2
University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work
Instructor: Amy M. Blakeney, MSW, Doctoral Candidate
Office: PhD Room, 3rd floor
Office Hours: Tuesday 4:30-5:30, after class, or by appointment
Phone: 832-816-4949 (Cell…if you leave a message or text me, please leave your name)
E-mail: (preferred) or
Course Number, Section Number and Course Title:
SOCW 5322 001 51935, Research and Evaluation Methods in Social Work I
Class Time and Location: Tuesday, 6:00 -9:50, Bldg. A 217
Please recycle this syllabus after you are done with the class.
Class Description
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Educational Policy
Section 2.1.3 Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments. Social workers are knowledgeable about the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and reasoned discernment. They use critical thinking augmented by creativity and curiosity. Critical thinking also requires the synthesis and communication of relevant information. Social workers:
(a) Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom.
(b) Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation; and
Section 2.1.6 Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. Social workers use practice experience to inform research, employ evidence-based interventions, evaluate their own practice, and use research findings to improve practice, policy, and social service delivery. Social workers comprehend quantitative and qualitative research and understand scientific and ethical approaches to building knowledge. Social workers:
(a) Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry and
(b) Use research evidence to inform practice.
Course Catalog Description
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of and ability to use the evidence-informed practice process to identify, analyze and apply evidence-informed interventions. Students will be able to comprehend both quantitative and qualitative research and to synthesize strengths and weaknesses of the social work literature. Students will be able to synthesize and evaluate research in terms of its content, quality, and applicability to clients. Students will understand scientific and ethical approaches to building knowledge to apply to and evaluate the impact of interventions on clients or clients’ presenting problems.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Identify elements of an evidence-based practice model, the research process and social work research methods with application to the process of evidence-based practice and evaluation of social work practice and programs.
2.Use and critically examine existing literature with emphasis on issues regarding cultural diversity, gender, sexual orientation, and sensitive topics (i.e., social and economic justice, oppression, and populations at risk).
3.Apply relevant social, cultural, economic and other diversity factors in the selection of topics, the methods employed, the nature of analysis, and the conclusions drawn in the research endeavor.
4. Apply scientific methods to issues of concern for social workers, including how to formulate meaningful research questions, select appropriate research designs, develop and employ basic methods of data collection and conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis.
5.Use empirical studies as a knowledge base to support professional interventions and decisions for the enhancement of client well-being.
6.Interpret statistical concepts and present results as they apply to social work.
Required Texts
Rubin, A., & Babbie, E. (2008). Research methods for social work (7th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson
Brooks/Cole.
Additional recommended readings may be added throughout the semester.
Recommended Texts
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association
(6th Ed.). Washington DC: Author.
Patten, M. L. (2009). Understanding research methods: An overview of the essentials. (7th ed.). Glendale, CA:
Pyrczak Publishing.
Szuchman, L.T., & Thomlison, B. (2004). Writing with style: APA style for social work (2nd ed.). Belmont,
CA: Brooks/Cole.
Course Outline
Session # & Date / Topic / Required Readings / AssignmentsSession 1:
6/7/11 / Course overview: Introduction to SW research, evaluation and accountability; Evidence-based or Evidence-informed practice (EBP or EIP); Philosophy & theory in SW research / Rubin & Babbie Chapters 1-3 / Start thinking about your proposal
Session 2:
6/14/11 / Ethics, politics, and cultural competence of SW research / Rubin & Babbie, Chapters 4- 5 &
Malone, S. (2003). Ethics at home: Informed consent in your own backyard. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 16(6), 797-815.
