University of Kansas
School of Social Welfare
Prerequisites: SW 540, 530, 555, 220, MAT 101 (College Algebra)
Social Work 541 Social Work Research Seminar
Master Syllabus
Instructor
Class Location
Class Time
Office Hours
Instructor’s Email Address
I. Course Description
This is the second in a sequence of two courses that present the basic concepts of the social
work research process as well as the methods that are employed. This course builds on the
foundation developed in the first course related to systematic methods of assessment and
evaluation which are key to a generalist practice. The emphasis of this course is two-fold. The
first is the continued application of basic research knowledge developed in the first course.
The second emphasis is the development of skills related to recognizing and interpreting basic
statistical concepts for use in practice.
Students get to apply knowledge developed around research concepts, including, but not limited
to: problem definition and operationalization; ethical research practice; cultural sensitive
research practice; and a variety of different research methods. Each student has an applied
experience based on the design and/or implementation of an agency based research project
within the context of the course. Attention will be focused on a more advanced understanding
of the research process through an application in an agency setting. Course time is devoted to
understanding the research question, creating a research plan and developing a comprehensive
research design document.
II. Educational Outcomes
After taking this course, students should be able to:
1. Develop an understanding and an awareness of the importance of research in the social work
profession (BSW Program Objective 8).
2. Identify and describe the various steps in the research process (BSW Program Objective 8).
3. Assess the quality of research in current professional journal articles, especially as it relates to
quality, relevance, and utility for social work practice (BSW Program Objective 8).
4. Critique specific pieces of research for its ability to attend to the needs presented by culturally
diverse client populations (BSW Program Objective 8).
5. Work with agency personnel to develop a suitable research question (BSW Program
Objective 8).
6. Design a research study based on the research questions presented by agency staff (BSW
Program Objective 8).
7. Protect research respondents and be familiar with ethical issues that warrant attention in
conducting research and know appropriate ways to avoid or resolve potential dilemmas (BSW
Program Objective 3).
8. Develop a plan to promote the use of systemically collected information in agency-based
decision-making (BSW Program Objective 11).
9. Assess the cultural sensitivity of research instruments and data collection tools (BSW
Program Objective 5 & 9).
10. Recognize, interpret, and critique the use of basic statistical procedures and their application
in journal articles and in other applied settings(BSW Program Objective 8).
11. Interpret tables, graphs, and descriptive statistics found in journal articles (BSW Program
Objective 8).
III. Curriculum Themes
1. Practice Centeredness
The over-arching themes that guide the curriculum of the School of Social Welfare are
incorporated throughout the practice oriented BSW program. This research course is oriented
towards the application of research skills in a practice setting.
2. Strengths
The strengths orientation is a humanistic empowerment approach to social work that focuses on
highlighting the natural, and often untapped, mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional resources
of all persons. Unlike research courses in many disciplines focused on measuring and
documenting pathology, this course supplements that perspective by highlighting the use of
systematic research tools as methods to identify, articulate, and highlights the natural resources
present in individuals, families, and communities.
3. Social Justice
Social Justice is emphasized in this course by evaluating research strategies for the presence of
systematic biases that would perpetuate the struggles of vulnerable populations. Additionally,
credible alternatives are offered which can be utilized to intentionally reflect the life challenges
of oppressed, stigmatized, and marginalized persons.
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4. Diversity
Diversity is emphasized in this class by critiquing research methods for the existence of
prejudice and partiality that would preclude the recording of specialized circumstances of
diverse populations. Attention is devoted to understanding the limitations of techniques that
suppress the richness of unique individuals and promoting examples that cultivate an
appreciation for individuals distinguished by race, ethnicity, religion, spirituality, class, sexual
orientation, age, gender, and ability.
5. Critical Perspective
The tools, techniques, and skills developed in this class are an addition to critical thinking skills
developed in a liberal arts curriculum which allows students to question the simplistic
presentations of the actions of individuals, families, communities, and systems.
Student Course Content
Although this course is typically taught in medium-sized classroom setting a variety of methods
of instruction are utilized to engage students. Students are expected to participate in class by
reading the course material, engaging in class discussion, actively participating in exercises, and
autonomously completing their own written assignments that employ research methods and
techniques to a unique practice setting. Additionally, large and small group activities are
employed to complete the large scale design and the details of individual aspects of the design
respectively.
IV. Liberal Arts Perspective
The research sequence assumes a rich background in liberal arts education. Skills such as
critical thinking, presenting and evaluating an argument, and others will be built upon in this
course. Such skills are fostered in philosophy, humanities, and other social science courses. The
research sequence will embellish this repertoire of critical thinking skills by adding techniques
related to using information to present, refine, assess, and evaluate an argument.
