COUV ACTES - Psychologie communautaire

Community Psychology: Common Values, Diverse Practicesmethod (Cecconello & Koller, 2003). The researchers observed the proximal processes at school - mainlyoccurring at classrooms, reception hall and external areas for leisure times - during two consecutive months,three afternoons a week. Also, the seven participants, first school year teachers who applied for the project, filledin 40 incomplete sentences (De Antoni, Yunes, Habigzang & Koller, 2006) in a questionnaire whose purpose wasto investigate their perceptions and interactions with the students’ families. The second moment consisted of theapplication of the Intervention Program which was elaborated following an organization of subjects whichemerged from the qualitative analyses of the diagnostic phase. The analysis was consonant with the principles ofgrounded-theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Concerning the results of the diagnostic phase, most teachersshowed a discourse that focused the negative characteristics of the students’ families. Having little knowledge ofthe children’s everyday life they usually maintain families far over the gates of school. Due to the situation ofsexual abuse, the educators recognized their difficulties and limited knowledge to cope with the complexities ofthe situation. They reported immediate actions that sent the abused children and their families away from school.Also, it was emphasized the lack of support from the community network. The intervention program waspresented for the teachers in six meetings containing different subjects, theories and concepts followed bydiscussion on real cases. It mainly focused on orientating the educators to build strategies for an attitude thatwould disclosure the abuse and protect the children.There are many possibilities of association of the Ecological Engagement with other procedures such as focalgroups, reflexive open interviews, natural observations and field diary, etc. All procedures may potencialize thequality of analysis of risk situations and allows the researcher to visualize and put into action protectivemechanisms that may activate resilience processes. However it is relevant to use these research strategies atregular periods of time.ConclusionThis work presented the Ecological Engagement as a methodology based in the theory of bioecological humandevelopment of Urie Bronfenbrenner. It was discussed that it can be applied to investigations and interventionproposals which are composed by different risk situations lived by: poor populations, sexual abused victims,street/sheltered children, adolescents and their families, among other conditions. As shown, the proceduresinvolve mainly the researcher engagement in different contexts of development in order to observe andcommunicate with people through informal contacts, conversations and interviews. The researchers can alsobuild up diaries and take notes of all important events and meetings that mediate the main interactionsconceptualized in this case as proximal processes (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998) that occur in each contextalong regular periods of time. It is proposed the association with qualitative forms of analysis of the collected dataand it is concluded that the Ecological Engagement is an efficient methodological resource that is versatile andpossible to be adjusted to each investigated reality.291