Fieldschool in Intercultural Education

The Fieldschool is a team-research activity in which participants work together to address a common issue or problem. Each team carries out primary and secondary data collection while learning skills such as participant observation, focus group management, conducting surveys, recording data, and preliminary data analysis. In addition, each student has their own individual project.

The Community Development Action (CDA) and Community Research and Action (CRA) programs offer qualified graduate students the opportunity to participate in supervised field research at the community level through the Fieldschool.  Eligible students must be functionally competent
in the host language and have completed at least two semesters of relevant course work.

In 2006, Professors Isaac Prilleltensky and William Partridge led the Fieldschool in Argentina.  The 2007 Fieldschool in Guangxi Autonomous Region of Southern China was led by Professor Douglas Perkins.

In 2003 and 2004 graduate students worked in the Chimborazo and Esmeraldas provinces among Quichua and Afro-Ecuadorian peoples. The study centered on the impacts of programs aimed at building human and social capital in minority communities, through grants provided to bright but poor young people to finish high school, university or post-graduate studies.

The Newbrough Graduate Award for the best research paper by an HOD student is given annually. The 2007 award went to Kimberly Bess for "The challenges of change in human service organizations: Identity, values, and narratives."