Download Chapter 004 - Learning: Theories & Program Design

The Writer’s Handbook:
A Guide for Social Workers
Chapter 3
Social Science Research
and
Evidenced-Based Practice
©2014 The Writer’s Toolkit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is research?
 Research is an organized attempt to answer a
specific question:
The goal of scientific research is to
explain, predict, and/or control
phenomena.
 Valid and reliable research guides social
workers and other professionals to provide
more effective services.
Council on Social Work Education
(CSWE)
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:
 Use practice experience to inform
scientific inquiry (research)
 Use research evidence to inform and
guide practice (CSWE, 2010)
Collecting and Conducting
Research
Observation
 Involves directly observing or watching to better
understand a situation or circumstances.
Quantitative Research
 Collects numerical data to explain, predict, and/or guide
events, issues, and behavior.
Qualitative Research
 Collects narrative data (stories) to gain insight into events,
issues, and behaviors.
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research uses numbers to interpret
information (data):
 The results of experiments, polls, and
questionnaires that include a large number of
people can be generalized from one population to
another.
 Some quantitative research involves predictability:
Did an event happen by chance or does a causal
relationship exist?
Hypothesis
Researchers use probability theory (a branch of
statistics) to test a hypothesis to determine if a
causal relationship exists.
 A hypothesis is an explanation that can be
tested.
To form a hypothesis, start with a question and
then turn it into a statement.
From Question to Hypothesis
 Question:
Is nicotine replacement more effective than
antidepressants in helping smokers stop
smoking?
 Hypothesis:
Nicotine replacement is more effective than
antidepressants in helping smokers stop
smoking.
Null Hypothesis
Probability theory
 Research can support the probability that
something was unlikely to happen due to
chance . . .
 But research cannot prove the cause.
 Therefore, to conduct research, nullify the
hypothesis. As a null hypothesis, our example
could be written in either of two ways.
From Hypothesis to Null Hypothesis
 Hypothesis:
Nicotine replacement is more effective than
antidepressants in helping smokers stop smoking.
 Null Hypothesis:
Nicotine replacement is not more effective than
antidepressants in helping smokers stop smoking.
 Null Hypothesis:
Nicotine replacement is equally effective as antidepressants in helping smokers stop smoking.
The Scientific Method
 Ask a question.
 Do background research—review the literature.
 Construct a hypothesis.
 Develop a null hypothesis.
 Test your hypothesis by conducting a survey or using
a questionnaire.
 Analyze your data and draw conclusions.
 Communicate your results at conferences, workshops,
and through publications.
Social Science Research
Social science research:
 Studies our societies, communities, families, and
individual people.
 Helps us better understand what influences thoughts
and behaviors.
 Helps us better understand cultures and belief
systems.
There are some differences between physical and
social science research because of the human element.
Conducting Qualitative Research
Qualitative research
 Describes and evaluates to give a more detailed
picture of the current state of designated topic.
 Examples:
 Take a poll to determine what issues voters will support in
the next election.
 Interview people who have the same experience – for
example, people who were in the foster care system.
 Conduct a focus group about a particular topic.
Reliability and Validity
Reliability and validity are basic to understanding the
quality of research.
 Reliability relates to consistency of measure:
 If the same study is repeated several times and the
outcomes are the same, then it is more likely to be reliable.
 Validity refers to whether the study examines what it is
intended to examine:
 Are the participants and methods of research relevant to
the hypothesis?
Credible Social Science Research
All research has bias, based on the perspectives
and cultural assumptions of the researchers.
Research funded by a particular source may
represent the interest of the funder; however:
 Credible researchers do not intentionally take a
position and then seek proof to confirm it.
Credible social science
researchers:
 Ask a question.
 Review the assumptions and methods of the study in
an attempt to reduce bias.
 Then evaluate the evidence–the data is utilized to
support the conclusions.
Social science research does not prove or disprove: it either
confirms a hypothesis or does not support a hypothesis.
Action Research
Here are the four basic steps of scientific inquiry
that guide the process of action research:
1. Identifying a problem or question
2. Conducting a meeting or brainstorming session to
gain information about the problem or question
3. Analyzing research data or information
4. Taking action to rectify the problem or illuminate the
question
Surveys, Focus Groups, and
Interviews
The most popular type of qualitative research
relates to asking people their experience with an
issue, examples include:
 surveys
 focus groups
 interviews
Displaying Research
You are displaying research when you put
someone else’s words in quotation marks or
when you turn complicated data into:
 charts
 graphs
 tables
Graphics
 Bar charts
 Pie charts
 Line charts
 Flow charts
 Organizational charts
 Tables
Which type of graphics have you used and what
purpose did it serve?
Plagiarism
 Plagiarism relates to taking another person’s
words and using them verbatim or using
another’s ideas without crediting the source.
 Plagiarism is unethical.
Can you give examples of when a person has
plagiarized and gotten caught?
Besides being unethical, what are other reasons to
avoid plagiarism?
What to Credit
(Or: How to avoid plagiarism.)
 Direct quotations and paraphrase
 Facts that are not widely known or assertions
that are arguable
 Judgments, opinions, and claims of others
 Statistics, charts, tables, and graphs from any
source
 Help provided by friends, instructors, or others
Applying Research
We use research every day—research becomes
meaningful when findings are applied.
 What types of research have you applied in your life, your
studies, or your practice?
 What kinds of changes have you made based on what you
learned through research?
 What type of research do you find to be the most valuable?
Questions
Throughout your process:
Separate composing from
editing