Advancing Contextual Analysis and Methods of Participant Engagement (CAMPE)

2021 - 2024

The Advancing Contextual Analysis and Methods of Participant Engagement in OPRE (CAMPE) project assists OPRE to better understand, incorporate, and advance equitable research practices. The project aims to advance knowledge of and capacity to employ innovative research and evaluation methods related to equity in projects overseen by OPRE. OPRE awarded a contract to the Urban Institute (Urban) to execute the project in September 2021.

The project focuses on strategies for incorporating participatory methods and analysis of contextual factors into OPRE research and evaluations. Participatory approaches to research, programming, and policy help ensure such work is ethical, accurate, and sustainable. Engaging program participants puts “people at the center” of the government’s work and can inform program operations and policy development with critical context and practical input that can generate more nuanced, robust, and lasting results. Contextual analysis acknowledges the complex social, historical, cultural, and political environments in which people navigate, access, and experience human services programs. Incorporating the contextual factors in which people experience programs and policies can strengthen the relevance and rigor of research projects.

Specific project activities include:

  • Developing a community advisory board (CAB) composed of a diverse group of individuals with lived experience in ACF programs. The term “CAB” is commonly used in research and evaluation practice and does not refer to a Federal Advisory Committee; Urban is not seeking consensus advice from the CAB, but rather capturing a variety of perspectives to inform project activities. The CAB is providing input on OPRE’s internal editorial style guide, the Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency Learning Agenda, , language and procedures used to obtain informed consent in OPRE research studies, and guidance for survey development;
  • Conducting a literature review and environmental scan on the use of contextual analysis and participatory methods in federal research and evaluation projects; and
  • Facilitating equity consultations with OPRE staff to advise on approaching research and evaluation projects with an equity focus, concentrating especially on communication and framing.

The CAMPE project supports OPRE’s efforts to develop tools and guidance related to applying an equity lens to research and evaluation projects in the federal context. The guidance will share lessons on how to engage program participants as collaborators and incorporate analyses of the broader contextual factors that affect programs and participants within projects.

Points of Contact:  Marie Lawrence, Kim Clum, and Siri Warkentien.