Instructor’s Manual
(Lecture Notes Only)
For
Brooks Cole Empowerment Series
Essential Research Methods for Social
Work
Second Edition
By
Allen Rubin
,Contents
Chapter 1 / Why Study Research 1
Chapter 2 / Evidence-Based Practice
Chapter 3 / Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed Methods of Inquiry
Chapter 4 / Factors Influencing the Research Process
Chapter 5 / Reviewing Literature and Developing Research Questions
Chapter 6 / Conceptualization in Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry
Chapter 7 / Measurement in Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry
Chapter 8 / Quantitative and Qualitative Measurement Instruments
Chapter 9 / Surveys
Chapter 10 / Sampling: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
Chapter 11 / Experiments and Quasi-Experiments
Chapter 12 / Single-Case Evaluation Designs
Chapter 13 / Program Evaluation
Chapter 14 / Additional Methods in Qualitative Inquiry
Chapter 15 / Analyzing Available Records: Quantitative and Qualitative
Methods
Chapter 16 / Ethical Issues in Social Work Research
Chapter 17 / Culturally Competent Research
Chapter 18 / Quantitative Data Analysis
Chapter 19 / Qualitative Data Analysis
,Chapter 1
Why Study Research?
Outline
I.Introduction
II.How Do Social Workers Know Things?
III. The Scientific Method
IV. Other Ways of Knowing
A. Personal Experience
B. Tradition
C. Authority
D. Common Sense
E. Popular Media
V. Recognizing Flaws in Unscientific Sources of Social Work Practice Knowledge
A. Inaccurate Observation
B. Overgeneralization
C Selective observation
D. Ex post facto hypothesizing
E. Ego-involvement in Understanding
F. Other Forms of Illogical Reasoning
G. The Premature Closure of Inquiry
H. Pseudoscience
VI. Objectivity and Subjectivity in Scientific Inquiry
A. Paradigms
Behavioral Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter, the student should be able to:
1. Contrast scientific inquiry with nonscientific inquiry. [EPAS 2.1.3]
2. Identify and describe at least five flaws in unscientific sources of social work practice knowledge.
[EPAS 2.1.3]
3. Identify the features of the scientific method. [EPAS 2.1.3]
4. Explain the importance of replication in science. [EPAS 2.1.3]
5. Identify the advantages and risks of relying on personal experience, tradition and authority as
ways to know things. [EPAS 2.1.3]
6. Explain why common sense and the popular media are risky alternatives to science as sources of
knowledge. [EPAS 2.1.3]
7. Define the term paradigm. [EPAS 2.1.3]
8. Contrast the following paradigms: positivism, social constructivism, and postmodernism. [EPAS
2.1.3]
9. Explain why utilizing research is a compassionate endeavor. [EPAS 2.1.1]
10. Discuss why it is important for social work practitioners to be able to critique research quality.
[EPAS 2.1.3]
11. Describe the fit between research utilization and social work values and professional ethics.
[EPAS 2.1.2]
12. Recognize pseudoscience. [EPAS 2.1.10]
Teaching Suggestions and Resources
1
, 1. Assign a library research project in which each student finds a study that appears in a social work
research journal and which has value in guiding social work practice. Ask each student to report
back to the class with a brief summary of the study and how it is useful in guiding practice.
[EPAS 2.1.3]
2. Assign Review Question number 1 from Chapter 1 of the main text., in which students are asked
to interview a social work practitioner about whether they use research to guide their practice, ask
why or why not, and then share summaries of their interview notes with the rest of the class.
[EPAS 2.1.3]
3. Divide students up into small groups. Ask each group to identify previous experiences had by
members of the group that best illustrate the advantages and risks of relying on tradition,
authority, and the popular media as sources of knowledge. Then have each group share their work
with the rest of the class. [EPAS 2.1.3]
4. Assign a library research project in which each student (or each team of two or more students)
finds one study in a social work journal that appears to have been guided by the positivist
paradigm and one study that appears to have been guided by an alternative paradigm. Ask each
student (or team) to report back to the class with a brief summary of each study and why they
associate it with a particular paradigm. [EPAS 2.1.3]
5. Divide students up into small groups. Ask each group to reach consensus on the following
questions. Which paradigm do they prefer: positivism; social constructivism, or postmodernism?
Which paradigm do they think is the most useful for producing findings that can guide social
work practice? Which paradigm seems to be the most prevalent in guiding the social research
studies they have read? Have one member from each group report back to the class a summary of
their group's deliberations and conclusions. [EPAS 2.1.3]
.Chapter Summary Narrative
This chapter attempts to help students understand the importance of learning about research methods and
the utility research utilization to them in their future careers as practitioners. It shows the importance of
using research to guide practice and consequently the need to understand research methods in order to
critically appraise the research that they will utilize as part of the evidence-based practice process. Among
the main points in that regard are:1) the advantages of coupling the scientific method with other ways of
knowing; 2) how relying on other ways of knowing, alone, can be risky; and 3) recognizing flaws in
unscientific sources of social work practice knowledge. The chapter ends by acknowledging the fallibility
of science and, in particular, difficulties in achieving objectivity in scientific inquiry. In that connection,
three different epistemological paradigms are contrasted regarding their philosophical notions about the
nature of reality and the pursuit of objectivity.
