Research Methods for Social Workers Plus MySocialWorkLab with eText -- Access Card Package

ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products.   Packages Access codes for Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products may not be included when purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson; check with the seller before completing your purchase.   Used or rental books If you rent or purchase a used book with an access code, the access code may have been redeemed previously and you may have to purchase a new access code.   Access codes Access codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.   -- This social work research methods text is written in an accessible, reader-friendly style and includes numerous examples of how research can be used to inform social work practice.   It is part of the Connecting Core Competencies Series that integrates CSWE's core competencies and practice behaviors throughout.  

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Toward Evidence-Based Practice Introduction to Book Historical Antecedents Research and Practice Alternative Knowledge Sources Logic Tradition Authority Faulty Knowledge Can Promote Stereotypes Misuse of Research Data The Scientific Alternative Types of Scientific Knowledge Descriptive knowledge Predictive knowledge Prescriptive knowledge Basic and Applied Research Quantitative and Qualitative Research Current Climate for Social Work Research Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video //  Engaging in Research Informed Practice Case Study //  Crisis and Kinship in Foster Care   Chapter 2  Ethical Issues in Research What are ethics? Who provides data for our research? Earlier abuses of research participants The Nazi and Japanese medical experiments The Tuskegee public health studies The Milgram studies of obedience to authority The Laud Humphreys studies of homosexual behavior Today’s standards for protection of research participants  Institutional Review Boards Voluntary informed consent  No unnecessary pain and suffering Anonymity/Confidentiality Need to conduct the research Contemporary issues related to research volunteers Are research volunteers truly voluntary? Dual-role relationships Using deception in research Withholding treatment and use of placebos Availability of experimental interventions Other ethical obligations of researchers Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video// Research Based Practice: Contracting with the client to select an evidence-based therapy Case Study //Foster Care: Crisis and Kinship in Foster Care   Chapter 3 Research Problems and Questions Why we begin with research problems Identifying potential research problems  Setting problem priorities    Identifying and specifying the research problem Selecting research questions Qualitative versus quantitative questions Developing qualitative research questions Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video // Engaging the client to share their experiences of alientation, marginalization Case Study // Domestic Violence: Betty and Charlie Bristol Chapter 4 Finding and Using Existing Knowledge What is a review of the literature? Purposes of a review of literature Potential Sources Professional journal articles Trustworthy websites Books Personal interviews with authorities Research reports and monographs Research presentations at conferences Newspaper articles Standard reference materials Other, even more “questionable” sources Content of workshops Radio and television broadcasts Magazines and periodicals Using Internet searches to locate information sources Organizing the product of a literature review Writing the literature review  Direction and flow Use of quotations and citations Role of the researcher Research methods using literature review as focus Systematic reviews Meta-analysis Content analysis Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video // Diversity in practice: Learning from the client to co-create an action plan Case Study // Domestic violence: Betty and Charlie Bristol Chapter 5 Focused Research Qquestions and Research Hypotheses Focused questions Research hypotheses Variable and constant Demographic variable  Value label or value  Frequency  Dependent variable and independent variable Confounding variables Types of relationships between variables Association Correlation Causation Types of research hypotheses When are research hypotheses appropriate? Wording of research hypotheses Use of subhypotheses  The “perfectly worded” research hypothesis Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video // Learning from the client to co-create an action plan Case Study // Foster Care: Dan   Chapter 6  Group Research Designs What is Research Design? Different Categorizations of Research Designs Cross-sectional, pretest-posttest, or longitudinal Exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory    Pre-experimental, Experimental, and Quasi-experimental Designs Pre-experimental designs Experimental designs Quasi-experimental designs Characteristics of a Good Research Design Internal Validity External Validity Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video //  Applying Critical Thinking Case Study // Medical Social Work: Annie   Chapter 7 Single-System Evaluation Designs When are Single-System Evaluations Appropriate? Elements Involved in Single-System Evaluation Defining the outcome or dependent variable Measuring the outcome or dependent variable Defining the independent variable or intervention Conducting the baseline phase Conducting the intervention phase Graphing and analyzing the data Single-System Designs B design AB design Successive intervention designs Withdrawal designs Multiple-baseline design Strengths and Weaknesses of Single-System Evaluations Ethical Issues Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video // Engagement, Assessment, Intervention, and Evaluation: Intervention Case Study // Foster Care: Dan Chapter 8 Qualitative Research Methods The Case Study Suitable topics Strengths and limitations Grounded Theory Ethnographic Research Cross-Cultural Research Feminist Research Goals and assumptions A response to traditional research methods Design characteristics Examples Participatory Action Research Evaluation Criteria for Qualitative Research Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video // Diversity in Practice: Building Self-awareness  Case Study // Community Practice: Golem, Albania Chapter 9 Sampling Issues and Options Terminology Case Universe, Theoretical Population, and Accessible Population Sampling Frame Sample Representativeness Size Sampling Error Sampling Bias Statistic and Parameter Random Selection    Random Sample Summary of Terms Probability Sampling Simple Random Sampling Systematic Random Sampling Stratified Sampling Cluster Sampling Nonprobability Sampling Convenience Sampling Purposive Sampling Snowball Sampling Quota Sampling Selecting a Good Sample Available Resources Overall Design and Purpose of the Study Statistical Analyses to be Used The Importance of Sample Representativeness Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video // Ethical Practice: Recognizing Personal Values  Case Study // Medical Social Work: Stephanie and Rose Doer   Chapter 10 Measurement Concepts and Issues What is Measurement in Research? Preparation for Measurement Conceptualization Operationalization Levels of Measurement Nominal-Level Ordinal-Level Interval-Level Ratio-Level More on Levels of Measurement Criteria for Good Measurement Reliability Validity Sources of Measurement Error Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video //  Policy Practice: Building Alliances Case Study //  Domestic Violence: Mikki’s Story Chapter 11 Methods for Acquiring Research Data Secondary Data Analysis Sources Different Uses Tasks Required Advantages Limitations Oral Histories Systematic Observations Unstructured Observations    Structured Observations Surveys In-Person Interviews Differences between Quantitative and Qualitative Interviews Advantages Disadvantages Interviewing Protocol Group Interviews Focus Groups Other Group Data Collection Telephone Interviews Electronic Communication PracticeTest MySocialWorkLab Video // Engagement, Assessment, Intervention, and Evaluation: Assessment   Case Study // Mental Health: Dee Chapter 12 Data Collection Instruments Fixed-Alternative and Open-Ended Items Composite Indexes and Scales Composite Indexes Scales Using Existing Data Collection Instruments Revising Existing Data Collection Instruments Constructing New Data Collection Instruments Issues in Development Use of Self-Administered Data Collection Instruments Advantages Supervised Administration Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video // Professional Identity: Professional Roles and Boundaries   Case Study //  Mental Health: Alice and Eric Chapter 13 Analyzing Data: The Data in Perspective Preparing for Data Analysis Data Analysis: An Overview Qualitative Analysis Quantitative Analysis Uses of Statistical Analysis Interpreting and Reporting the Results Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video // Engagement, Assessment, Intervention, and Evaluation: Assessment Case Study // Community Practice: Organizing Social Work in the Republic of Armenia, Part I   Chapter 14 Disseminating Rresearch Findings Reports and Monographs Internal Correspondence and In-Service Training Major Conferences Other Professional Gatherings Publication in Professional Journals Practice Test MySocialWorkLab Video // Critical Thinking: Demonstrating Effective Oral and Written Communication Case Study // Mental Health: Carletta  

