SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY AND SOCIAL WORK

1
INTRODUCTION

• Chapter 1

2
RESEARCH AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• Two major organizations
• The Council on Social Work Education BSW
  Curriculum Content
• MSW Curriculum Content
• The National Association of Social Workers

3
The Council on Social Work Education

• CSWE Website http//www.cswe.org/
• The official organization that sets minimum
  curriculum standards for BSW and MSW
  (educational) programs throughout the United
  States
• A major function of CSWE is accreditation of BSW
  and MSW programs

4
The National Association of Social Workers

• NASW Website http//www.naswdc.org
• The official organization of the social work
  profession
• Publishes the professions Code of Ethics

5
HOW DO WE ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE?

• Authority
• Tradition
• Experience
• Intuition
• Research Method

6
Authority

• Knowledge that is passed down from experts or
  authorities (e.g., scientists, expert
  practitioners, master teachers) in a particular
  field
• Be open to questioning the accuracy of authority
  figures
• Be particularly skeptical of the media as a
  source of evidence

7
Tradition

• Knowledge that is passed on through tradition
• Sometimes based on dictates of authority
• The accepted way of doing things, or the way that
  things have always been done
• Differentiate between knowledge (based on facts)
  and beliefs (based on faith)
• Accept that both are neither final nor certain

8
Experience

• Knowledge that is gained by doing
• Through experience, you gain knowledge but you
  also gain biases

9
Intuition

• Knowledge that stems from a gut feeling or some
  subconscious process
• Not to be confused with professional judgment,
  which is a conscious process where facts and
  experience are both considered to form a basis
  for making reasoned decisions

10
The Research Method

• Knowledge developed from scientific methods
• Feature values of the research method way of
  knowing
• Value Awareness
• Skeptical Curiosity
• Sharing
• Honesty

11
Value Awareness

• One value of the research method for gaining
  knowledge
• Researchers must be aware of their personal
  values and biases, and understand how such bias
  affects the research process

12
Skeptical Curiosity

• A second value of the research method for gaining
  knowledge
• Researchers must question the findings that are
  derived from research studies
• Questioning research findings will lead to more
  research activity (e.g., replication) aimed at
  finding the truth

13
Sharing

• A third value of the research method for gaining
  knowledge
• Share research with a broad audience
• Share the research methodology (how the study was
  conducted)
• Share the research results (what the study found)

14
Honesty

• A fourth value of the research method for gaining
  knowledge
• Share research honestly, by clearly explaining
  what you did and what you found in your study.
• Even when,
• research results are the opposite of was expected
  (hypothesized)
• research results are not clear cut

15
AN INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

• Example 1 Nothing is Forever
• Example 2 Childrens Social Skills and
  Attachment to their Mothers

16
Example 1 Nothing is Forever, According the
Research Method

• Research can only add knowledge to things that
  exist in the sense that they can be observed or
  measured
• Knowledge is neither certain nor absolute
• What we know today can change tomorrow

17
Example 2 Childrens Social Skills and
Attachment to their Mothers

• Apply 4 phases in Figure 1.3
• Observe and measure some phenomena
• child attachment to mother and child social
  skills
• Make an assumption
• For example, the stronger the attachment the
  higher the social skills
• Test the assumption
• Design a research study to test your assumption
• Revise the assumption
• For example the stronger the emotional
  attachment the higher the social skills

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Inductive/deductive Cycle of Theory Construction
(Figure 1.4)

• Deductive Logic deducing from the general to
  the particular
• Inductive Logic begin with a detailed
  observation and/or measurements and move to more
  abstract generalizations and ideas

19
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESSES

• All social work activities, both practice and
  research, are organized around one central
  assumption There is a preferred order of
  thinking and action.
• 4-phase Problem Solving Process
• Phase 1 Defining the Problem
• Phase 2 Determining the Solution
• Phase 3 Implementation
• Phase 4 Evaluation

20
APPROACHES TO THE RESEARCH METHOD

• Two complimentary approaches
• The Quantitative Approach
• Data are represented in the form of numbers
• Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses
• The Qualitative Approach
• Data are presented in the form of words,
  diagrams, or drawings.
• Coding and thematic analyses

21
Skills Needed to Do Research Studies

• You need to understand how to
• work in research contexts in social work
• design a research study
• collect data
• be culturally sensitive
• analyze data
• write research reports and proposals
• Conduct evidence-based practice
• Evaluate social work programs

22
The Research Attitude

• Most people learn about the scientific method
  rather than about the scientific attitude. While
  the scientific method is an ideal construct,
  the scientific attitude is the way people have of
  looking at the world. Doing science includes many
  methods what makes them scientific is their
  acceptance by the scientific collective.
• (Grinnell, 1987)

23
THE KNOWLEDGE-LEVEL CONTINUUM

• Three Levels
• Exploratory
• Descriptive
• Explanatory

24
Exploratory Research Studies

• Become familiar with the basic facts, people, and
  concerns involved
• Develop a well-grounded mental picture of what is
  occurring
• Generate many ideas and develop tentative
  theories and conjectures
• Determine the feasibility of doing additional
  research studies
• Formulate questions and refine issues for more
  systematic inquiry
• Develop techniques and a sense of direction for
  future research

25
Descriptive Research Studies

• Provide an accurate profile of a group
• Describe a process, mechanism, or relationship
• Give a verbal or numerical picture (e.g.,
  percentages)
• Find information to stimulate new explanations
• Create a set of categories or classify types
• Clarify a sequence, set of stages, or steps
• Document information that confirms or contradicts
  prior beliefs about a subject

26
Explanatory Research Studies

• Determine the accuracy of a principle or theory
• Find out which competing explanation is better
• Link different issues or topics under a common
  general statement
• Build and elaborate a theory so it becomes more
  complete
• Extend a theory or principle into new areas or
  issues
• Provide evidence to support or refute an
  explanation

27
THE RANGE OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• Existence Questions
• Composition Questions
• Relationship Questions
• Descriptive-Comparative Questions
• Causality Questions
• Causality-Comparative Interaction Questions
• Phrasing of Research Questions

28
PURE AND APPLIEDRESEARCH STUDIES

• PURE
• The goal of pure research studies is to develop
  theory and expand the social work knowledge base.
  
• Produces theoretical results

• APPLIED
• The goal of applied studies is to develop
  solutions for problems and applications in
  practice.
• Produces practical results.

29
DEFINITION OF SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH

• A systematic and objective inquiry that utilizes
  the research method to solve human problems and
  creates new knowledge that is generally
  applicable.
• (Grinnell, 1997)

30
RESEARCH ROLES

• Three Major Roles that Social Workers can Take
• Research Consumer
• Creator and Disseminator of Knowledge
• Contributing Partner

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Research Consumer

• Read, review, listen, learn, apply to practice

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Creator and Disseminator

• Project investigator, research task force leader

33
Contributing Partner

• Record data, research task force member,
  assisting in research

34
Integrating the three Research Roles

• If research is to be used to full advantage to
  advance the goals of social work, the profession
  needs to develop a climate in which both doing
  and consuming research are normal professional
  activities. an ability to carry out studies at
  some level and the facility in using
  scientifically based knowledge should be an
  integral part of the skills that social workers
  have and use. (Reid
  Smith, 1989)

35
SUMMARY

• Knowledge is essential
• There are many ways of knowing, one of which is
  the research method
• Research can be approached in different ways
• Research defines a preferred way of thinking and
  action
• Social workers engage in three research roles
  consumer, contributing partner, and
  creator/disseminator