January 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 31

EDNEWSCOLOR ADO.ORG

Technology's Edge
Researchers are only just beginning to appreciate the many ways
technology can increase the effectiveness of their work. Henderson, for example, describes a
study of senior recreational games
in which photography was used
successfully to prompt more vivid
memories about the subject matter. Technology has also increased
the results in how research is
captured.
" We would just ask how active Accelerometer
people were, " she says. " Now, instead of just asking in a survey, we can put an accelerometer on a kid to see how many calories he or she will burn on
a playground. Research design is becoming sophisticated
and able to answer in-depth questions. "
With the ease of compiling and publishing the results of
research growing continuously, the user lacks for no source
of information on any given subject. With increased interest
in parks and physical activity, you may see a study about recreation in a public journal, something Henderson says would
never have been the case a decade ago. But the abundance
of publishing options also has its down side.
In Beckner's opinion, the quality of the research today
often suffers.
" People are taking too many shortcuts, and as a result, the
research they get is suspect, " he says. " It's not necessarily as
reliable as it has been in the past. "
Beckner says many people lack the knowledge to properly pursue research while others often make the mistake of
launching a program with a set agenda and then attempting to prove it through research. He cautions against taking
a study at face value. When possible, delve deeper into who
may have funded the research and locate additional research
that supports the initial finding.
Beckner recalls a study that concluded national parks were
more important than neighborhood parks. In examining the
data, Beckner observed a question asked of participants: " Do
you think it's more appropriate for American citizens to give
funding for national or neighborhood parks? " A " yes " answer
to that question, Beckner explains, doesn't necessarily translate to the conclusion that national parks are more important
than neighborhood ones.
Mowen recommends staying abreast of new research
via Active Living Research and the Trust for Public Land,

which provide valuable summaries of specific research topics. While search functions like
Google Scholar certainly make
access to research more readily available, Mowen says one
of the best ways to stay current
is an old-fashioned approach:
sustaining relationships with
opinion makers and business
leaders who track societal
trends. He also suggests developing a relationship with
research faculty in parks and
recreation programs as well as
cultivating a network of sources conversant in the meaning of results of various research projects.
" In a research journal, it can go on for pages and pages, "
Henderson says. " Rather than reading a straight-up journal,
you want to find it summarized in a paragraph. "
" We need to be better at taking a research study and saying, 'What does this mean in layperson's language?' " Henderson continues. Most researchers don't know how to write
for practitioners, which means a need exists for finding ways
to translate research into a more usable format. " We need to
continue to find ways to put a middle person between research and practitioner, " she says. " Practitioners don't have
time to read all this research. I applaud NRPA for what they
have done with white papers, and we need more of that. "
Additionally, NRPA has just concluded its third year of a
landmark program called PRORAGIS-Parks and Recreation
Operating Ratio and Geographic Information System-that
for the first time provides park and recreation agencies with
a national database on a wide range of criteria. Each agency
that inputs its information into the PRORAGIS database allows all users to see how their operations compare on variety of levels-geography, population size, facilities, budget,
and much more (www.nrpa.org/proragis).
Starting on page 33 of this issue, NRPA has compiled the
results of the third year of PRORAGIS data. As the lead creator
of the program, Beckner knows that the value of PRORAGIS to practitioners increases with the participation of each
additional park and recreation agency. In a short period of
time, PRORAGIS has become an integral component of the
arsenal of research venues available to the field.
Andrea Lynn is a New York City-based freelance writer and frequent
contributor to Parks & Recreation (andrealynn27@gmail.com).

WWW.NRPA.ORG | JANUARY 2013 |

Parks & Recreation

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January 2013 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2013 - Parks & Recreation

January 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 1
January 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 2
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