Office for Clinical and Applied Research
The Office for Clinical and Applied Research (OCAR) was developed for the purpose of conducting targeted educational research in the clinical and applied arena. OCAR faculty, research
associates, and graduate students have developed partnerships with local educational systems and mental health agencies as well as faculty and graduate students in the Counselor Education Program
and the Department of Psychology at the University of Arkansas. The primary mission of OCAR is to conduct research on and provide services to children at-risk (academically, physically, and
emotionally) through delivery-based grants. The outcomes of our research have made a practical impact on the delivery of services for children in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.
The educational and clinical/applied arenas are experiencing a paradigm shift toward more outcome-based empirically supported research. Further, grant funding agencies, departments of education,
and other similar entities are now requiring outcome-based empirical research for the programs they support. As such, the efforts at OCAR have led to increased understanding of the psychometric
properties of assessment tools and research models based in empirical findings that can be applied to the delivery of educational and clinical/applied services.
OCAR, in conjunction with the Counselor Education Program and the Center for Research on Aggression and Violence (CRAV) in the Department of Psychology, provides assessment and lunch buddy
mentoring for elementary school children who are potential victims of peer harassment (bullying). The Peer Safety Project was implemented in 2004 at four elementary schools and is currently
expanding to two additional elementary schools in the Springdale School District.
OCAR is contracted with Ozark Guidance, an area comprehensive mental health agency, to provide independent evaluation of social service and mental health intervention programs in 11 different
elementary schools in Northwest Arkansas. Our partnership began in 2002 and we are currently in our third project together.
OCAR is currently working to provide school-wide intervention programs for elementary school teachers on addressing the issues of bullying. The model is based on Bully Busters (Horne,
Bartolomucci, & Newman-Carlson, 2003).
A future program that OCAR is developing is one that will address the needs of children who are exposed to violence. Intervention and evaluation systems are currently being identified for this
program.
Independent evaluation services provided by OCAR include:
- Provide consultation on the data collection
- Make suggestions for assessment measurement tools
- Provide data entry excel sheets for project personel to collect and enter data
- Develop the statistical design and write SAS code upon receipt of research questions from contracting agency
- Provide an annual report to assess the effectiveness of the program (statistical analysis)
- Recommendations for modifications needed in the program model
For additional information on programs OCAR provides or if you are interested in contracting with OCAR for an independent evaluation of your program, please contact Dr. Rebecca Newgent at
rnewgent@uark.edu or 479-575-5593.
