📚 SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH — CHAPTERS 1–3 MASTER STUDY GUIDE

Why do we need social science research?

The basic problem is that humans can make mistakes when trying to understand the social world.

Social science

The use of scientific methods to investigate individuals, groups, communities, organizations, societies, and social processes, plus the knowledge produced from those investigation

Errors in reasoning are... (6 ways)

Inaccurate Observation, Overgeneralization, Illogical reasoning, Resistance to change, and Adherence to authority.

Overgeneralization is a research error in...

Systematic sampling

Inaccurate Observation is a research error in...

Systematic measurement

Illogical reasoning is a research error in...

Criteria for casual claims

Resistance to change is an research error in...

Evidence/Testing

Adherence to authority is a research error in...

evidence that orhers can examine

Current research Evidence, Client values, client circumstances, and clinical expertise is all combined to make what practice?

Evidence-Based Practice

EBP Steps... (Evidence-Based Practice )

1. Turn the need for information into an answerable question.

2. Find the best evidence.

3. Critically evaluate the evidence.

4. Integrate evidence with clinical expertise + client values/circumstances.

5. Evaluate your effectiveness and efficiency.

Scenario in using EBP: "A social worker reads research showing that Treatment A works, but the client strongly prefers Treatment B and has circumstances making A difficult to access. Should the social worker choose A?"

The social worker shouldn't blindly choose A.

What are four types of research? (4 types)

Descriptive, Exploratory, Explanatory, and Evaluation

"How many people are homeless?" is an example of what type of research? HINT: Think - What is happening

Descriptive

Scenario: "A researcher interviews 20 homeless women to understand how they experience shelter rules." What type of research os this? HINT: What's going on here?

Exploratory

Scenerio: "A social worker wants to know whether a new counseling program reduces client relapse." What type of research os this? HINT: Does this program/intervention/policy work?

Evaluation Research

Quantitive

Deals primarily with numbers and measurable variation.

An example of Quantitative Research tools are...

Surveys, Experiments, Percentages

Quantitative research can be used for what types of research questions?

description

explanation

evaluation

Qualitative

Captures social life as participants experience it.

An example of Qualitative research tools are...

participant observation, focus groups, and narratives

What is Qualitative often used for?

exploration

meanings

experiences

context

Positivism believes...

There is an objective reality independent of our perceptions.

Postpositivism believes... (till believes there is an empirical reality, BUT:)

Our understanding is limited by complexity and researcher limitations/bias.

Constructivism believes....

People socially construct reality.

Interpretivism believes:

Understanding the subjective meanings people give to reality.

critical theory focuses on...

power

discrimination

oppression

social structures

Feminist research focuses on...

women's lives

personal experience

subjective perspectives

researcher standpoint

social differences

Scenario: "Researchers and community members jointly decide what to study and community members help collect and analyze the data." What type of research is this?

Community-based participatory research

Community-based participatory research

Community members are active participants throughout the research process.

note: they may help design questions, collect info, and analyze data.

Scenario: "A depression scale developed primarily with one population is used with a culturally different population without checking whether the items have the same meaning." This is an example of what type of BIAS?

Potential measurement/cultural bias

Cultural Differences can affect reserahc by...

willingness to participate

meaning of concepts

data collection

interpretation

validity

generalizability

How is a social work research question answered? (takes 3 factors)

A social work research question is answered through collection and analysis of firsthand, verifiable, empirical data.

Three good criteria for a good research question are... (HINT: SSF as abbreviation)

Social Importance, Scientific Relevance, Feasibility

Where do research questions come from?

personal experiences

field/practicum experiences

previous research

social theory

funding requests

agency needs

unresolved research questions

A good literature review provides what four things?

good literature review:

1. Provides background.

2. Summarizes prior research.

3. Critiques prior research.

4. Identifies conclusions/gaps and explains what your study contributes

True or False? A Literature review = annotated bibliography.

False! A literature review should synthesize research.

Boolean is a way to...

narrow research! Example below.

AND → narrows

elderly AND informal support

OR → broadens

elderly OR older adults

A _________________ uses explicit methods to identify, summarize, and assess relevant research.

