Research methods for generalist social work

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Title:

Personal Author:

Marlow, Christine

Edition:

3rd ed.

Publication Information:

Australia : Brooks/Cole, 2001

ISBN:

9780534525712

Subject Term:

Social service -- Research -- Methodology

Available:*

Library	Item Barcode	Call Number	Material Type	Item Category 1	Status
Searching... PSZ JB	30000010053629	HV11 M37 2001	Open Access Book	Book	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Razak School	30000005164516	HV11 M37 2000	Open Access Book	Book	Searching... Unknown

This revision of Marlow's accessible research methods text offers students a clear and very down-to-earth introduction to the concepts of research methodology. By consistently showing students the links between social work research and generalist social work practice and by making the methodology easy to grasp, Marlow helps social work students see the relevance of research to their lives on the job as social work practitioners. Reflecting CSWE requirements for a global perspective, Marlow's Second Edition includes examples drawn from the international social work literature and includes contributions from a South African author.

1 Science and Social Work	p. 1
Introduction	p. 2
Common Types of Understanding	p. 3
Conceptions of Science	p. 6
The Positivist Approach to Science	p. 8
The Interpretive Approach to Science	p. 9
The Choice of a Scientific Approach in Social Work	p. 11
2 Research and Generalist Social Work Practice	p. 15
Generalist Practice	p. 16
The Purpose of Research in Generalist Social Work Practice	p. 16
Scientific Knowledge	p. 17
Ethical Issues	p. 17
Fiscal Accountability	p. 18
Empowering Clients	p. 19
Research Roles in Generalist Practice	p. 19
The Consumer	p. 19
The Producer	p. 20
Research and Generalist Practice Processes	p. 21
Forming Partnerships	p. 21
Articulating Challenges	p. 21
Defining Directions	p. 22
Identifying Strengths	p. 22
Analyzing Resource Capabilities	p. 23
Framing Solutions	p. 23
Activating Resources, Creating Alliances, and Expanding Opportunities	p. 24
Recognizing Success and Integrating Gains	p. 24
Values and Ethics in Research and Practice	p. 24
Research and Human Diversity	p. 26
3 Deciding on the Question	p. 29
Sources of Questions	p. 30
Research Strategies	p. 32
Descriptive Research	p. 32
Explanatory Research	p. 33
Exploratory Research	p. 34
Types of Questions	p. 35
Practice Evaluations	p. 36
Program Evaluations	p. 37
Needs Assessments	p. 39
The Agency and Deciding on the Question	p. 40
Ethical Issues in Deciding on the Question	p. 42
Applicability of the Question to Social Work Practice	p. 42
Availability of Funding	p. 43
Human Diversity Issues in Deciding on the Question	p. 43
Characteristics of the Researchers	p. 43
Bias in the Agencies	p. 45
4 Developing the Question	p. 49
The Literature Review	p. 50
Using the Literature Review	p. 51
Accessing Information	p. 53
Writing the Literature Review	p. 56
Units of Analysis	p. 57
Levels of Measurement	p. 57
Naming the Variables and Values	p. 59
The Relationship of Variables	p. 61
Defining and Operationalizing the Variables	p. 62
Operationalizations	p. 63
Defining and Operationalizing Goals and Activities	p. 65
The Agency and Developing the Question	p. 65
Ethical Issues in Developing the Question	p. 65
Giving Credit to Contributors	p. 65
Including Relevant Variables	p. 66
Avoiding Reductionism	p. 66
Human Diversity Issues in Developing the Question	p. 66
5 Designing Needs Assessments	p. 71
Reasons for Conducting Needs Assessments	p. 72
Determining Whether Services Exist in the Community	p. 73
