When Battalion Chief Tobias Jones was collecting information for a Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) strategic planning project, he thought of the UAB Department of Sociology.
Jones had once taken the department’s research methodology course when he was a UAB student and knew the Department of Sociology would have the resources to conduct a study that would cost the BFRS thousands of dollars if they hired a commercial firm. So, working with Birmingham Fire Chief Cory D. Moon, they contacted Verna Keith, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Sociology. It was precisely the type of community engagement service the department seeks to provide.
“I saw Chief Moon’s request as an excellent opportunity to contribute to the community and to expose our students to a collaborative and impactful research experience. That he reached out to the department for this project speaks highly of our faculty and their excellent instruction,” said Dr. Keith.
Cullen Clark, Ph.D.Soon after, students and professors from two courses had signed on to conduct two studies. Under the supervision of Elizabeth Baker, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Sociology, students in her Research Experience course developed a quantitative survey designed to measure community knowledge and perceptions of BFRS. Additionally, a team of capstone students from the department’s online Master of Arts in Applied Sociology program worked with Cullen Clark, Ph.D., teaching assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, to conduct a series of online focus groups with members of selected neighborhood associations to gather their perceptions and knowledge of BFRS.
With key support from Chief Moon, Battalion Chief Kenneth Mines, Lieutenant Brian Pernell, Firefighter Jeffrey Hall, the Strategic Plan Committee, and Battalion Chief Jones, the project was an opportunity for students to take the skills they learned in the classroom and put them to work.
“This project allowed the students to participate firsthand in the research process and provided them with an opportunity to show potential employers the diverse skill set that a degree in sociology can afford,” said Dr. Baker. “At the end of the class, they had produced a report from data derived from a survey they designed, disseminated, and analyzed.”
Elizabeth Baker, Ph.D.It was a great opportunity for the graduate students as well, recalled Dr. Clark. “We always tell students in our online M.A. program that every sociologist works with a toolkit that consists of social theory, research methodology, and what sociologists call the ‘sociological imagination,’ or the ability to see how broader social and historical forces shape individual lives,” said Dr. Clark. “Projects like this one enable our students to see firsthand just how versatile these tools are and that they can be used to provide insight and information for any organization,” said Dr. Clark.
Together, the quantitative and qualitative studies provided a greater depth of insight than either could have provided alone. One finding that clearly stood out in both studies was the high esteem in which respondents held BFRS.
“I don’t think I have ever done focus groups where no one has anything negative to say,” said Dr. Clark.
Another interesting finding was the extent to which respondents said they had used BFRS emergency medical services at some point. Forty-one percent of the respondents to the quantitative online survey indicated they had used these services. This finding was reiterated by moving personal accounts of focus group members’ interactions with emergency medical services.
The UAB Department of Sociology is happy to conduct projects like this as resources permit. Community, charitable and civic groups who would like this type of assistance should contact Dr. Verna Keith at vmkeith@uab.edu.
