Research - an organized and systematic way of finding answers to questions
- for social work, focused on generating knowledge that can be applied to understanding
and resolving human problems
What are the characteristics of the scientific method? - (TROUTS)
Tentative
Replicable
Observational/empirical
Unbiased
Transparent
Systematic
What are examples of errors and biases in personal inquiry? - - Inaccurate observations
- Overgeneralization
- Selective observations
- Ex post facto hypothesizing
- Ego involvement (and self-interest)
- Proportionality bias- our innate tendency to assume that big events have big causes
What are the implications of errors in personal inquiry? - Premature closure of inquiry
(withdrawing from the pursuit of evidence, refusing to consider information that may
counter deeply held assumptions or beliefs and invested resources)
What are the vulnerabilities of the scientific enterprise? - - Industry funding as source of
bias
- Publication biases toward studies that yield positive results
- Blatantly unethical behavior of researchers who deliberately fabricate, falsify or
plagiarize
Peer Review Process - the evaluation of your work by one or more others with similar
competencies within the same area of expertise
What is the role of peer reviewing? - - To ensure clarity and coherence,
- Adequacy of methods
- Accuracy of interpretation of data
- Determine if the work is suitable for publication
Evidence Based Practice - an approach to decision-making which is transparent,
accountable, and based on a consideration of current best (credible) evidence about the
effects of particular interventions
, What are the steps in edvidence-based practice? - 1. Formulate a client, community, or
policy-related question
2. Systematically search the literature
3. Critically appraise the relevant studies for quality and applicability
4. Determine which evidence-based intervention is most appropriate with and for your
client
5. Apply intervention
6. Evaluation and feedback
What are the commonalities between SW practice and Research? - - Theory about the
problem
- Hypotheses about what will work
- Intervention/treatment
- Make observations to see if anything changed
- Evaluate it by comparing status to status at intake or in the first visit
What are the differences between SW practice and research? - - Different goals (goal of
SW practice is to help the individual and identify what might be in their best interests;
goal of research is to produce knowledge that is generalizable beyond one client)
Paradigm - a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way
of viewing reality for the community that shares them (especially in an intellectual
discipline)
Positivism - A research paradigm where reality is separate from our consciousness; can
be studies and understood in a rational, scientific manner; truth is tentative and
cumulative; humans are determined by their environment (not agents of free will)
What are methods of postivist research? - - Deductive reasoning from abstract to
specific, from theory to observations
- quantitative research methods
What is the role of the researcher in positivist research? - - The researcher is the expert
- The researcher can be objective
Interpretivism - A research paradigm where reality is a product of individual
consciousness or interpretation; there are multiple realities (no objective reality)
What are methods used in interprevist research? - o Methods that capture the social
world people have constructed and the meanings the actors attribute to their
experiences
o Qualitative research (interviews, first-person accounts)
o Inductive approach (from specific to abstract)
Critical Social Science Paradigm - a cluster of paradigms and frameworks (ie. feminist
theory, marxism, critical race theory) that focus on oppression and are committed to
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