Select a specific research method and critically evaluate its usefulness to researching in/for social work.
It is not unusual for practitioners and students to become anxious about the prospect of undertaking social research. The reputation of research is difficult, mechanical and a tedious set of rituals that are linked to unappealing scientific or objective routines and tasks which ultimately result in remote, dry and even aloof as well as impenetrable, reports, books, and academic papers. Although challenging, most forms of qualitative research are accessible, rewarding, relevant, and at times, enlightening. Alongside personal interest or curiosity, there may be times when a person has little choice, as a research element remains a compulsory
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It has been suggested that the gender of respondents should be a consideration in selecting a research strategy because many women may prefer qualitative research techniques to quantitative approaches as they favour opportunities to discuss subjects in context. Additionally, some members of ethnic groups, low income populations, or people who are socially distant from the researcher are more likely to participate in the in-depth interviews characteristic of qualitative research than to complete a structured questionnaire or survey. To enhance the validity of results in research with diverse populations, research questions must be clearly constructed and must not be subject to different cultural interpretations. Moreover, due to the subjective nature of qualitative research, it is important for the researcher to continually engage in self-examination to be certain that his or her own biases and stereotypes are not influencing the interpretation of the findings. On the other hand, because qualitative analysis allows researchers to explore in depth all factors that might affect a particular issue, this strategy permits sensitive consideration of the complexities of human diversity (McCoy, 2010). Then again, when compared with surveys and experiments, qualitative research measurements normally provide more depth of meaning but have less reliability. Also, qualitative research results cannot be generalized as safely as those based on rigorous sampling and standardized questionnaires (Rubin & Babbin,
The LPN-Team Lead contacted the social worker about Dr. Sundaram’s patient. The patient is a single, Caucasian grandmother and mother of two; she is alert and orientated to person, place and time. The patient reports that she lives with her 16 year old daughter and 3 month old granddaughter. The patient states that she works two jobs, one full-time and one part-time job and she assist with the care of her new granddaughter while her daughter is a work. The patient report that she is feeling (angry) and hurt because her boyfriend of 11 years cheated on her when she was in the hospital and left her a month ago; this and the loss of her child last year at 6 months gestation in addition to her CHF, COPD and influenza appears to have left the patient feeling of depression and hopelessness. The social worker noted that the patient scored a 19 on her PHQ-9, although she denies thoughts of suicide at this time. The patient states that she suffers from insomnia and gets approximately 2-3 hours of non-continuous sleep a night.
Ms. Apple is a 45 year old African American woman who has been a widow for about 4 years. Ms. Apple has three children, whose ages range from 5-12 years old. Ms. Apple has been struggling to keep her family afloat since the death of her husband. Ms. Apple convinced herself that she would not require the extra assistance. However, she realized in attempting to provide alone has not only become very strenuous, but also quite costly. Expenses have become overwhelming for Ms. Apple to maintain, since her husband took care of the finances and was the breadwinner for the family. Ms. Apple has minimal education as she is able to read and write at grade school level. Ms. Apple also has never been employed as she was a home maker. At this point, Ms. Apple is in need of financial assistance to provide for her family. In this paper, I will address how the following concepts would handle the need of Ms. Apple, according to the Elizabethan poor laws of 1601, the Charity Organization,, societies, and the position of an Institutional and Residual Worker.
The social workers in both videos gathered information regarding each of the client’s issues. Another common denominator in both videos is that both of the social workers repeated what the client had said in their own words to allow the client to feel heard and understood. In the first video, social worker Karen asked direct questions relating to Mike’s alcohol addiction while also addressing how the addiction impacts his relationships including his marriage. Karen also addressed inconsistencies with the client doing so appropriately and quickly. It appears that in the first video, Karen focuses on the reality of the issue at hand to assist the client with establishing and accepting
There are two types of research that can be conducted in research studies, these are qualitative and quantitative (Newman, 2011). Qualitative research is a process that uses detailed oriented methodology that tries to achieve a profound knowledge or understanding of specific incident and circumstance, wh...
Social workers are increasingly recognized as an inevitable part of interdisciplinary teams in addressing the needs of clients who seek for legal remedies and services. The relationship between social work and law has been developing since 1917, when Mary Richmond, an architect of modern social work, acknowledged the role of legal authorities while developing her conceptual model for casework (Forgelson, 1970). Later, Mary Richmond drafted an early social work code of ethics in the early 1920s (Reamer, 1987). However, from the development perspective, all 50 states in the US have passed statutes requiring professionals from certain disciplines, including social work and law, to report any abuse or crime happened in the past or is going to happen in the nearest future if there are good reasons to believe that is true. Dubose and Morris (2005) stated that very few states passed similar mandatory reporting statutes for attorneys. It is not surprising that only a few states accepted these statutes because of the presence of the attorney-client privilege statute, which is true for all states. Due to differences in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and NASW Code of Ethics, professionals from the respective disciplines may have conflicts while both provide social and legal support to the same client from a domestic violence organization. There are two main reasons that allow the tension to happen, social workers are mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect but lawyers, on the contrary, have an ethical responsibility to maintain client confidentiality (Taylor, 2006).
