SOWO 510 – Spring 2014 – Ansong
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Course Number:
Course Title:
Semester:
Time and Location:
SOWO 510
Foundations for Evidence-Based Practice and Program Evaluation
Spring 2014
Mondays 9:00 – 11:50 A.M., Room 107
Instructor:
David Ansong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB#3550, 325 Pittsboro St., Suite #402C
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590
Phone: (919) 843-7510
ansong@email.unc.edu
Office Hours:
Mondays 12:00 – 1:00 PM and by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: Social workers, whether they are front-line
practitioners, program managers, administrators, or policy makers, routinely face complex
human situations involving individuals who come from diverse backgrounds. The social
interventions social workers have at their disposal vary in their degree of effectiveness with any
given individual, family, group, organization or community. In order to provide the most effective
social work programs, policies and interventions, social workers must be able to determine if
what they are doing is beneficial to the individuals, families, groups, organizations, or
communities they serve. To this end, students will develop knowledge of the purposes of
research and evaluation and the approaches and methodologies necessary to evaluate social
work interventions. Upon completion of this course students will be able to demonstrate:
1. Skill in developing and implementing social intervention evaluations that promote
evidence-based social work practice and policy;
2. Skill in evaluating social intervention research and applying findings to social work
practice and policy;
3. Skill in qualitative and quantitative evaluation design, measurement, data analysis, and
knowledge dissemination;
4. Knowledge of the practical, political, and economic issues related to the evaluation of
social interventions;
5. Skill in accessing and assessing public databases and research literature as a
foundation for evidence-based practice;
6. Skill in designing social intervention research that is sensitive to racial, religious, gender,
sexual orientation, social, economic, and other issues of difference; and
7. Ability to apply social work ethics and values to the evaluation of social interventions.
SOWO 510 – Spring 2014 – Ansong
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Rubin, R. & Babbie, E. R. (2013). Essential research methods for social work (3rd Edition).
Belmont, CA: Brooks-Cole.
The required text is available in the UNC Student Stores. Supplemental readings are available
on sakai or through the UNC-CH Library electronic databases.
POLICY ON INCOMPLETE OR LATE ASSIGNMENTS: Students must notify the instructor at
least 24 hours before an assignment is due if an assignment is going to be turned in late.
Extensions may be given at the instructor’s discretion. Students will lose five points for each 24hour period beyond the due date and time (including weekends) for unexcused late
assignments. Assignments that are more than 5 days late will not be accepted. A grade of
“Incomplete” will be given only in extenuating circumstances and in accordance with School of
Social Work and University policy.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic dishonesty is contrary to the ethics of the
social work profession, is unfair to other students and will not be tolerated in any form. Please
refer to the APA Style Guide, The SSW Manual, and the SSW Writing Guide for information on
attribution of quotes, plagiarism and appropriate use of assistance in preparing assignments. All
written assignments should contain a signed pledge from you stating that, "I have not given or
received unauthorized aid in preparing this written work.” In keeping with the UNC Honor Code,
if reason exists to believe that academic dishonesty has occurred, a referral will be made to the
Office of the Student Attorney General for investigation and further action as required.
FORMAT FOR WRITTEN WORK: APA format should be used for all written assignments.
Students should refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th
ed.) for information on APA format. A self-paced APA tutorial can be found at
http://www.lib.unc.edu/instruct/citations/apa/index.html.
POLICY ON ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students with
disabilities that affect their participation in the course and who wish to have special
accommodations should contact the University’s Disabilities Services (Voice/TDD 962-8300,
966-4041). Students must have a formal letter from the University’s Department of Disabilities
Services to receive disability-based accommodations. Students should discuss the need for
specific accommodations with their instructor at the beginning of the semester.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Quizzes: Each week at the beginning of class a short quiz covering material from the previous
week will be given. Each quiz will be discussed after its completion and returned after grades
are recorded. Quiz grades will be averaged and this final quiz grade will count for 25% of the
total grade. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. These quizzes will provide ongoing feedback
concerning knowledge acquisition and will provide the information necessary to take corrective
measures, by both the professor and students, to ensure that adequate learning has occurred.
Midterm and Final Exams: The midterm and final exams will be worth 25% each. The final exam
will not be cumulative. Exams will consist of true/false, multiple choice, short answer, and essay
questions. These exams will make up 50% of the total grade.
2
SOWO 510 – Spring 2014 – Ansong
Evaluation Project: An evaluation project related to each student’s field placement or specific
interests will be the primary written assignment for this course. Students can choose one of two
options: (1) students can conduct a real evaluation of a program or practice in the field (i.e.,
design an evaluation and collect real data), or (2) students can design an evaluation and
analyze fictitious data. Students who elect to conduct evaluations in the field should meet with
their professor as soon as possible. The project will make up 25% of the total grade.