V. Professional Purpose and Values
This course presents social work research material in the context of a set of professional ethics
and values that emphasize the dignity and self-determination of the individual. Attention focuses
on research as a viable method for accurately representing the life issues of service consumers
and the effectiveness of the services they receive.
VI. Social Work Generalist and Human Diversity
The skills and techniques presented in this class will greatly assist the generalist social worker in
assessing the ongoing needs of service consumers and assessing the effectiveness of service
systems at addressing those needs. Efforts will be extended towards understanding the bias
inherent in many methods of assessing needs and evaluating services while exploring
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alternatives which may be more likely to fully represent the issues and struggles of consumers
along with the abilities of service delivery to aid in those challenges.
VII. Linkages to Other Courses in the Curriculum
This course offers a foundation for later social work practice courses. Students are able to utilize
the skills and abilities acquired in this course to assess consumer needs, define interventions,
and evaluate social work practice interventions. The research design experience provided in this
course will help prepare students for tasks and assignments in their senior year related to
evaluating practice. The familiarity with basic statistics allows students to read, interpret, and
critique research articles for their applicability to practice issues.
VIII. Topics
Required
Problem Formulation/Conceptualization
Ethical Research Practice (protection of human subjects)
Promoting Utilization of Research in an Agency Setting
Cultural Sensitivity
Validity & Reliability
Research Methods
Experimental & quasi-experimental design
Qualitative methods
Survey research
Sampling Design
Single Subject Design
Recognizing and Interpreting Basic Statistics
Reading Tables
Measure of Central Tendency & Variability
t-tests, ANOVA, Correlation, Linear Regression
IX. Recommended Readings
Research Methods Texts
Craft, J.L. (1990). Statistics and Data Analysis for Social Workers. Itasca, IL: F.E.Peacock
Publishers.
Rubin, Allen, and Babbie, Earl. (1997). Research Methods for Social Work. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Publishing Co. Third Edition. (Required)
Royse, David. (1995). Research Methods in Social Work. Chicago, IL: Nelson Hall
Publishers. Third Edition. (Optional)
Salkind, N. (2000). Statistics for People Who Think They Hate Statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage Publications.
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Weinbach, R. W. and Grinnell, R. M.( 2001). Statistics for Social Workers. Needham Heights,
MA: Allyn & Bacon. Fifth Edition.
Westerfelt, A. and Deitz, T.J. (2001). Planning and Conducting Agency-Based research: A
Workbook of Social Work Students in Field Placements. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn
& Bacon. Fifth Edition.
York, Reginald. (1998). Conducting Social Work Research: An Experiential Approach.
Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Qualitative Studies
Carlton-LaNey, Iris (1992). Elderly Black farm women: A population at risk. Social Work,
37(6), 517-523. [1-7]
Davis, L.V., & Srinivasan, M. (1995). Listening to the voices of battered women: What helps
them escape violence? Affilia, 10(l), 49-69. [8-18]
Diorio, William, D. (1992). Parental perceptions of the authority of public child welfare
caseworkers. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, 222234. (19-25]
O’Brien, M.P. (1996). Women in transition from prison: Making it in the free world.
Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas School of Social Welfare. [2648]
Taylor, J. B. (1996). Naturalistic Research Methods. Adaptation of Taylor’s work, prepared by.
Alex Westerfelt, with permission. [49-60]
Examples of Theoretical Development in Articles
Baker, F.M. (1987). The Afro-American life cycle: Success, failure, and mental health. Journal
of the National Medical Association, 79(6), 625-633. [61-69]
Berger, Raymond M. (1990). Passing: Impact on the quality of same-sex couple relationships.
Social Work, 35(4), 328-332. [70-74]
Bergman, A.G. (1988). Pregnant teenagers: Deterrents to service use. Social Service Review,
December, 694-703. [75-79]
Cross, Terry L. (1986). Drawing on cultural tradition in Indian child welfare practice. Social
Casework. The Journal of Contemporary Social Work, 283-289. [80-83)
Forte, J.A., Franks, D.D., Forte, J.A., & Rigsby, D. (1996). Asymmetrical role-taking:
Comparing battered and nonbattered women. Social Work, 41(1), 59-73. [84-93]
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Pillemer, K., & Finkelhor, D. (1988). Causes of elder abuse: Caregiving stress versus problem
relatives. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 59(2), 179-187. [94-102]
Red Horse, John G. (1980). American Indian elders: Unifiers of Indian families. Social
Casework. The Journal of Contemporary Social Work, 490-493. [103-104]
Red Horse, John G. (1980). Family structure and value orientation in American Indians. Social
Casework. The Journal of Contemporary Social Work, 462-467. [105-107]
Wilson, Melvin N., & Tolson, Timothy F. J. (1990). Familial support in the Black community.
Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 19(4),347-355. [108-116]
Conceptualization
Johnson, Harriette C. (1989). The disruptive child: Problems of definition. Social Casework.
The Journal of Contemporary Social Work, 469-478. [117-126)
Scale Construction
Freedman, Barbara J., Donahoe, Clyde P., Rosenthal, Lisa, & Schlundt, David G. (1978). A
social-behavioral analysis of skill deficits in delinquent and nondelinquent adolescent
boys. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46(6), 1448-1462. [127-14 1
Validity
Pollack David, & Shore, James H. (1980). Validity of the MMPI with Native Americans.
American Journal of Psychiatry, 137(8), 946-950. [142-146]
Validity and Reliability Issues
Heck, Edward I., Williams, Michael D., & Presnell, Mark (1992). A study reexamining alcohol
use among University of Kansas students. University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS:
Department of Counseling Psychology. [ 147-152]
Heck, Edward J., Williams, Michael D., & Presnell, Mark (1992). Reexamination of the CAGE
for problem drinking screenings in college students. University of Kansas, Lawrence,
KS: Department of Counseling Psychology. [153-162]
Validity and Reliability in Qualitative Stud
Guba, E.G.,& Lincoln, Y.S. (l985). Establishing trustworthiness. Naturalistic Inquiry. 289-301.
Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. [163-166]
Cultural Bias in Measurement
Dana, Richard H. (1984). Intelligence testing of American Indian children: Sidesteps inquest of
ethical practice. White Cloud Journal, 3(3), 35-43. [167-174]
Trimble, Joseph E. (1987). Self-perception and perceived alienation among American Indians.
Journal of Community Psychology, 15, 316-333. [175-183]
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Correlational Study with Quota Sampling
Hong, George K., & Hong, Lawrence, K. (1991). Comparative perspectives on child abuse and
neglect: Chinese versus Hispanics and Whites. Child Welfare, LXX(4), 463-475. [184187]
Qualitative study with Purposive Sampling (misnamed snowball sampling)
Siegel, Deborah H. (1993). Open adoption of infants: Adoptive parents’ perceptions of
advantages and disadvantages. Social Work, 38(1), 15-24. [188-196]
Descriptive Surveys
Johnson Freddie L., Cook, Ernestine, Foxall, Martha J., Kelleher, Elizabeth, Kentopp, Elizabeth,
& Mannlein, Elizabeth A. (1984). Life satisfaction of the elderly American Indian. White
Cloud Journal, 3(3), 3-13. [197-206a]
Kurtz P. David, Jarvis, Sara V., & Kurtz, Gaff L. (1991). Problems of homeless youths:
Empirical findings and human services issues. Social Work, 36(4), 309-314. [207-212]
Correlational Study
Berger, Raymond M. (1990). Passing: Impact on the quality of same-sex couple relationships.
Social Work, 35(4), 328-332. [70-74]
Causal Study
Jackson, Aurora P. (1993). Black single, working mothers in poverty: Preferences for
employment, well-being, and perceptions of preschool-age children. Social Work, 38(l),
26-34. [213-220a]
Jackson, H., & Nuttall, R. (1994). Effects of gender, age, and history of abuse on social
workers’ judgments of sexual abuse allegations. Social Work Research, 18,(2),105-113.
[221-229]
Poulin, I., & Walter, C. (1993). Social worker burnout: A longitudinal study. Social Work
Research and Abstracts, 29(4), 5-10. [230-236]
Thompson, Maxine Seaborn, & Peebles-Wilkins, Wilma (1992). The impact of formal,
informal, and societal support networks on the psychological well-being of Black
adolescent mothers. Social Work, 37(4), 322-328. [237-243]
Experimental Studies
Gutierrez, L. M. (1995). Understanding the empowerment process: Does consciousness make a
difference? Social Work Research, 19(4), 229-237. [244-252]
Program Evaluation
Berry, Marianne (1992). An evaluation of family preservation services: Fitting agency services
to family needs. Social Work, 37(4), 314-321. [253-260]
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Dziegielewski, Sophia F. (1991). Social group work with the family members of elderly nursing
home residents with dementia: A controlled evaluation. Research in Social Work
Practice,] (4),358-370. [261-267]
Hawkins, J. David, Jenson, Jeffrey M., Catalano, Richard F., Wells, Elizabeth A. (1991). Effects
of a skills training intervention with juvenile delinquents. Research on Social Work
Practice,] (2), 107-121. [268-275]
Jenson, Jeffrey M., Wells, Elizabeth A., Plotnick, Robert D., Hawkins, J. David, & Catalano,
Richard F. (1993). The effects of skills and intentions to use drugs on posttreatment drug
use of adolescents. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 19(1), 1-18. [276285]
Lee, Jane H., & Holland, Thomas P. (1991). Evaluating the effectiveness of foster parent
training. Research on Social Work Practice,] (2), 162-174. [286-292]
Olsen, Lenore (1990). Integrating a practice orientation into the research curriculum: The effect
on knowledge and attitudes. Journal of Social Work Education, 26(2), 155-161. [293299]
Posavac, Emil, J. & Carey, Raymond, G. (1992). “A Favorable Climate: How to Encourage
Utilization” in their Program Evaluation:Methods and Case Studies. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice Hall, 246-259.
