Recipient Organization
DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY
1003 W SUNFLOWER ROAD
CLEVELAND,MS 38733
Performing Department
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Non Technical Summary
The Delta Partners Initiative (DPI) is an innovative program funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for six years to help leaders, community and regional organizations create solutions in leadership, community, and economic development. This research will focus on two initiatives: (1) the Delta Emerging Leaders Program; and (2) the Community Development Demonstration Program. A Participatory Evaluation Research model will be used, which: (1) provides data from participatory development processes and implementation activities of the two programs; (2) provides program-specific information to strengthen DPI; (3) fosters learning environments so all DPI stakeholders will develop understanding of local conditions and create more effective intervention strategies; (4) assesses DPI's effectiveness and efficiency from recipients' perspectives; and (5) provides a research base for policies to guide rural development. The research will show how pre-existing, ongoing and external
events will influence DPI program inputs and outcomes in leadership development and community development.
Animal Health Component
25%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
75%
Applied
25%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The long-term objectives of this Participant Evaluation Research are: 1. To provide empirical and qualitative analyses of the process and activities used to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative programs in the Mississippi Delta with diverse populations in leadership development and community development; 2. To provide program-specific information that can be integrated and used to strengthen Delta Partners Initiative programs in leadership and community development; 3. To foster a learning environment so all and participants in the Delta Partners Initiative -- recipients, program participants, staff, and funding partners -- will develop understanding of local conditions and create more effective and efficient strategies for rural development interventions in leadership and community development; 4. To assess the effectiveness and efficiency of rural development programs with diverse populations in leadership development and community development; and, 5. Most
importantly, to provide a research base for developing policies to guide new rural development programs with diverse populations in the Delta region, the nation, and internationally.
Project Methods
Key Research Questions: The Mississippi Delta is one of the nation's most studied regions. Yet, few research studies of the region have been conducted by indigenous and diverse groups. This research is innovative for the Delta! Indigenous and racially diverse participant research teams will learn: (1) if Delta Partners Initiative (DPI) programs in leadership and community development are meeting desired goals; If yes, why. If no, why not. (2) are participants, staff, and consultants playing effective roles; (3) how are are DPI's program goals inter-related, being internalized and sustained; and, (4) What lessons can be learned from the two DPI programs that may transfer to other communities and regions. Methods for Data Collection: Two formal Participant Evaluation Research (PER) teams will be organized, as follows: (1) a Delta Emerging Leaders PER team for Class I and II; and (2) a Demonstration Community PER team for seven communities. Each PER team will be
co-chaired by a Team Leader, who is a program participant, and a university staff member. Other team members will include at least three participants from each program area, two DPI program staff, and several Delta State University graduate research assistants. The Principal Investigator, a Research Associate, a Faculty Associate, and the DPI Program Director will provide technical assistance to each research team to assure that the data collected are not flawed. These teams will work together to enhance quality control and to ensure that qualitative and quantitative data are gathered, tabulated, and interpreted objectively. Participatory Evaluation Research will allow the involvement of indigenous participants, some of whom are not highly educated, and provide flexibility and innovation for a variety of data collection methods with these participants. Decisions will be made by these diverse teams on the most appropriate method for each of two DPI programs from the following
techniques; focus group discussions, key-actor interviews, semi-structured interviews, structured questionnaires, participant correspondence, participant observations, conversations, official program files, and annual reports. Methods for Data Analysis and Outcomes: Quantitative data will be tabulated, and analyzed using appropriate statistical tests for significance and other meausures, using the Social Sciences Statistical Package. When qualitative data are analyzed, comparative analysis, content analysis, grounded theory, or similar appropriate analytic methodologies will be used. The focus of comparative analyses will be on changes in the lives of participants, in local organizations, in communities involved and in academic and outreach programs at Delta State University.