The Houston Astros 2019 cheating scandal was a significant controversy that rocked the baseball world. It centred around allegations that the Houston Astros, a professional baseball team competing in Major League Baseball (MLB), used an illegal scheme to steal signs from opposing teams, which gave them a massive competitive advantage which helped them win the championship during their 2017 season and possibly beyond. The scandal came to light in November 2019 following an extensive investigation by the MLB. Sign stealing is not uncommon in baseball; it is a part of the gamesmanship of the sport. It has been around since the game was invented, but the methods employed by the Astros were particularly egregious.
While qualitative researchers are more anxious with comprehension then elucidation this is not always the case. Fundamentally suggested that a thorough understanding requires the researcher to have direct contact with the social reality to the point of actually taking part. This is often stressed in the ethnographic literature and opens up the issue of whether the researcher can be or is an 'insider' or an 'outsider' or some mixture of the two. Qualitative research does aspire to
As social workers there will be numerous times in which one must do research on a certain topic or case they are working on. When conducting both qualitative and quantitative research, there is a logical sequence of events; both types articulating a clear problem statement must precede all other tasks (Yegidis, Weinbach, & Myers, 2012, p. 55). If one does not have a clear problem statement, then the results may not be exactly what one is looking to achieve. Time is a precious entity, whether you are a client, researcher, social worker, whatever the case; one must a clear research problem so that time is not wasted on other aspects that have nothing to do with the end result. Conducting research can be an intense process, in using the proper
The basis of this assignment was to create a further and more in depth understanding of my chosen field, social work. Social workers aid and support individuals, groups, and communities through difficult times and ensure that vulnerable people are safeguarded from harm. Without them our nation would not have the proper support to establish order and relations in society. I explored the numerous types of social working jobs, ranging from Child, Family, and School social workers, Mental Health and Substance Abuse social workers, to social workers in Administration, Policy, and Research. I provided all of the educational requirements necessary to become a social worker, along with the benefits of acquiring a higher degree. In addition, I included the average salary of an entry level social worker and the average salary for a social worker with a Master’s degree or other professional licensure. I provided all essential information one would need to know before entering the field of social work. For example, what the job requires beyond what you can learn in a classroom. Patience, understanding and empathy are a few of the many imperative personality traits a social work must possess. Along with the facts and statistics I incorporated into my paper, I also included a personal section explaining why I chose to enter this field.
1. Understanding of problems and concerns relative to social work: Describe your understanding of the social work profession and the problems social workers address by using one example to discuss a particular social problem and how a social worker could intervene.
Qualitative research is an approach that attempts to situate an activity that locates the observer in the world by providing the study to occur in their natural setting and by attempting to make sense of, or interpret information (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005). A characteristic of qualitative research is to use a variety of empirical materials such as personal experience, interviews, and questionnaires. It is imperative to understand the task at hand and how to fully carry out the study when using a qualitative research approach in order to find out the information needed. One view of qualitative research is it involves examining individual’s experiences and documenting those experiences in detail (Jones, 2011). By documenting these observations the researcher is ensuring validity in his or her data and giving the correct creditability to those who participated in the study.
In this paper, I will define quantitative and qualitative research methods and provide examples in the context of social issues which will hopefully provide insight into how this methods are properly applied.
Research is part and parcel of today's life, especially from an academic and professional perspective. Social research can be ideally defined as a practical activity targeted towards answering research questions by the use of research strategies including conducting a research design involving data collection and analysis and development of appropriate conclusions. Social research is an appropriate method of collecting information and presenting need for a particular argument. According to Walliman, (2006), the concept of social research therefore requires proper understanding in regards to the strategy utilized, the design employed, as well as the method used in conducting a particular study so as to ensure that the outcome is as valid and
One type of characteristics in a qualitative research is that it is carried out in a natural setting. As a consequence, when a researcher is conducting a research they are committed to spend time doing field work. This will ensure that their claims are not bias or incorrect. Furthermore, the sitting for their research is typically places similar to a board room, or a class room. Also, it is usually limited to a smaller group. As a result, it allows the research to be more personal. (Smith & Davis, 2010)
Q.3) Discuss the advantages, disadvantages and the problems faced by the sociologists on this method of research.