Community-Based Research Commons^™

Responsibility Without Rescue: Community-Based Participatory Research, Legal Insecurity, And Ethical Accountability In Borderland Courtrooms, Ruben Morales Jr.

The Agora

In the context of immigration law and legal insecurity, this article examines how community-based participatory research (CBPR) reshapes ethical responsibility for researchers. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted during a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU) along the border between the United States and Mexico, the study reflects on how courtroom practices reproduce access to justice, how research itself influences what knowledge becomes visible, and how the researcher’s positionality influences ethical engagement. The article finds that doing ethical research in settings of legal precarity requires the researcher to shift from a neutral observer to an accountable participant, maintained …

Cross-Cultural Differences In Academic Pressure, Anxiety, And Sleep Quality Among High-Achieving Students In The United States And South Korea, Yumi Choi, Brett Zollinger, Jisook Park

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This study examines cross-cultural differences in academic pressure, anxiety, and sleep quality among high-achieving students in the United States and South Korea. As academic success becomes increasingly competitive in both countries, students often face significant psychological and physiological challenges. This research investigates how differing educational systems and cultural expectations influence levels of academic pressure and their subsequent impact on anxiety and sleep quality.

Data were collected from high-achieving high school students in both countries using standardized measures, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Comparative analyses were conducted to identify differences in perceived …

Creative Engagement For Community Through The Life-Span, D. Nicole English, Pelgy Vaz

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Creative Engagement for Community Through the Life-Span

Creative Engagement includes crafts, cultural practices, expressive arts, and activities that bring people together. Having access to such activities enables people to develop healthy habits, social interactions, and build community that can sustain one throughout the lifespan. On-going research indicates that Creative Engagement Activities, and the Communities of Practice that build around them, benefit people throughout the life-span, but become particularly important to older adults, by building resilience and social connections, in the face of inevitable life losses.

https://youtu.be/r3JS5YP-MnM

Zero Tolerance Policies In Schools & Subsequent Outcomes, Annalise Loucks

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Zero tolerance policies refer to policies and practices that disproportionately push marginalized students out of classrooms and into the criminal justice system. These patterns contribute to long-term negative outcomes, including higher dropout rates, increased incarceration, and reduced economic and social opportunities.

Cripping The Border – Acompañamiento As Access: An Ethnographic Case Study Of Transborder Youth With Disabilities, Marco O. Amaral

Dissertations

The U.S.-Mexico border is a historical, geopolitical site of intense militarization where colonial logics of "othering" converge to marginalize disabled transborder youth. While transborder studies have expanded, students with disabilities remain relegated to the "void" and contained by educational systems that prioritize surveillance over access. Grounded in Sepúlveda’s (2011) acompañamiento and Transborder DisCrit, this ethnographic case study examines the lived experiences of both students and their families who cross the border daily to attend school in the U.S. It frames these journeys not as mere commutes, but as acts of defiance within the broader disability rights movement.

As a teacher-activist, …

Community As Coping: Mental Illness And Homelessness Within A Tent Camp, Karen A. Snedker, Jennifer Mckinney

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

"Drawing from interview data with residents of Tent City 3, a sanctioned homeless camp, we illustrate the complex connections between mental illness and homelessness from the residents’ perspectives to understand how living in this tent city helps residents manage mental health."

Cotheorizing Healing With Undergraduate Queer And Trans Latina Survivors Of Power-Based Violence, Kimberly Correa

Dissertations

Current research on healing from power-based violence highlights the importance of integrating victim-survivors’ personal culture and identities into healing approaches, yet few studies actually focus on the culturally distinct healing processes of victim-survivors (O’Brien & Macy, 2016; Sinko et al., 2023). Grounded in Jotería theory (Alvarez, 2023) and Latina/Chicana feminist frameworks (Garcia, 1989), this qualitative study employs queer pláticas as both a methodology and method to center culturally rooted dialogue, reciprocity, and cariño as a political praxis. This study explores how six queer and trans Latina undergraduate victim-survivors conceptualize healing from power-based violence and how their identities, cultural values, and …

Nh Ece Research Consortium Data Technical Assistance, Jess Carson

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

The New Hampshire Early Care and Education (NH ECE) Research Consortium helps community partners access and interpret data to support funding, business, and planning decisions. This resource outlines the variety of data available.

Nh Ece Data Collection Inventory Overview, Jess Carson, Evan England, Tyrus Parker

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

The NH ECE Research Consortium maintains an inventory of current and complete NH ECE-relevant data collection efforts to strengthen public access for data users, improve awareness and coordination among researchers, and minimize duplication. Check out this graphic that describes what the data collection inventory is and how you can use it.

Nh Ece Research Consortium 2025 Activity Timeline, Jess Carson, Evan England

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

The New Hampshire Early Care and Education (NH ECE) Research Consortium is a network of researchers and research users committed to strengthening the state's ECE landscape through the use of data. Discover what Consortium staff accomplished throughout 2025 in this 2025 Activity Timeline.

Status Of New Hampshire Public School-Affiliated Preschool Programs: 2024-2025 School Year Infographic, Tyrus Parker, Kamala Nasirova, Jess Carson

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

This infographic describes findings from the second annual census of New Hampshire elementary schools conducted by the Carsey School of Public Policy to identify preschool programs implemented by school districts. These data reflect the 2024-2025 school year.