Rosenthall, Beth Speciner, & Wilson, W. Cody (1992). Student factors affecting performance in
an MSW research and statistics course. Journal of Social Work Education, 28(l), 77-84.
[300-307]
Simoni, J.M., & Adelman, H.S. (1993). School-based mutual support groups for low-income
parents. The Urban Review, 25(4), 335-350. [308-316]
United Way of America (1996). Measuring Program Outcomes: A Practical Approach.
Alexandria,VA: Author.
Program Evaluation (including both process and outcome evaluation)
Ashby, Marianne Rolland, Gilchrist, Lewayne D., & Miramontez, Alicia (1987). Group
treatment for sexually abused American Indian Adolescents. Social Work with Groups,
10(4), 21-3 2. [317-323)
Single Subject Design Study
Cooper, Marlene (1990). Treatment of a client with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Social Work
Research and Abstracts, 26, 26-31. [324-330]
Taber, Sara Mansfield (198 1). Cognitive-behavior modification treatment of an aggressive 11year-old boy. Social Work Research and Abstracts, 17(2), 13-23. [331-341]
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Politics of Research
Rossi, Peter H. (1987). No good applied social research goes unpunished. Society, 25, 74-79.
[342-346]
Ethics in Research
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (April 18, 1979). Ethical principles and
guidelines for the protection of human subjects in research. The Belmont Report, 1-12.
[347-3 59]
“Instructions for Submitting Proposals to the University of Kansas Advisory Committee on
Human Experimentation (ACHE),” February, 1994. [3 60-3 82]
Code of Federal Regulations (for Human Subject Research). [383-ff]
X. Suggested Assignments
1. Structured Learning Opportunities (Educational Outcomes 9 & 10)
Three Structured Learning Opportunities (SLO) are offered throughout the semester to give
students a chance to exhibit their proficiency in recognizing and interpreting statistical
information. Students are able to use their notes and their books. In the prior week, a Practice
SLO is provided which acquaints students with the types of questions, answers, format etc. The
purpose of these exercises is to provide a low stress situation for students to illustrate their
knowledge of the statistical material.
2. Design An Agency-Based Program Evaluation (Educational Outcomes 1 through 9)
Working collaboratively with a community-based agency, the class designs a program
evaluation for a specific service. The agency personnel come to class and exchange ideas about
the program’s purposes and specific information needs. The class proceeds to design a study.
The overall design is crafted by the entire class, then distinct components in the research process
are completed by small groups. The specific tasks include the development of: an introduction
to the report, a literature review, the program model, a plan to protect human subjects,
measurement, data collection strategies, and a sampling plan. The students need to continue to
work together as a whole group to ensure that the pieces are complementary. The end product is
a complete program evaluation design that is presented to the agency.
or
3. Design a Research Proposal (Educational Outcomes 1 through 9)
Individually students pick a service setting and design a research proposal suited to address a
specific question from their personal or professional interests. The student designs the study
including all the steps noted in the previous project.
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XI. Special Considerations
Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him/her from fully
demonstrating his/her abilities should contact the instructor personally as soon as possible so we
can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate the educational
opportunity.
Please notify the instructor a week in advance if your religious observances conflict with class
or due dates so we can make appropriate arrangements.
XII. Instructor Availability
Provide students with information on how to see and/or reach you.
XIII. Inclement Weather Policy
If the University closes due to bad weather, announcements will be on the media or you may call
the inclement weather line, 864-SNOW after 6 a.m.; the University Information Center, 8643506; or if hearing impaired with accessibility to TTY/TDD equipment, (800) 766-3777.
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