The final product will be a report which contains the following: (1) Abstract, (2) Introduction and
Literature Review; (3) Methods; and (4) Results, and (5) Discussion and Conclusion. Reports
should be no longer than 1500 – 2000 words (i.e., 7-8 pages). Drafts of all written
assignments can be submitted for feedback as early and often as needed. The project will be
graded according to the following criteria:
− Mechanics (grammar, spelling, style, typing)
− Organization
− Logic
− Content
− Ability to summarize and draw conclusions
GRADING
Evaluation Proposal
Midterm Exam
Quiz Average
Final Exam
25%
25%
25%
25%
100%
Points
94 – 100
80 – 93
70 – 79
< 69
Grade
H
P
L
F
COURSE OUTLINE AND READINGS
January 13
Course Overview and Syllabus
January 20
No Class – MLK Holiday
January 27
Evaluation of Social Interventions and Evidence-based Practice
Assigned Readings
Research Ethics Training: http://www.citiprogram.org/
Rubin and Babbie, Chapters 1, 2, 16, and 17
Supplemental Readings:
Gambrill, E. (2001). Social work: an authority-based profession. Research on
Social Work Practice, 11(2), 166-175. [course folder - SOSW library]
Mancini, J. A., Marek, L. I., Byrne, R. A. W., & Huebner, A. J. (2004). Communitybased program research: context, program readiness, and evaluation
usefulness. Journal of Community Practice, 12(1/2), 7 – 21. [on line]
Rosen, A. (2003). Evidence-based social work practice: challenges and promise.
Social Work Research, 27(4), 197-208. [on line AND course folder – SOSW
library]
Wakefield, J. C., & Kirk, S. A. (1996). Unscientific thinking about scientific
3
SOWO 510 – Spring 2014 – Ansong
practice: evaluating the scientist-practitioner model. Social Work Research,
20(2), 83-95. [course folder - SOSW library]
Wiehe, S. E., Garrison, M. M., Christakis, D. A., Ebel, B. E., & Rivara, F. P.
(2005). A systematic review of school-based smoking prevention trials with
long-term follow-up. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36, 162-169. [on line AND
course folder - SOSW library]
February 3
Quiz 1
Identifying Outcomes
Developing Research Questions and Hypotheses
Assigned Readings
Rubin and Babbie – Chapters 5 and 6
Supplemental Readings:
Chen, H., & Marks, M. (1998). Assessing the needs of inner city youth: beyond
needs identification and prioritization. Children and Youth Services Review,
20(9/10), 819-838. [course folder - SOSW library]
Savaya, R., & Waysman, M. (2005). The logic model: a tool for incorporating
theory in development and evaluation of programs. Administration in Social
Work, 29(2), 85 – 103. [on line]
Stewart, D., Law, M., Russell, D., & Hanna, S. (2004). Evaluating children’s
rehabilitation services: an application of a programme logic model. Child:
Care, Health & Development, 30(5), 453-462. [on line AND course folder SOSW library]
February 10
Quiz 2
Measurement of Outcomes
Assigned Readings
Rubin and Babbie, Chapters 7 and 8
Supplemental Readings:
Chorpita, B. F., Moffitt, C. E., & Gray, J. (2005). Psychometric properties of the
Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in a clinical sample. Behaviour
Research and Therapy, 43, 309 – 322. [on line AND SOSW library]
Cuddeback, G. S., Buehler, C., Orme, J. G., & Le Prohn, N. (2007). Measuring
foster parent potential: the psychometric properties of the Casey Foster
Applicant Inventory – Worker Version (CFAI-W). Research in Social Work
Practice, 17(1), 93-109. [on line]
Rowley, A. A., Roesch, S. C., Jurica, B. J., & Vaughn, A. A. (2005). Developing
and validating a stress appraisal measure for minority adolescents. Journal of
Adolescence, 28, 547-557. [on line AND course folder - SOSW library]
February 17
Quiz 3
Sampling
Internal and External Validity
Assigned Readings
Rubin and Babbie, Chapter 10 and 11 pps 182 – 185, pps 199 – 200
4
SOWO 510 – Spring 2014 – Ansong
February 24
Quiz 4
Surveys and Needs Assessments
Qualitative Research
Assigned Readings
Rubin and Babbie, Chapters, 9, 14 and 19
Supplemental Readings:
Altshuler, S. J. (1999). Children in kinship foster care speak out: “We think we’re
doing fine.” Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 16(3), 215-235.