Nh Ece Data Collection Efforts Running Inventory, Jess Carson, Evan England, Tyrus Parker

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

Updated April 2026!

The NH ECE Research Consortium maintains an inventory of current and complete NH ECE-relevant data collection efforts. Included are surveys, interviews, focus groups, needs assessments, and other ways people in the field collect information. The inventory strengthens public access for data users, improves awareness and coordination among researchers, and minimizes duplication.

April 2026 Nh Ece Research Consortium Newsletter, Evan England, Jess Carson, Harshita Sarup

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

The April 2026 NH ECE Research Consortium Newsletter includes a registration link for the 2026 Consortium Convening coming in May. Also find the latest data, research publications, Consortium resources, upcoming events, opportunities, and more.

Brief #3: Collaborative Aggregation & Marketing Of Local Farm Food: Customer Perspectives On Participation Barriers, Evan England, Rachel Filippone, Hannah Stokes-Ramos, Cindy (Luyue) Zheng, Olivia Burton, Analena Bruce

Food Practice Research

No abstract provided.

Nh Ece Research Consortium Member Information, Evan England, Jess Carson

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

NH ECE Research Consortium membership is open to individuals and organizations with relevant expertise that aligns with the purpose of the Consortium, including the advancement of knowledge to support early care and education in NH. This document describes the benefits of membership, what it means to be a member, and the role of the Carsey School.

Identity Restoration Theory: Reclaiming Cultural Identity As A Pathway To Reintegration, Sigifredo Castell Britton

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This article introduces Identity Restoration Theory (IRT), a new theoretical framework that explains what formerly incarcerated individuals need to reconnect with disrupted cultural identities as a pathway to reintegration. Grounded in qualitative fieldwork with Raizal ex-offenders and community leaders on San Andrés Island, Colombia, IRT is designed to conceptualize reintegration, not as institutional resettlement, but as a culturally rooted process of re-embedding identity within community and place. The framework delineates five interdependent constructs—cultural memory, place reconnection, narrative repair, communal belonging, and agency activation—that emerged inductively from participant narratives. Anchored in the postcolonial context of an Afro-Caribbean island society, IRT provides …

Thermal Inequities In Public Parks And Open Spaces In Los Angeles Determined By Remote Sensing, Ashley Agatep, Joshua B. Fisher, Kainani Tacazon, Ambar Rivera, Rossmery Zayas, Reginald Archer, Juan Carlos Ruiz Malagon, Jason A. Douglas

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Urban heat island (UHI) effects are amplified by disparities in community-level cooling infrastructure—such as urban public parks and open spaces (PPOS)—with the most severe impacts occurring in communities that lack sufficient city-wide cooling resources. We found that the underserved community of South Los Angeles, as compared to their neighboring West Los Angeles counterparts, suffers a double burden of inequitable (1) access to and (2) absence of cooling materials and surfaces within these spaces, resulting in significantly hotter temperatures. Identifying these inequities requires high-resolution temporal and spatial mapping of surface temperatures, which has been previously limited. In this community-based participatory research …

The Collective Impact Of Physical Activity, Somatic Therapy, And Nature-Based Spirituality (Pastans) On Individuals Recovering From Substance Use Disorders (Suds), Sara R. Maddox

University Honors Theses

This correlation research study explores the collective impact of physical activities, somatic therapies, and nature-based spirituality (referred to as PASTANS, a term created by the researcher) on individuals recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs). The study aimed to evaluate how these practices enhanced emotional regulation and fostered community development, thereby supporting sustained recovery and overall well-being. PASTANS interconnected to alleviate cravings and rewire brain reward pathways, promoting cultural connections through activities that resonated with pre-colonial traditions and were accessible to atheists and agnostics.

Participants engaged in movement and somatic practices in natural settings, including yoga and hiking. Somatic therapies are …

The History Of Philanthropic Wealth In Maine, Jillian Foley Mppm, Timothy Atkinson Mppm, Emma Schwartz

Justice Policy

This report (March 2026) was developed in collaboration with the Maine Philanthropy Center to invite readers to engage in an honest exploration of how wealth was accumulated in Maine and how our history continues to shape our communities today. Grounded in research and interviews with historians and philanthropic leaders, the report examines the connections between extractive histories and modern-day philanthropic structures. The authors aim to guide readers to explore the historical context, reflect on their own histories, and consider more equitable, restorative approaches to community-centered giving. While this report was designed with funders and nonprofit leaders in mind, the authors …

Perspectives Of University Leaders On Adoption And Scaling E Mental Health Support For Students: An Exploratory Analysis, Choongo Mulungu, Esin Nisan Yildirim

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

ABSTRACT

University students face rising mental health challenges, yet adoption of digital support services in higher education remains limited, especially in the Global South. This qualitative study explored perceptions of 18 senior administrators from universities across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. Findings revealed a significant implementation gap, with few institutions offering formal platforms. Leaders cited barriers including limited institutional prioritisation, counsellor overload, financial ambiguity, ethical concerns, and absent policy frameworks. Addressing these challenges requires deliberate policy action, equitable resource allocation, and culturally responsive strategies for sustainable integration.