Introduction
The Research Question
The research question we seek to answer is: How can we demonstrate to potential grantors the need for additional funding to hire more instructional staff, two more social workers, and another psychologist at Sunny Days summer camp to better support the needs of low-income children attending the camp? The RQ aims to provide evidence for increased staffing to improve the educational and social-emotional support for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and to justify the request for additional grant monies.
The Type of Evaluation Study
I would design and develop a quasi-experimental evaluation study to assess the impact of additional instructional staff, social workers, and a psychologist on the academic and behavioral outcomes of low-income children in summer camp settings. The study would have a non-equivalent control group design, where the camp’s current summer program would serve as the sampler, and the program with additional staff would be the intervention group. The camp’s current program would be compared to that of other staff to determine the effectiveness of the proposed additions. The study would collect data on academic performance in reading, writing, and math and behavioral outcomes such as self-esteem, social skills, and emotional well-being before and after the summer camp experience. Data would be collected using standardized tests, surveys, and observations. The study would sample 50 low-income children, with 25 in the control group and 25 in the intervention group.
The Issue to Evaluate
We would seek to evaluate the impact of the additional instructional staff, social workers, and psychologists on the children’s academic and social-emotional outcomes. Specifically, we would first assess the children’s academic skills in reading, writing, and math before and after the summer camp experience. Thus, it will be easy to see if there is an improvement in their skills due to the supplemental classes and tutoring provided. Second, as measured by surveys, the children’s social-emotional well-being focuses on self-esteem, resilience, and belonging. Third, attendance and disciplinary issues are examined to see if the additional staffing impacts children’s attendance and behavior. The final issue that would be evaluated is Parent satisfaction to see if the additional staffing impacts parents’ perception of the camp and their child’s experience.
The Topic to Measure
We would measure the following issues: first, the children’s academic skills in reading, writing, and math before and after the summer camp experience using standardized tests or assessments appropriate for the children’s age and level. Second, the student’s social-emotional well-being using standardized surveys or questionnaires that measure self-esteem, resilience, and sense of belonging. Third, the attendance records count the number of days attended by each child during the camp period. Fourth, the disciplinary issues determine the number of incidences and their types, such as verbal or physical aggression, bullying, and absenteeism (Falb et al., 2019). Fifth is parent satisfaction, which measures how satisfied the parents are with the camp and their child’s experience. This can be done through surveys or interviews. Finally, we would measure staff’s perspectives on the impact of their roles on the children’s academic and social-emotional outcomes as gathered through focus groups and interviews.
Handling Institutional Review Board (IRB) Concerns and Safeguarding of Human Subjects
To handle Institutional Review Board (IRB) concerns and the safeguarding of human subjects, we would follow the guidelines and procedures outlined by the institution’s IRB. It would include submitting a detailed research proposal that outlines our study design, methods, and measures, as well as our plans for protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects (Falb et al., 2019). We would also provide informed consent forms for the parents or guardians of the children participating in the study and the kids themselves if they are old enough to understand the nature of the research and give their consent. We would ensure that the data collected is kept confidential and secure and that any identifying information is removed before analysis. Finally, we would ensure that the participants know that their contribution is voluntary and that they can withdraw at any time without penalty. We would explain the benefits and risks of the study and the potential uses of the data.
The Study Type (Exploratory, Explanatory, or Descriptive)
The study would be explanatory: Explanatory studies are designed to identify cause-and-effect relationships between variables and to test hypotheses or theories. In this case, the study aims to evaluate the impact of the additional instructional staff, social workers, and psychologists on the children’s academic and social-emotional outcomes (Jaskyte-Bahr, 2019). By measuring these outcomes before and after the summer camp experience, it will be easy to determine whether there are changes in the children’s skills and well-being due to the additional staffing. The study is also designed to test the hypothesis that the additional staffing will positively impact the children’s academic and social-emotional outcomes (Jaskyte-Bahr, 2019). Finally, the study will collect the staff’s perspectives on the impact of their roles on the children’s academic and social-emotional results through focus groups and interviews.
Literature Review
Previous research has highlighted the importance of providing academic and social-emotional support for low-income children during the summer months. Studies by Lynch et al. (2021) and Dujardin et al. (2022) have found that low-income children are disadvantaged regarding academic achievement and social-emotional well-being. It is due to a lack of access to resources and support in their homes and communities.
