Phenomenon of Interest, Framework, or Theory? Building Better Explanations in Community Psychology

Abstract

Author Biography: Jennifer Watling Neal, Ph.D. is an associate professor of Community Psychology at Michigan State University. Her research and practice has focused on applying social network theories and methods to explore the dissemination of complex school-based interventions and to understand the contextual influences of schools and classrooms on children’s social behaviors. She has published theoretical work focused on applying social networks to advance empowerment frameworks and the ecological systems framework. She is also interested in the advancement of social network data collection and analytic methodologies in the field of community psychology. Jennifer received the 2016 Society for Community Research and Action Early Career Award in recognition of this work.