In an effort to keep myself on task and accountable to deadlines, I may use this blog to highlight pieces of my dissertation. As some readers familiar with dissertation writing may know, it is very likely that each piece will be revised radically before inclusion into the final document. I also tend to be very concise in my writing so I will spare you, gentle reader, the revision process by which my dissertation committee determines that all necessary information is included.
To that end, here is the first draft of the abstract. Data has not yet been fully analyzed and the abstract will be updated as more analysis is completed.
Abstract.
The Charlestown Connects program sought to provide improved community outcomes via an interagency collaboration between local government and nonprofit agencies. Building on a prior evaluation, this study examined the long-term effects and information on the processes involved in the Charlestown Connects interagency collaboration. Using qualitative interviews with program stakeholders and observations of community meetings sponsored by Charlestown Connects, this study provided useful information on improving interagency collaborations for social workers and others engaging in community work. Major findings discussed include challenges involved with collecting data in a closed community, the impact of interagency collaboration relationship building, and an examination of factors that helped grow and sustain the collaboration.
Karen Zgoda, LMSW 