Research has also shown that summer camps can be an effective intervention for low-income children, as they provide a safe and nurturing environment that promotes academic achievement and social-emotional well-being (Peacock et al., 2021; McClelland et al., 2019). However, there is a lack of research on the specific impact of additional instructional staff, social workers, and psychologists on the outcomes of low-income children attending summer camps.
A study by Peacock et al. (2021) found that summer camps that provide academic support, such as tutoring and classes, can improve low-income children’s reading and math skills. Another study by McClelland et al. (2019) found that summer camps that provide social-emotional support, such as counseling and mentoring, can improve the self-esteem and resilience of low-income children. However, these studies did not examine the specific impact of additional instructional staff, social workers, and psychologists on the outcomes of low-income children. Previous research has shown that summer camps can effectively intervene for low-income children. Still, there is a lack of research on the specific impact of additional instructional staff, social workers, and psychologists on the outcomes of low-income children attending summer camps.
The Proposed Study’s Protocol
The proposed study’s protocol will involve recruitment: The camp will recruit low-income children aged 6-12 to participate in the survey through flyers distributed at schools and community centers and through word of mouth. Pre-camp assessments: The children will take pre-camp examinations in reading, writing, and math, as well as fill out surveys to measure their social-emotional well-being. Summer camp experience: The children will attend the Sunny Days summer camp for six weeks, where they will participate in academic classes and receive tutoring assistance in reading, writing, and math. Post-camp assessments: The children will take post-camp examinations in the subjects taught. Data analysis: The data collected from the reviews will be analyzed to identify changes in the children’s academic and social-emotional outcomes from the summer camp experience. Reporting: The results of the study will be reported to the camp director and potential grantors to be used to justify the need for additional funding to support the hiring of more instructional staff, social workers, and psychologists.
Conclusion
The proposed study aims to evaluate the impact of additional instructional staff, social workers, and psychologists on the academic and social-emotional outcomes of low-income children attending the Sunny Days summer camp. The study will use a mixed-methods approach to gather quantitative and qualitative data. The camp will recruit low-income children aged 6-12 to participate in the study, and their parents or guardians will provide written informed consent. Pre-camp and post-camp assessments in reading, writing, and math, as well as surveys to measure social-emotional well-being, will be conducted. Attendance and disciplinary issues will also be recorded. The camp staff, including instructional staff, social workers, and psychologists, will participate in focus groups and interviews to provide their perspectives on the impact of their roles on the children’s academic and social-emotional outcomes. The data collected will be analyzed to identify changes in the children’s educational and social-emotional outcomes resulting from the summer camp experience. The study results will be reported to the camp director and potential grantors to justify the need for additional funding to support the hiring of more instructional staff, social workers, and psychologists. The study will be conducted with the approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and following ethical guidelines for protecting human subjects. Thus, the information will be valuable for the camp’s decision-making and grant applications.
References
Dujardin, E., Ecalle, J., Gomes, C., & Magnan, A. (2022). Summer Reading Program: A Systematic Literature Review. Web.
Falb, K., Laird, B., Ratnayake, R., Rodrigues, K., & Annan, J. (2019). The ethical contours of research in crisis settings: five practical considerations for academic institutional review boards and researchers. Disasters, 43(4), 711-726. Web.
Jaskyte Bahr, K. (2019). An exploratory study of types of innovation in US foundations. Administrative Sciences, 9(4), 93. Web.
Lynch, K., An, L., & Mancenido, Z. (2021). The Impact of Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Children’s Mathematics Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. In SREE 2021 Conference. SREE. Web.
McClelland, M. M., Tominey, S. L., Schmitt, S. A., Hatfield, B. E., Purpura, D. J., Gonzales, C. R., & Tracy, A. N. (2019). Red light, purple light! Results of an intervention to promote school readiness for children from low-income backgrounds. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2365. Web.
Peacock, J., Bowling, A., Finn, K., & McInnis, K. (2021). Use outdoor education to increase physical activity and science learning among low-income children from urban schools. American Journal of Health Education, 52(2), 92-100. Web.