[course folder - SOSW library]
Shamai, M. (2003). Therapeutic effects of qualitative research: reconstructing the
experience of treatment as a by-product of qualitative evaluation. Social
Service Review, 77(3), 455 – 467. [on line]
March 3
Midterm Exam
March 10
No Class – Spring Break
March 17
Quiz 5
Research and Evaluation Designs
Assigned Readings
Rubin and Babbie, Chapters 11 and 12
Supplemental Readings:
Bernstein, G. A., Layne, A. E., Egan, E. A., & Tennison, D. M. (2005). Schoolbased interventions for anxious children. Journal of the American Academy of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(11), 1118 – 1127. [on line]
Broner, N., Lattimore, P. K., Cowell, A. J., & Schlenger, W. E. (2004). Effects on
diversion on adults with co-occurring mental illness and substance use:
outcomes from a national multi-site study. Behavioral Sciences and the Law,
22, 519-541. [on line AND course folder - SOSW library]
Randall, E. (2001). Existential therapy of panic disorder: a single-system study.
Clinical Social Work Journal, 29(3), 259-267. [on-line AND course folder SOSW library]
Temple, S., & Ho, B. (2005). Cognitive therapy for persistent psychosis in
schizophrenia: a case-controlled clinical trial. Schizophrenia Research, 75,
195-199. [on line AND course folder - SOSW library]
March 24
Quiz 6
Data Analysis
Assigned Readings
Ruben and Babbie, Chapter 18
Supplemental Readings:
Cohen, J. A., Mannarino, A. P., & Knudsen, K. (2005). Treating sexually abused
children: 1 year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. Child Abuse &
Neglect, 29, 135-145. [on line AND course folder - SOSW library]
Hourihan, F., & Hoban, D. (2004). Learning, enjoying, growing, support model: an
innovative collaborative approach to the prevention of conduct disorder in
5
SOWO 510 – Spring 2014 – Ansong
preschoolers in hard to reach rural families. Australian Journal of Rural
Health, 12, 269-276. [on line AND course folder – SOSW library]
Reed, V. A., Jernstedt, G. C., Hawley, J. K., Reber, E. S., & DuBois, C. A. (2005).
Effects of a small-scale, very short-term service-learning experience on
college students. Journal of Adolescence, 28, 359-368. [on line AND course
folder - SOSW library]
Slonim-Nevo, V., & Vosler, N. R. (1991). The use of single-system design with
systemic brief problem-solving therapy. Families in Society: The Journal of
Contemporary Human Services, 72(1), 38-44. [course folder - SOSW library]
Electronic Statistics Textbook: http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html
Statistical Computing: <http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/>
March 31
Quiz 7
Research and Evaluation Designs and Data Analysis - revisited
April 7
Quiz 8 (distribute Quizzes 9-10)
Research and Evaluation Designs and Data Analysis – revisited
April 14
Formative and Process Evaluations, Fidelity and Other Topics
Assigned Readings
Rubin and Babbie Chapter 13
Supplemental Readings:
Barth, R. P., Lee, C. K., Wildfire, J., & Guo, S. (2006). A comparison of the
governmental costs of long-term foster care and adoption. Social Service
Review, 80(1), 127-158. [on line]
Ettner, S. L., Huang, D., Evans, E., Ash, D. R., Hardy, H., Jourabchi, M., & Hser,
Y-I. (2005). Benefit-cost in the California treatment outcome project: does
substance abuse treatment “Pay for Itself”? Health Services Research, 41(1)
192 – 213. [on line]
Foster, E. M., & Holden, E. W. (2002). Benefit-cost analyses of the child welfare
demonstration projects: understanding the resource implications of the IV-E
waivers. Children and Youth Services Review, 24(6/7), 431-453. [on line]
Helitzer, D., Yoon, S., Wallerstein, N., & Garcia-Velarde, L. (2000). The role of
process evaluation in the training of facilitators for an adolescent health
education program. Journal of School Health, 70(4), 141 – 147. [on line]
Rosenheck, R. (2000). Cost-effectiveness of service for mentally ill homeless
people: the application of research to policy and practice. American Journal of
Psychiatry, 157(10), 1563 – 1570. [on line]
Schweinhart, L. J. (2003). Benefits, costs, and explanation of the High/Scope
Perry Preschool program. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for
Research in Child Development, Tampa, Florida
http://www.highscope.org/research/PerryProject/Perry-SRCD-2003.pdf.
Valois, R. F., & Hoyle, T. B. (2000). Formative evaluation results from the Mariner
Project: a coordinated school health pilot program. Journal of School Health,
70(3), 95 – 103. [on line]
April 21
Final Exam (and Quiz 11); Project Evaluation Reports Due
6