Determining Whether There Are Enough Clients	p. 73
Determining Who Uses Existing Services	p. 74
Determining What Barriers Prevent Clients from Accessing Services	p. 74
Documenting the Existence of an Ongoing Social Problem	p. 75
Types of Designs for Needs Assessments	p. 75
Whose Need Is Being Assessed?	p. 76
Who Will Have Input into the Design of the Needs Assessment?	p. 76
When Will the Needs Assessment Be Carried Out?	p. 78
What Type of Understanding of the Need Is Required?	p. 79
What Level of Description Is Useful?	p. 80
The Agency and Designing Needs Assessments	p. 81
Ethical Issues in Designing Needs Assessments	p. 81
Human Diversity Issues in Designing Needs Assessments	p. 82
6 Designing Program Evaluations	p. 85
Formative Program Evaluations	p. 86
Summative Program Evaluations	p. 87
Types of Summative Program Evaluation Designs	p. 90
Preexperimental Designs	p. 90
One-Group Posttest-Only Design	p. 90
One-Group Pretest/Posttest Design	p. 92
Static-Group Comparison Design	p. 95
Quasi-Experimental Designs	p. 97
Time Series Design	p. 98
Pretest/Posttest Comparison-Group Design	p. 99
Experimental Designs	p. 100
Pretest/Posttest Control-Group Design	p. 100
Posttest-Only Control-Group Design	p. 101
The Solomon Four-Group Design	p. 102
The Agency and Program Evaluation Design	p. 103
Ethical Issues in Program Evaluation Design	p. 104
Assignment to the Comparison or Control Group	p. 104
Informed Consent	p. 105
Human Diversity Issues in Program Evaluation Design	p. 106
7 Designing the Evaluation of Practice	p. 109
Descriptive Designs for Practice Evaluation	p. 111
Monitoring Interventions	p. 111
Monitoring Client Progress	p. 114
Explanatory Designs for Practice Evaluation	p. 114
AB Design	p. 116
ABC Design	p. 117
ABAB Design	p. 118
Multiple Baseline Designs	p. 120
The Agency and Practice Evaluation	p. 124
Strengths	p. 124
Limitations	p. 125
Ethical Issues in Practice Evaluation	p. 126
Reversal Design	p. 126
Interference with Practice	p. 126
Human Diversity Issues in Practice Evaluation	p. 127
8 Selecting the Participants in the Research	p. 131
Key Concepts in Sampling	p. 133
Types of Sampling Methods	p. 134
Probability Sampling	p. 134
Nonprobability or Purposive Sampling	p. 139
Studying Complete Populations	p. 144
Sample Size	p. 145
The Agency and Sampling	p. 147
Ethical Issues in Sampling	p. 148
Reporting the Sampling Method	p. 148
Informed Consent	p. 148
Human Diversity Issues in Sampling	p. 151
9 Collecting the Data	p. 155
Qualitative and Quantitative Data	p. 156
Ways of Collecting Data	p. 156
Interviews	p. 158
Questionnaires	p. 161
Observation Techniques	p. 165
Logs and Journals	p. 168
Scales	p. 170
Secondary Data	p. 176
Who Collects the Data	p. 179
Combining Data Collection Methods	p. 180
Determining Reliability and Validity	p. 180
Reliability	p. 181
Sources of Error	p. 182
Testing Reliability	p. 183
Validity	p. 185
The Agency and Data Collection	p. 187
Ethical Issues in Collecting Data	p. 188
Harm to the Participants	p. 188
Anonymity and Confidentiality	p. 188
Justification of the Research	p. 189
Human Diversity Issues in Collecting the Data	p. 189
Selection of Data Collection Methods for Diverse Populations	p. 189
Relevance to Diverse Populations of the Content of the Data Collection Method	p. 190
Application of the Data Collection Method to Diverse Populations	p. 191
10 Organizing the Data	p. 195
Organizing Quantitative Data	p. 196
Coding the Data	p. 197
Using Statistical Software	p. 199
Organizing Qualitative Data	p. 200
Note Keeping	p. 200
Organizing Files	p. 202
Coding Notes	p. 203
Identifying Gaps in the Data	p. 203
