The Practice of Research in Social Work 4/e

Rafael J. Engel, PhD, is associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his PhD (1988) from the University of Wisconsin, his MSW (1979) from the University of Michigan, and his BA (1978) from the University of Pennsylvania. He coordinates the graduate certificate program in aging and is the principal investigator for the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education. He has written Fundamentals of Social Work Research (with Russell Schutt) and Measuring Race and Ethnicity (with Larry E. Davis). He is co-editor-in-chief of the journal, Intergenerational Relations and a member of the editorial board of Race and Social Problems. He has authored journal articles on such topics as poverty in later life, welfare benefits, and depressive symptomatology, and he has written a variety of monographs reporting agency-based evaluations. His research experience includes funded research studies on gambling, faith-based organizations, and employment in later life as well as funded evaluation research studies on welfare-to-work programs and drug and alcohol prevention programs. His most recent research involves older adults and gambling prevention. Russell K. Schutt, PhD, is professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he received the 2007 Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Service and taught from 1979 to 2022. He is also a Clinical Research Scientist I at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a Lecturer (part-time) in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. He completed his BA, MA, and PhD degrees at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Sociology of Social Control Training Program at Yale University (where he met Dan). In addition to ten editions of Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research and one of Understanding the Social World, as well as coauthored versions for the fields of social work, criminal justice, psychology, and education, his other books include Homelessness, Housing, and Mental Illness (2011), Social Neuroscience: Brain, Mind, and Society (coedited, 2015), and Organization in a Changing Environment (1986). He has authored and coauthored more than 65 peer reviewed journal articles, as well as book chapters and research reports on homelessness, mental health, organizations, law, and teaching research methods. His currently a Dual Principal Investigator (with Matcheri Keshavan, MD) in randomized comparative effectiveness trial of two socially-oriented interventions to improve community functioning among persons diagnosed with serious mental illness, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). His other recently concluded research includes co-principal investigator on a National Science Foundation-funded study of the social impact of the pandemic in Boston, and co-investigator on a Veterans Health Administration-funded study of peer support. His earlier research has been funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Veterans Health Administration, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Fetzer Institute, and state agencies. Details are available at https://blogs.umb.edu/russellkschutt/.

CHAPTER 1. Science, Society, and Social Work Research Reasoning About the Social World Everyday Errors in Reasoning The Social Scientific Approach Social Work and the Social World Research in the News: Why Did New York City's Homeless Population Increase? Social Work Research and Evidence-Based Practice Social Work Research in Practice Alternative Research Orientations Social Work Research in a Diverse Society CHAPTER 2. The Process of Social Work Research Social Work Research Questions Consider Social Diversity when Formulating a Question Foundations of Social Work Research Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Theory and Social Work Research Research in the News: Does Money Buy Happiness? Alternative Research Strategies Social Research Standards CHAPTER 3. Ethical and Scientific Guidelines for Social Work Research Research on People Historical Background Research in the News: Is it Ethical Science? Ethical Principles Institutional Review Board Reviews Internet Research Scientific Guidelines for Social Work Research CHAPTER 4. Measurement Concepts Research in the News: What is your Race? From Concepts to Observations Levels of Measurement Measurement Error Assessing Measurement Accuracy Measurement Validity Ways to Improve Reliability and Validity of Existing Measures Using Scales to Identify a Clinical Status Measurement in a Diverse Society Measurement Implications for Evidence-Based Practice CHAPTER 5. Sampling Sample Planning Research in the News: What are the Best Practices for Sampling Vulnerable Populations? Sampling Methods Sampling Distributions Recruitment Strategies with Diverse Populations Implications for Evidence-Based Practice CHAPTER 6. Causation and Research Design Research Design Alternatives Research in the News: Why is Child Poverty so High? Criteria for Quantitative (Nomothetic) Causal Explanations Comparing Research Designs Implications for Evidence-Based Practice CHAPTER 7. Group Experimental Designs Threats to the Validity of Group Experimental Designs Features of True Experiments Types of True Experimental Designs Quasi-experimental Designs Nonexperimental Designs Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Diversity, Group Design, and Evidence-Based Practice Ethical Issues in Experimental Research CHAPTER 8. Single-Subject Design Foundations of Single-Subject Design Measuring Targets of Intervention Analyzing Single-Subject Designs Types of Single-Subject Designs Research in the News: Exercise Your Brain? Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Single-Subject Design in a Diverse Society Ethical Issues in Single-Subject Design CHAPTER 9. Survey Research Survey Research in Social Work Designing Questionnaires Writing Questions Refine and Test Questions Survey Design Alternatives Survey Research Design in a Diverse Society Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Ethical Issues in Survey Research CHAPTER 10. Qualitative Methods Fundamentals of Qualitative Methods Participant Observation Intensive Interviewing Research in the News: Can Taping Interviews Capture a Trend? Interviewing Online Focus Groups Community-based Participatory Research Qualitative Research in a Diverse Society Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research CHAPTER 11. Qualitative Data Analysis Features of Qualitative Data Analysis Techniques of Qualitative Data Analysis Alternatives in Qualitative Data Analysis Research in the News: What's in a Message? Content Analysis Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Implications for Evidence-based Practice Ethics in Qualitative Data Analysis CHAPTER 12. Secondary Data Analysis and Mixed Methods Secondary Data Analysis Mixed Methods CHAPTER 13. Evaluation Research Evaluation Basics Describing the Program: The Logic Model Questions for Evaluation Research Design Decisions Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Evaluation Research in a Diverse Society Ethics in Evaluation CHAPTER 14. Quantitative Data Analysis Introducing Statistics Preparing Data for Analysis Displaying Univariate Distributions Summarizing Univariate Distributions Describing Relationships Among Variables Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Quantitative Data Analysis in a Diverse Society Ethical Issues: Avoiding Misleading Findings CHAPTER 15. Reporting Research Beginning With a Research Proposal Writing Can Be Frustrating! Reporting Results Research in the News: How Much Should Social Scientists Report? Poster Presentations Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Social Work Research in a Diverse Society Ethical Considerations Appendix A. Questions to Ask About a Quantitative Research Article Appendix B. How to Read a Quantitative Research Article Appendix C. Questions to Ask About a Qualitative Research Article Appendix D. How to Read a Qualitative Research Article