Practice of Research in Social Work / Edition 4

by Rafael J. Engel

Overview

Social work research provides valuable information to decision-makers in a variety of settings as well as supporting academic and theoretical work. Engel (U. of Pittsburgh) and Schutt (U. of Massachusetts) introduce students to both quantitative and qualitative methods of research. They cover the processes and problems, concepts, measurement, experiments, surveys, qualitative methods such as observing and participating, evaluation research, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, content analysis and reporting. Appendices include summaries of frequently cited research articles, tips on reading research, ways of finding information, and a list of web sites. The accompanying CD-ROM includes interactive exercises, an introduction to SPSS, data sets, survey links, and a link to the online study site. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2901506304266
Publication date:	02/17/2016
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Rafael J. Engel, Ph D, is associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his Ph D (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, Ph D, 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 Ph D 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/.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Science, Society and Social Work Research
Chapter 2. The Process and Problems of Social Work Research
Chapter 3. Conceptualization and Measurement
Chapter 4. Sampling
Chapter 5. Causation and Research Design
Chapter 6. Group Experimental Designs
Chapter 7. Single Subject Design
Chapter 8. Survey Design
Chapter 9. Qualitative Methods: Observing, Participating, Listening
Chapter 10. Evaluation Research
Chapter 11. Quantitative Data Analysis
Chapter 12. Qualitative Data Analysis
Chapter 13. Reporting Research
Appendix A: Summaries of Frequently Cited Research Articles
Appendix B: Questions to Ask About a Research Article
Appendix C: How to Read a Research Article
Appendix D: Finding Information
Appendix E: Table of Random Numbers
Appendix F: Annotated List of Web Sites
Appendix G: NASW Code of Ethics
About the Authors
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"The co-authors bring expertise from social work and sociology, fields that share an interest in the "science" of the social sciences along with attention to real-world problems and solutions. The thirteen concise chapters are thoughtfully structured [and] the text provides a comprehensive overview of social sciences research with numerous examples from social work. A main strength of the book is the clarity with which the authors present complex topics. "

Edward Cohen