EPAS Competencies Relevant to this Chapter
• EP EP 2.1.1b Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional
development
• 2.1.2b Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the National Association of Social
Workers Code of Ethics and, as applicable, of the International Federation of Social
Workers/International Association of Schools of Social Work Ethics in Social Work, Statement
of Principles
2
(Lecture Notes Only)
For
Brooks Cole Empowerment Series
Essential Research Methods for Social
Work
Second Edition
By
Allen Rubin
,Contents
Chapter 1 / Why Study Research 1
Chapter 2 / Evidence-Based Practice
Chapter 3 / Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed Methods of Inquiry
Chapter 4 / Factors Influencing the Research Process
Chapter 5 / Reviewing Literature and Developing Research Questions
Chapter 6 / Conceptualization in Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry
Chapter 7 / Measurement in Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry
Chapter 8 / Quantitative and Qualitative Measurement Instruments
Chapter 9 / Surveys
Chapter 10 / Sampling: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
Chapter 11 / Experiments and Quasi-Experiments
Chapter 12 / Single-Case Evaluation Designs
Chapter 13 / Program Evaluation
Chapter 14 / Additional Methods in Qualitative Inquiry
Chapter 15 / Analyzing Available Records: Quantitative and Qualitative
Methods
Chapter 16 / Ethical Issues in Social Work Research
Chapter 17 / Culturally Competent Research
Chapter 18 / Quantitative Data Analysis
Chapter 19 / Qualitative Data Analysis
,Chapter 1
Why Study Research?
Outline
I.Introduction
II.How Do Social Workers Know Things?
III. The Scientific Method
IV. Other Ways of Knowing
A. Personal Experience
B. Tradition
C. Authority
D. Common Sense
E. Popular Media
V. Recognizing Flaws in Unscientific Sources of Social Work Practice Knowledge
A. Inaccurate Observation
B. Overgeneralization
C Selective observation
D. Ex post facto hypothesizing
E. Ego-involvement in Understanding
F. Other Forms of Illogical Reasoning
G. The Premature Closure of Inquiry
H. Pseudoscience
VI. Objectivity and Subjectivity in Scientific Inquiry
A. Paradigms
Behavioral Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter, the student should be able to:
1. Contrast scientific inquiry with nonscientific inquiry. [EPAS 2.1.3]
2. Identify and describe at least five flaws in unscientific sources of social work practice knowledge.
[EPAS 2.1.3]
3. Identify the features of the scientific method. [EPAS 2.1.3]
4. Explain the importance of replication in science. [EPAS 2.1.3]
5. Identify the advantages and risks of relying on personal experience, tradition and authority as
ways to know things. [EPAS 2.1.3]
6. Explain why common sense and the popular media are risky alternatives to science as sources of
knowledge. [EPAS 2.1.3]
7. Define the term paradigm. [EPAS 2.1.3]
8. Contrast the following paradigms: positivism, social constructivism, and postmodernism. [EPAS
2.1.3]
9. Explain why utilizing research is a compassionate endeavor. [EPAS 2.1.1]
10. Discuss why it is important for social work practitioners to be able to critique research quality.
[EPAS 2.1.3]
11. Describe the fit between research utilization and social work values and professional ethics.
[EPAS 2.1.2]
12. Recognize pseudoscience. [EPAS 2.1.10]
Teaching Suggestions and Resources
1
, 1. Assign a library research project in which each student finds a study that appears in a social work
research journal and which has value in guiding social work practice. Ask each student to report
back to the class with a brief summary of the study and how it is useful in guiding practice.
[EPAS 2.1.3]
2. Assign Review Question number 1 from Chapter 1 of the main text., in which students are asked
to interview a social work practitioner about whether they use research to guide their practice, ask
why or why not, and then share summaries of their interview notes with the rest of the class.
[EPAS 2.1.3]
3. Divide students up into small groups. Ask each group to identify previous experiences had by
members of the group that best illustrate the advantages and risks of relying on tradition,
authority, and the popular media as sources of knowledge. Then have each group share their work
with the rest of the class. [EPAS 2.1.3]
4. Assign a library research project in which each student (or each team of two or more students)
finds one study in a social work journal that appears to have been guided by the positivist
paradigm and one study that appears to have been guided by an alternative paradigm. Ask each
student (or team) to report back to the class with a brief summary of each study and why they
associate it with a particular paradigm. [EPAS 2.1.3]
5. Divide students up into small groups. Ask each group to reach consensus on the following
questions. Which paradigm do they prefer: positivism; social constructivism, or postmodernism?
Which paradigm do they think is the most useful for producing findings that can guide social
work practice? Which paradigm seems to be the most prevalent in guiding the social research
studies they have read? Have one member from each group report back to the class a summary of
their group's deliberations and conclusions. [EPAS 2.1.3]
.Chapter Summary Narrative
This chapter attempts to help students understand the importance of learning about research methods and
the utility research utilization to them in their future careers as practitioners. It shows the importance of
using research to guide practice and consequently the need to understand research methods in order to
critically appraise the research that they will utilize as part of the evidence-based practice process. Among
the main points in that regard are:1) the advantages of coupling the scientific method with other ways of
knowing; 2) how relying on other ways of knowing, alone, can be risky; and 3) recognizing flaws in
unscientific sources of social work practice knowledge. The chapter ends by acknowledging the fallibility
of science and, in particular, difficulties in achieving objectivity in scientific inquiry. In that connection,
three different epistemological paradigms are contrasted regarding their philosophical notions about the
nature of reality and the pursuit of objectivity.
EPAS Competencies Relevant to this Chapter
• EP EP 2.1.1b Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional
development
• 2.1.2b Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the National Association of Social
Workers Code of Ethics and, as applicable, of the International Federation of Social
Workers/International Association of Schools of Social Work Ethics in Social Work, Statement
of Principles
2