Session 3:
6/21/11 / Developing a research question Process and problem formulation, conceptualization Reading empirical articles / Rubin & Babbie, Chapters 6-7 / Ethics Quiz
Session 4:
6/28/11 / Measurement functions, variables, measurement error, validity and reliability; constructing measurement instruments / Rubin & Babbie, Chapters 8-9
Session 5:
7/5/11 / Causal inference, experimental, & quasi-experimental design / Rubin & Babbie, Chapters 10-11
*Found in Class Content on Blackboard and please bring to class:
Lenihan, G., & Rawlins, M. (1994). Rape supportive attitudes among Greek students before and after a date rape prevention program. Journal of College Student Development, 35, 450-454. / Research Proposal
Part 1
Session 6:
7/12/11 / Single case evaluation designs, program evaluation / Rubin & Babbie Chapters 12-13
Session 7:
7/19/11 / Sampling, survey research, & analyzing existing data / Rubin & Babbie, Chapter 14-16
Session 8:
7/26/11 / Qualitative Research / Rubin & Babbie, Chapter 17-19
Patton, M. (1990). Enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis. In Patton, M. (Ed.). (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. London: Sage. / Research Proposal
Part 2
Session 9:
8/2/11 / Quantitative data analysis and inferential statistics / Rubin & Babbie, Chapter 20- 22 / Qualitative Journal Review
Session 10:
8/9/11 / Writing Research Proposals & spill over if necessary / Rubin & Babbie, Chapters 23 / Quantitative Journal Review
Final Exam
TBD / Optional Final exam
Assignments and Grading Criteria
Expectations for ALL written work: All written work is to follow APA style. Text citations and reference lists must be in correct APA (6th ed.) format. I do not recommend using websites or computer programs which automatically construct citations for you. These usually have errors. All sentences should be carefully comprised of a student’s own words. Ideas, information, and concepts that originated with any other source, as well as quotations (which should be used sparingly) must be correctly cited in APA style. Material that is not correctly cited is considered to be plagiarized and provides grounds for academic discipline. Assignments should be carefully proofed for spelling and grammar.
All assignments are to be submitted through Blackboard no later than 15 minutes after the start of the class on the day they are due. Late assignments will be deducted ½ a letter grade for each calendar day they are late.
Ethics Quiz (20 points)
The ethics quiz is designed to test your knowledge of the material presented in your reading assignments and lecture notes on research ethics.
Article Reviews (70 points each)
Learning how to critically review a journal article is a skill that will allow you to ascertain whether the research conducted is applicable to you in your practice. Therefore, you will chose two articles (they can be from your research proposal) to review this semester. One article must be qualitative and one must be quantitative. You MUST e-mail me a copy of your article at least 1 week (preferably more) before the assignment is due.
There is a great website that provides guidance in reviewing journal articles. (https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/handout_pdfs/Writing%20a%20journal%20article%20review%20%5Bnew%5D.pdf) A grading rubric will also be posted on Blackboard under Course Contents.
Research Proposal (100 points) – may do in a group or individually
Students will develop a research question or hypothesis and propose a mixed methods (i.e. qualitative and quantitative) research study to answer the research question. It is recommended that you check the rubric at the end of this syllabus before turning in your paper to ensure you have covered all areas. Both portions of the proposal will be turned in via Blackboard. (Learning Outcomes 1-4)
Students will decide whether to form a group or complete the research proposal project individually. Students will report this decision to the instructor at the beginning of the second class (6/14/11). The research students will propose will use a mixed methods approach (i.e. qualitative and quantitative). The purpose of this assignment is to challenge you to integrate and apply a majority of the information that you will learn through this class over the course of the semester. A well-written proposal includes many of the same components as a scholarly research paper. The text and references for both phases must be written in APA style (APA Publication Manual, 6th Ed.) Use headings for each section of your paper.
However, since students have a choice, the group grades will come only from the instructor but not from peers. Think carefully about forming your group. When unresolved conflicts or problems arise, it is up to you to work it out. You will have to work with groups of people when you are working in your respective agencies after graduation and learning how to resolve conflicts and disagreements is necessary once you are out of school.
Note: Failure to turn in any part of the proposal by the due date will result in an automatic deduction of half a letter grade for each calendar day late, unless prior approval is obtained from the instructor.