Systematic Review

A Systematic Research often involves what?

meta-analysis.

A Systematic Review has these elements...

research question

rationale

methods

results

discussion/limitations

A theory is...

A logically interrelated set of propositions about reality.

A concept is...

a mental image that summarizes similar:

-observations

-feelings

-ideas

example: depression, poverty, stress

Scenario: "Based on stress theory, researchers predict that greater social support will be associated with lower anxiety. They collect data to test this prediction." Is this Deductive or Inductive?

Deductive

order of deductive research approach...

Start with a theory.

Develop a hypothesis.

Collect data.

Test the hypothesis.

order of inductive research approach...

Start with observations/data.

Find patterns.

Develop an explanation/theory.

Scenario: "A researcher interviews clients without imposing predetermined categories, notices recurring patterns, and develops a theory explaining those patterns." Is this deductive or inductive?

Inductive

Hypothesis

A tentative statement about empirical reality involving a relationship between two or more variables.

Variable

A characteristic/property that can take different values.

independent variable

The variable hypothesized to cause or lead to variation in another variable.

dependent variable

The variable hypothesized to depend on another variable.

There are three types of association. These are...

Positive, Negative/inverse association, and Curilinear

Positive association

Both move in the same direction.

X ↑ → Y ↑

X ↓ → Y ↓

Negative/inverse association

They move in opposite directions.

X ↑ → Y ↓

X ↓ → Y ↑

Curvilinear

Relationship forms a curve rather than a straight-line relationship

empirical generalization

A statement describing a pattern found in data.

serendipitous findings

An unexpected pattern in data that generates new ideas or theoretical approaches.

The research cycle is what?

Theory → Hypothesis → Data → Empirical generalization → Theory

Four Research Standards are...

Measurement validity, Generalizability, Causal validity, and Authenticity

Measurement validity

Did we actually measure what we think we measured?

Generalizability

Can findings apply beyond the people/settings studied?

Causal validity

s the conclusion that A causes B accurate?

Authenticity

Does the research fairly reflect participants' perspectives?

Demonstrated horrific violations of human subjects.

Nazi medical experiments

Participants were not properly informed/consented, and effective treatment was withheld after it became available.

These events contributed to stronger human-subject protections.

Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment

What does Milgram debate?

Risk Vs. Benefit

The Belmont Report has 3 principles... (HINT: R-B-J as an acronym)

1. Respect for persons

Treat people as autonomous and protect those with diminished autonomy.

2. Beneficence

Minimize harm + maximize benefits.

3. Justice

Distribute risks and benefits fairly.

Belmont Report

ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research

Protecting participants has three major areas. These are:

Avoid harm, Obtain informed consent, Consent must be voluntary.

Scenario: "Parent signs the form, but child refuses to participate."

The child has not assented.

Assent

Child affirmatively agrees to participate

coericon

unethical consent issue

Debriefing

After a study, researchers explain:

what actually happened

the purpose

methods

deception, if used

participants' reactions/questions

Privacy

Concern about a person's right to control access to themselves/information.

Confidentiality

Researchers can link participants to their information, but promise to protect it

Anonymity

Nobody, including researchers, can link the response to a particular participant.

Conflict of Interest

A researcher has a significant stake in the design or outcome of the research

Honesty and Openess example(s) in research:

disclose methods

accurately report findings

make research available for scrutiny

disclose relevant conflicts

not fabricate/manipulate data

IRB

A group that reviews research involving human subjects for ethical concerns.

Three general types of IRB

exempt, Expedited, and full review

Exempt

Minimal involvement/risk under qualifying categories

Expedited

Minimal risk; reviewed through an expedited process

Full review

More substantial ethical concerns, including certain vulnerable populations or potential harm

A IRB study that involves prisoners is what type of review?

Full Review

A IRB Review that involves minimal risk and falls into an eligible expedited category is what type of review?

expedited review

a IRB Review involves qualifying educational tests/public behavior observation.

Potentially exempt, depending on the specific circumstances.

Internet Research has ethical concerns. What are some of these?

public vs private spaces, informed consent, traceability of quotations