Albany Park Community Center
Ginger Hofman, DePaul University



Student researchers at DePaul carried out research at Albany Park Community Center (APCC) for an applied anthropology course taught by Ginger Hofman, Anthropology Department. The goal of the research, conceptualized in collaboration with APCC, was to assess the effectiveness of a citizenship exam program in order to best service or accommodate citizenship exam students. APCC was interested in retaining and attracting students as well as boosting their success.

The research, done by undergraduate anthropology seniors, was conducted using participant observation, individual, and focus group interviews. The student researchers sat in on citizenship exam classes and tutored the citizenship seekers. They also interviewed the students, instructors, and APCC staff.

Findings from the research project were as follows: 1)English language skills are necessary and sometimes needed improvement among students preparing to take the citizenship exam; 2)volunteers teaching in the citizenship program (frequently college students) did not always have enough training to best serve this population, and 3) students in the citizenship program sometimes had anxiety while taking the exam, which may have reduced their success rate.

Based on the research, APCC took action: 1)increased focus on ESL in citizenship classes; 2)created a volunteer orientation program for its citizenship exam volunteers, who are now required to take two on-line courses; and 3)created a handout detailing how best to prepare for the citizenship exam and interview, including information such as what to wear and bring to the interview, and how to best compose oneself prior to and during the interview.

<< back

<< return to Mapping PAR