Part 1: Literature Review and Purpose Statement (50 points)
In this paper you should include the following:
a. Problem Statement
§ Provide a clear statement of the problem you are proposing to study, the purpose or aims of the research, and the significance of the study to social work. Include:
§ What is the problem to be studied?
§ Rationale for why this is an important issue to study – why is this important to social work?
b. Review of the Literature
§ You should reference at least 10 journal articles (make sure you have at least two are quantitative and two are qualitative studies). Websites, magazines, and newspapers do not count as journal articles. For assistance in finding journal articles, visit the School’s librarian, John Dillard in the Social Work Electronic Library, Room 111, Building A. There are ways in the UTA academic databases to limit searches to journal articles. This is especially easy in Academic Search Premier.
§ A literature review is a description of relevant research on your topic. You should be looking for more than the results – indicate the methodology used in the studies, and find gaps in the literature to support the need for your research. Don’t just tell me what the studies have found but also how they arrived at those conclusions.
§ When citing the literature on your topic, group references together when they have something in common.
§ Point out conflicts in the literature.
§ You should also indicate the results of the research you are citing in addition to the research methodology.
c. Ethical Considerations
§ Discuss possible Ethical Issues that might arise when conducting research on this topic: What are the possible ethical issues you think you might encounter with your study? Is the population you chose considered vulnerable by IRB regulation? Will the study be anonymous or confidential? Is assent required? Is informed consent required? Might mandatory reporting come into play with keeping confidentiality? (Be sure to cite the NASW code of ethics and, if applicable, article by Malone).
d. Contribution to Social Work
§ Identify what the proposed study would contribute to the current understanding of the issue. Explain why the proposed study is important to the field of social work.
c. Hypothesis/Research Question
State the hypothesis/research question that you want to answer in your study
§ The research question should follow the research review. After you have examined the empirical literature in your topic area, you can identify a hypothesis/research question(s) that will build upon the previous work in your area.
§ Check the rubric at the end of this syllabus to ensure you’ve included everything!
d. APA style and grammar
Suggestions:
· Use current literature and research articles
· Use scholarly journals
· Use literature relevant to the research question
· DO NOT describe each article – synthesize the articles
· Use proper citation
· Combine articles that all address the same thing – for example, if five of the eight studies used an experimental design (cite all five articles)
Note: You should reference at least 10 journal articles (make sure you have at least two quantitative and two qualitative studies). Websites, magazines, and newspapers do not count as journal articles. For assistance in finding journal articles, visit the School’s librarian, John Dillard in the Social Work Electronic Library, Room 111, Building A. There are ways in the UTA academic databases to limit searches to journal articles. This is especially easy in Academic Search Premier.
§ If you are unsure of a topic, please email me for suggestions.
§ If you are unsure of what is and is not a quantitative or qualitative study, here are a few hints:
1. Both would have some form of introduction, a method section, results and discussion or conclusions section.
2. Quantitative studies will present many statistics as results
3. Qualitative studies will present quotes and other text as results
4. NOTE: for the purposes of the article critiques, meta-analyses, literature reviews, and meta-syntheses are not acceptable.
PART 2: Research Design Table (50 points):
This portion of the research proposal will be completed using a template at the end of this syllabus designed to guide you in mapping out a mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) study on your topic. You should fill in all cells of this template in the actual format of the template. You may use “Save as” to save the template with another name. The template is also in the “Course Materials” area of Blackboard. Questions that will be covered include:
a. What will be your sampling plan? (Probability or non-probability? Which strategy?)
b. How will you find participants? (Is there a sampling frame readily available?)
c. How will you gather quantitative and qualitative data? (Quantitative Hints: Will you conduct a survey? Use secondary data? Evaluate an intervention?; Qualitative Hints: Will you use phenomenology with interviews? Ethnography with participant observation? Historical Research with content analysis?)
d. How will you demonstrate trustworthiness of your research design?