About the Author :
Bonnie L. Yegidis, Ph. D., MSW   Bonnie Yegidis is Professor and Director of the School of Social Work at the University of South Florida, Tampa.  She teaches in the research methods and social work practice sequences in the School, and has conducted research on family violence,  cross-cultural issues in social work practice, and evidence based social work practice.  Dr. Yegidis earned her MSW degree from West Virginia University and her Ph. D. in Curriculum and Instruction, with a concentration in Measurement and Evaluation, from the University of South Florida.  She is the recipient of a number of awards and honors including Social Worker of the Year from the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and the Distinguished Alum Award from West Virginia University.  Robert  W. Weinbach, Ph.D., MSW.   Bob Weinbach is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina, where he continues to teach graduate level research courses in the College of Social Work. He is also the first author of Statistics for Social Workers, Eighth Edition; The Social Worker as Manager, Sixth Edition;  and is the author of Evaluating Social Work Services and Programs (all published by Allyn & Bacon), as well as over 75 other  publications and invited book chapters. He earned graduate degrees in social work from SUNY-Buffalo and Ohio State University and has worked in both medical and psychiatric social work practice and as a program evaluator.   Laura L. Myers, Ph.D., M.S.W.     Laura Myers is an Associate Professor and BSW Program Director at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, FL.  Laura received a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy and completed her coursework and Master’s thesis in Computer Science and Statistics from the University of Southern Mississippi.  After several years of computer consulting for accounting firms, she returned to school to complete her M.S.W. and Ph.D. in Social Work at the University of Georgia.  Laura lives in Tallahassee with her husband, Dr. Bruce Thyer, and their four children, John, William, Joseph, and Cynthia.   Laura is interested in research, scholarly writing, human diversity and social discrimination, eating disorders, and social work and spirituality.