictly looks into secondary data analysis and documents that sur-
round the policy regarding agenda, effects, impact, and other correlated and causal factors.
Partnership with Local Groups and Community Leadership
You can start your research by engaging which with your subject community. Start off with a homework of
gett ing to know your community by gathering the necessary information about it fr om fi rsthand or secondary
data sources available, such as the internet, related books, news articles, and interviews. Aft er your data
gathering, you now start building trust, which is a critical part of your community research. Building trust
with your community starts with yourself by observing the right values and ethics of community research.
Remember the three Cs of Community Research:

Clarity – Be clear with your intention and be sensitive to the mores, ethics, and value of the community.
Conviction – Internalize the purpose of your research and always consider the stakeholders as a priority in
your agenda.
Collaboration – Be open to collaboration and partnerships as well as avenues for capacity -building with
actors.
Community Needs Assessment
C o m m u n i t y a s s e s s m e n t i s a i m e d a t g a t h e r i n g a c c u r a t e i n f o r m a t i o n r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f t h e n e e d s o f c o m m u n i t y. B e i n g a s p e c i fi c t o o l , n e e d s a s s e s s m e n t i s d o n e i n t h r e e
p h a s e s : p r e - a s s e s s m e n t , a s s e s s m e n t , a n d a c t i o n p l a n , w h i c h a r e u s e d t o i d e n t i f y t h e g a p s w i t h i n t h e c o m u n i t y a n d w h y t h e y a r e n o t a tt a i n e d .
Community researcher split the idea of community needs assessment into two very distinct categories: extensive needs and intensive needs. Extensive needs pinpoint a
b r o a d p e r s p e c t i v e t h a t d e a l s w i t h c u r r e n t c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e c o m m u n i t y a n d i t s o p e r a t i o n s a n d r e s u l t s . I n t e n s i v e n e e d s d e a l w i t h t h e r a n k i n g o f p r i o r i t i e s d e r i v e d fr o m
the extensive needs.
SWOT Analysis
Mapping Guide:
Strengths - Wha t are th e sta ndout ch a racteristics of your community in p olitica l, economic socio cultura l , tech nol ogica l , and environmental a sp ects?
We a k n e s s e s - W h a t d o e s y o u r c o m m u n i t y l a c k o r n e e d i n t h e s t a t u s q u o ? I t m a y i n c l u d e f a c e t s o f y o u r c o m m u n i t y t h a t y o u t h i n k n e e d t o b e a d d r e s s e d o r i m p r o v e d .
O p p o r t u n i t i e s – R e v i e w i n g t h e d i ff e r e n t a c t o r s , y o u m a y i n c l u d e t h e d i ff e r e n t a s p e c t s o f y o u r c o m m u n i t y t h a t a r e r i p e f o r i n t e r v e n t i o n a n d a i d t o s o l v e a n d c o u n t e r t h e
weaknesses you have indicated.
T h r e a t s – U n d e r s t a n d t h e v a r i o u s t h r e a t s t h a t m a y b e j e o p a r d i z e y o u r c o m m u n i t y. Yo u m a y i n c l u d e b r o a d c o n c e r n s s u c h a s c r i m e o r p o v e r t y o r b e m o r e s p e c i fi c b y
m e n t i o n i n g a c t o r s o r o t h e r i s s u e s t h a t m a y t h r e a t e n y o u r c o m m u n i t y.
Resource Mobilization and Social Action
A community is composed of a lot of variables and it may seem to complex and hard to
understand for a student studying the community. Taking notes fr om social movements,
resource mobilization is one of the pillars of community understanding.
Specifi c Plan of Action (SPOA) Template
Projects – Specifi c programs or initiatives that you are going to implement. It can be one
specifi c project or a series of activities toward one goal of solving a major problem.
Time Frame – How long will you be implementing the project? Cite specifi c timelines.
Specifi c Budget Breakdown – Allocate a budget for your project or how much you will
need and have a specifi c breakdown with justifi cation on cost.
Networks – Who will you tap to make your project a reality?
Project Impact Evaluation
Aft er implementing the project, it is necessary of community leaders to evaluate the impact of the
project to the community. Here, we will use the project impact evaluation matrix to plot the effi cacy o the
project relative to the community.
Input – These are the resources used and tapped to carry out the community project (e.g., money, time).
Output – These are the projects implemented with the use of the resources tapped.
Outcome – These are the benefi ts your stakeholders have gained fr om the project.
Impact – These are long-term benefi ts and initiative.
Recommendations – Aft er assessing the project, recommend what specifi c action can be taken to ensure
that it will reach its full impact for its stakeholders

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Remember the three Cs of Community Research:

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