Social Work Science

by Ian Shaw , Ph.D.

Overview

What is the role of science in social work? Ian Shaw considers social work inventions, evidence-based practice, the history of scientific claims in social work practice, technology, and social work research methodology to demonstrate the significant role that scientific language and practice play in the complex world of social work.

By treating science as a social action marked by the interplay of choice, activity, and constraints, Shaw links scientific and social work knowledge through the core themes of the nature of evidence, critical learning and understanding, justice, and the skilled evaluation of the subject. He shows specifically how to connect science, research, and the practical and speaks to the novel topics this integration introduces into the discipline, including experience, expertise, faith, tacit knowledge, judgment, interests, scientific controversies, and understanding.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231166409
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	04/26/2016
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ian Shaw is professor of social work at the Aalborg University in Denmark and emeritus professor at the University of York. His most recent books include Doing Qualitative Research in Social Work (2014) and the four volume series Social Work Research (2016).

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Talking Social Work Science
2. Doing Social Work Science
3. Historical Moments for Social Work and Science
4. Technology and Social Work
5. The Social Work Science Community: Controversies and Cooperation
6. Social Work Science and Evidence
7. Social Work Science and Understanding
8. Social Work Science and Justice
9. Impacts and Influences
Appendix. Writing Social Work Science
Notes
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

Ian Shaw's coverage in Social Work Science includes just about every philosophical basis ever proposed for science, and he also ventures into the relationship with 'personal knowledge, common sense, power, action, politics, and faith.' His book makes an erudite, scholarly contribution to all of the above.

Ray Pawson

Social Work Science is a very important voice in the discussion, although it is not easy reading. It places high demands on readers, at the same time offering them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the fundamental issues regarding the possible relationship of social work science with the practice of social work.

European Journal of Social Work

This thoughtful book succinctly analyzes the longstanding tensions between science and art, science and action, and science and values that have influenced social work scholarship, practice, and education for over a century. Shaw illuminates contemporary debates over the nature and purpose of social work research by placing them in their historical, ideological, and political contexts.

Michael Reisch

This book offers a wide-ranging and historically informed discussion of the connections between social work and science. It raises important questions about the role of evidence in professional work while underlining the essential part it plays. This sophisticated and balanced approach is greatly to be welcomed.

Martyn Hammersley

Social Work Science is a remarkable attempt to bring together the diverse threads of scientific production in social work and locate them within the broader context of Western scientific thinking. In doing so, Shaw convincingly exposes the problematic foundations of traditional dichotomies and supposedly conflicting views such as that between art and science. This book will become a milestone in social work literature and a major source of inspiration for academics and practitioners alike.

Silvia Fargion