Week 2 ScWk 240—Scientific
Method
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
From T.S. Eliot: The Rock (1934)
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Review Quiz!!
Descriptive, explanatory, or exploratory?
• “What factors (ethnicity, gender, years of
training) best predict higher scores on the
“Cultural Competency Practice Scale”?
• “The survey found that 75% of social
workers do not fully understand HIV/AIDS
symptoms.”
• “Parents with disabled children described
facing a ‘culture of dependence’ when
dealing with helping professionals.”
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More!!
Descriptive, explanatory, or exploratory?
• “Women who are victims of violence have
the experience of a sense of helplessness
when facing major decisions.”
• “Latinos are the fastest growing minority in
California.”
• “Would a behavioral reward system
succeed in reducing behavioral outbursts
in special needs classrooms?”
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Review
Any or all of these
Can be used for these
purposes (partial list)
• Descriptive
• Explanatory
• Exploratory
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Needs assessment
Policy analysis
Impact/outcome studies
Program evaluation
Quality improvement
studies
• Epidemiological research
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Agenda
• Evidence-based practice & scientific
inquiry
• Developing your research topic
• Developing research questions
• Bibliography Assignment—Instructions,
and how to conduct a literature review
• Small group exercise—developing your
topic
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Evidence-based practice
• Definitions of Evidence-Based Practice:
It’s a type of practice:
1.
•
•
•
2.
Approaches to prevention or treatment that are based in theory and have
undergone scientific evaluation.
"Evidence-based" stands in contrast to approaches that are based on
tradition, convention, belief, or anecdotal evidence. (Cochrane
Collaborative).
“Best practice” – one that was tested and found to be effective
It’s a process: Using the best scientific evidence available in
deciding how to intervene with individuals, families, groups, or
communities (Rubin & Babbie)
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How does an intervention become a
“Best Practice”?
• The new intervention is developed—desired outcomes,
procedures, and techniques, and are identified
• These should be written down (“manualized”) so that
others can be trained and the intervention disseminated.
• Pilot studies are done to determine if the intervention is
effective—does it work in achieving short term outcomes?
This may result in adjustments to the original design
• Then the efficacy of the intervention is tested using more
rigorous evaluation methods (such randomization of
participants to the new treatment vs. no treatment, and
comparing their outcomes).
• Then the “best practice” has to be implemented and tested
in natural settings with different populations
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What are the research tasks in building
a case for a “Best Practice”?
• Identify outcomes—and, how will they be
measured (Problem formulation and
measurement)?
• Intervention process—is it true to the original
intent (Process study, a.k.a. “fidelity” study)?
– Were the right clients targeted and engaged?
– Was the intervention implemented as intended?
– Were the right techniques and procedures used?
• Effectiveness & efficacy—did intervention result
in desired outcomes (Outcome/impact study)?
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Clearinghouses of EBP Information
• Mental health and substance abuse:
U.S. Dept. Health & Human Services, Substance
Abuse & Mental Health Administration
http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/
• Child Welfare
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse
http://www.cebc4cw.org/
• Healthcare
Cochrane Collaborative
http://www.cochrane.org/
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Student reports:
• What do the authors mean by “using
research evidence”? Jonathan
• Describe one of three applied models
of evidence based research. Glorialee
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What does it mean for an
organization to use evidence?
 Research evidence is used in training & program
development
 People ask, frequently, “How do we know our
interventions are working?” (They don’t just
assume that they are working.)
 There are regular and systematic efforts to
improve the quality of services (and use data for
that purpose)
 Reports about agency performance are regularly
shared & discussed with staff
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Library Resources
http://library.sjsu.edu/online-tutorials/onlinetutorials
For example:
• Finding Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed Articles
• Topic development-http://library.sjsu.edu/video/art-topicdevelopment
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Bibliography
• Peer reviewed articles
http://library.sjsu.edu/video/finding-scholarly-peer-reviewed-articles
– For the Bibliography, aim for 15 out of the
minimum 20 required
– Websites ok, but the priority ones are:
• Research organization sites
• Policy sites
• Online government reports
• Journals relevant to social work: see Rubin &
Babbie appendix, “Using the Library”
• APA—everything double spaced
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Developing your topic
• Step 1: identify of one these from your
own interests
– Target population (i.e. teen mothers), or
– Intervention (i.e. teen support groups), or
– Social problem (i.e. teen pregnancy)
• Step 2: what would you like to learn about
this?
• Step 3: How would learning about this
benefit the social work profession?
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Developing your research questions
• Step 4: from Step 2, develop one research
question for each approach:
– Descriptive approach
– Explanatory approach
– Exploratory approach
• Martha Stewart’s Helpful Tips:
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–
–
–
Your research question literally ends with a “?”
Don’t worry about how (“Methods”) for now
Avoid combining two questions into one statement
Think of questions that research can answer…even if
you already think you know the answer (i.e. you have
an hypothesis)
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•
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Terms to be responsible for:
Evidence based practice (two definitions)
Descriptive study
Explanatory study
Exploratory study
Evaluative study
Target population
Peer reviewed
Three models of using EBP
– Research based practitioner
– Embedded research model
– Organizational excellence model
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Change in Readings next week:
• Supplement chapters 5-7 still required.
Drop Chapter 8 for now.
• Rubin & Babbie Instead of Chapter 4 “The
Ethics and Politics of Social Work
Research” substitute Chapter 3
“Philosophy and Theory in Social Work
Research”
• Drop the two articles (Malone et al. &
Begun et al.) for now
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Student reports next week:
1. Describe the relationship between theory
and hypotheses.
2. What are “attributes” of a variable? Give
two examples.
3. What’s the difference between an
independent and dependent variable?
• Everyone: Come prepared to talk about
theory, hypothesis, IV, and DV for your
potential topic
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