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The preparation step involves three major tasks. First, the focus
for the concept mapping project must be stated operationally.
Second, the participants must be selected. And, third, the schedule
for the project must be set.
In concept mapping, the focus for the project is stated in the
form of the instruction to the brainstorming participant group.
For this project this instruction was operationalized as:
Generate statements (short phrases or sentences) that describe
specific workforce competencies for psychosocial rehabilitation
practitioners.
In most projects there is a secondary focus that relates to the
ratings of the brainstormed statements. This focus is also stated
in its operational form and, for this project, was:
Using the following scale, rate each competency for its relative
importance for high-quality service delivery.
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Twenty-one people participated in the concept mapping process.
They were purposively selected to represent a broad range of PSR
experiences and schools of thought. They included the Director
of IAPSRS, the Chair of the committee responsible for developing
competencies and several members of the IAPSRS Board of Directors.
Several participants were affiliated with the leading national
centers for PSR. There were several consumers of PSR services.
The concept mapping project was scheduled for two consecutive
days. It began on Thursday, November 11th at 2pm. Between 2 and
6 pm the generation and structuring steps were accomplished. The
representation step (i.e., the data entry, analysis and production
of materials for interpretation) was completed by the co-facilitators
(Trochim and Cook) during the evening of November 11th. The Interpretation
step was accomplished from 9 to 12 am on Friday, November 12th.
Participants were given a two-hour lunch during which they could
skim four documents that attempted to delineate competencies in
PSR or related areas (Curtis, 1993; Friday and McPheeters, 1985;
Jonikas, 1993; IAPSRS Ontario Chapter, 1992). The Utilization
step was accomplished on Friday afternoon from 2 to 5 pm.
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