Assignment: Positive Social Change

Every research paper should conclude with a strong take-home message. For this paper, and last section of the Capstone project, you will conclude by identifying and explaining the implications for positive social change that could result from research on your Capstone problem.

Walden University is committed to the development of scholar-practitioners who promote positive social change. Every research study has the potential for effecting social change. 

To Prepare

• Review the Learning Resources related to social change.
• Review your reflections in the Discussion area and the responses from your Instructor or colleagues.
• Reflect on what you have learned about your Capstone topic and problem related to the need for positive change in this area.

Assignment (1–2 pages)

Topic: Impact of depression on elderly due to COVID-19

• Write a statement describing the implications for positive social change that could result from research on your Capstone topic/problem.

Support your ideas with information from scholarly resources.

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Document: Social Change
Social Change

Walden University was founded on the principle of promoting positive social change.
This remains the guiding philosophy as described in the university’s mission and vision
statements:
Mission
Walden University provides a diverse community of career professionals with the
opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners so that they can effect
positive social change.
Vision
Walden University envisions a distinctively different 21st-century learning community
where knowledge is judged worthy to the degree that it can be applied by its graduates
to the immediate solutions of critical societal challenges, thereby advancing the greater
global good.
Social Change at Walden University
Walden University defines positive social change as a deliberate process of creating
and applying ideas, strategies, and actions to promote the worth, dignity, and
development of individuals, communities, organizations, institutions, cultures, and
societies. Positive social change results in the improvement of human and social
conditions. This definition of positive social change provides an intellectually
comprehensive and socially constructive foundation for the programs, research,
professional activities, and products created by the Walden academic community and
services offered by Walden’s Center for Social Change. In addition, Walden University
supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable,
and ethical scholar-practitioners who are and will become civic and professional role
models by advancing the betterment of society.
Walden University General Policies and Governance (November 2018)
PSYC 6393R: Capstone (Research)
© 2020 Walden University
Writing for Social Change in the Capstone
Developing a social change implications framing.
Remember, these are potential social change implications, so using language like may,
might, could, is appropriate and preferred.
1. Begin with your sample (individual or group that is the focus on your
Capstone problem). Explain how the results of the capstone will help the specific
individuals or group related to your study.
2. Consider whether the same is true for the larger population (community or
local municipality). Now that you have described how the actual individuals might
use this information, think about whether the larger population may see the same
results.
a. How might the larger population benefit?
b. What are the potential outcomes for the larger population if they took action
based on your results?
3. Consider a larger benefit to society (state, national, and international).
a. If the larger population implements changes, what broader changes might
society benefit from (policy, laws, social views).
b. These are generally larger scale ideas that have broader implications.
4. Be sure that you tie the potential social change implications to the problem
statement. The goal of the capstone is to address the problem. As such students
should ensure that potential positive social change implications are related
specifically back to the problem.
Adapted from: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/formandstyle/wr…

Walden University Center for Social Change. (n.d.). https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/social-change
Note: The Walden University Center for Social Change is a website where information and resources related to promoting positive social change can be viewed.