Recent education reforms informed by learning science support the effectiveness of collaborative learning strategies such as problem-based learning groups. However, the efficacy of these methods depends on the authenticity of the problem context and the quality of the dialog established. Communication within groups must be dialogic, and students must address problems using relevant concepts and deep principles. Although dialogic communication is rare and difficult to facilitate, if it is achieved, students will construct useful knowledge that can be applied beyond the classroom.
A model is presented for assessing social service needs on the local community level. The model expands existing definitions of community needs assessment to include six phases: (a) defining the parameters and constituents, (b) identifying the information needs and common values among these constituencies, (c) integrating and translating research knowledge from the social sciences, (d) developing procedures for gathering specific information for decision making, (e) gathering and organizing community‐level information (e.g., secondary data), and (f) presenting information to the constituent groups. This model is designed to improve the quality of social service decisions by promoting the effective use of social science research knowledge in community decision making and promoting consensus and cooperation among local stakeholder groups through a direct focus on values. A case study is presented that illustrates the implementation of the model in an assessment of the need for day care services for young children.
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