The Agency and Organizing the Data	p. 203
Ethical Issues in Organizing the Data	p. 203
Human Diversity Issues in Organizing the Data	p. 204
11 Analysis of Qualitative Data With Colin Collett van Rooyen, M.Soc.Sc.	p. 207
Approaches to Analyzing Qualitative Data	p. 208
Descriptive Accounts	p. 210
Constructing Categories	p. 212
Logical Analysis	p. 217
Proposing Hypotheses	p. 217
Validating Data	p. 220
The Agency and Qualitative Analysis	p. 222
Ethical Issues in Qualitative Analysis	p. 223
Human Diversity Issues in Qualitative Analysis	p. 223
12 Analysis of Quantitative Data: Descriptive Statistics	p. 227
Frequency Distributions	p. 228
Measures of Central Tendency	p. 232
Mode	p. 232
Median	p. 233
Mean	p. 233
Visual Distribution of Data	p. 234
Measures of Variability or Dispersion	p. 234
Range	p. 235
Standard Deviation	p. 236
Measures of Association	p. 238
Cross-Tabulation	p. 238
Correlation	p. 240
Descriptive Statistics and Practice Evaluation	p. 242
The Agency and Descriptive Statistics	p. 245
Ethical Issues in Descriptive Statistics	p. 246
Human Diversity Issues in Descriptive Statistics	p. 246
13 Analysis of Quantitative Data: Inferential Statistics	p. 249
Sources of Error and the Role of Inferential Statistics	p. 250
Types of Hypotheses	p. 251
Significance Levels	p. 252
Statistical Power	p. 253
Steps in the Computation of the Statistical Tests	p. 253
Types of Statistical Tests	p. 254
T-Tests	p. 255
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)	p. 256
Correlational Analysis	p. 256
Regression Analysis	p. 257
Chi-Square Analysis	p. 258
Inferential Statistics and Practice Evaluations	p. 259
Celeration Line Approach	p. 260
Standard Deviation Approach	p. 260
Relative Frequency Approach	p. 261
The Agency and Inferential Statistics	p. 262
Ethnical Issues in Inferential Statistics	p. 263
Selection of the Test	p. 263
Presentation of Statistical Significance	p. 263
Human Diversity Issues in Inferential Statistics	p. 264
14 Research Writing	p. 267
General Principles of Research Writing	p. 268
Knowing Your Audience	p. 268
Referencing Sources of Information	p. 269
The Structure of the Proposal or Report	p. 270
The Process of Writing	p. 270
The Research Proposal	p. 271
The Research Report	p. 273
Results Section	p. 273
Discussion Section	p. 278
Limitations Section	p. 280
Recommendations Section	p. 281
Implications for Practice	p. 281
Disseminating the Report	p. 282
Oral Presentation	p. 282
Distributing Written Reports Internally	p. 283
Publishing the Report	p. 283
The Agency and Research Writing	p. 284
Ethical Issues in Research Writing	p. 285
Referencing Appropriately	p. 285
Confidentiality of Results	p. 285
Human Diversity Issues in Research Writing	p. 286
Bias Against Certain Groups	p. 286
Exclusive Language	p. 286
Disseminating the Results	p. 286
15 Using Research Findings in Practice and Evaluating Research With Patricia Sandau-Beckler, M.S.W.	p. 291
Using Research Findings in Practice	p. 292
Case Examples	p. 292
Limiting Conditions	p. 314
Evaluating Research	p. 315
The Agency in the Use and Evaluation of Research Findings	p. 315
Ethnical Issues in the Use and Evaluation of Research Findings	p. 317
Human Diversity Issues in the Use and Evaluation of Research Findings	p. 318
Appendixes
A Library and World Wide Web Resources	p. 329
B Statistical Formulas	p. 341
C Probability Tables	p. 343
D Code of Ethics, approved by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), January 1, 1997, Section 5.02 Evaluation and Research	p. 345
Glossary	p. 347
Index	p. 359

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Table of Contents