Table of Content
CHAPTER1: SCIENCE, SOCIETY, AND SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH Reasoning about the Social World Everyday Errors in Reasoning Overgeneralization Selective or Inaccurate Observation Illogical Reasoning Resistance to Change Adherence to Authority The Social Scientific Approach Social Work and the Social World Social Work Research and Evidence-Based Practice Striving for Validity Measurement Validity Generalizability Causal Validity Social Work in Research in a Diverse Society Social Work Research in Practice Descriptive Research Exploratory Research Explanatory Research Evaluation Research Quantitative and Qualitative Methods Strengths and Limitations of Social Work Research Conclusion CHAPTER 2: THE PROCESS AND PROBLEMS OF SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH Social Work Research Questions Identifying Social Work Research Questions Refining Social Research Questions Evaluating Social Research Questions Implications of Social Diversity and Formulating a Question Foundations of Social Work Research Finding Information Reviewing Research Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Social Work Research Strategies The Role of Social Theory The Deductive/Inductive Cycle Descriptive Research Social Work Research Philosophies Scientific Guidelines for Social Work Research Social Work Research and Ethical Guidelines Honesty and Openness The Uses of Science Research on People Conclusion CHAPTER 3: CONCEPTUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT Concepts Conceptualization in Practice From Concepts to Observations Operationalization Scales and Indexes Treatment as a Variable Gathering Data Combining Measurement Operations Measurement in Qualitative Research Levels of Measurement Nominal Level of Measurement Ordinal Level of Measurement Interval Level of Measurement Ratio Level of Measurement The Case of Dichotomies Types of Comparisons Measurement Error Evaluating Measures Reliability Measurement Validity Screening and Cut-off Scores Ways to Improve Reliability and Validity of Existing Measures Measurement in a Diverse Society Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Conclusion CHAPTER 4: SAMPLING Sample Planning Define Sample Components and the Population Evaluate Generalizability Assess the Homogeneity of the Population Recruitment Strategies with Diverse Populations Sampling Methods Probability Sampling Probability Sampling Methods Nonprobability Sampling Methods Sampling Distributions Estimating Sampling Error Determining Sampling Size Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Conclusion CHAPTER 5: CAUSATION AND RESEARCH DESIGN Causal Explanation Nomothetic Causal Explanation Idiographic Causal Explanation Research Designs and Criteria for Causal Explanations Association Time Order Nonspuriousness Mechanism Context Units of Analysis and Errors in Causal Reasoning Individual and Group Units of Analysis The Ecological Fallacy and Reductionism Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Conclusion CHAPTER 6: GROUP EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS Threats to Validity Internal (Causal) Validity Generalizability True Experiments Experimental and Comparison Groups Randomization Pretest and Posttest Measures Types of True Experimental Designs Difficulties in True Experiments in Agency-Based Research The Limits of True Experimental Designs Quasi-Experiments Nonequivalent Control Group Designs Time Series Designs Ex Post Facto Control Group D, CHAPTER1: SCIENCE, SOCIETY, AND SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH Reasoning about the Social World Everyday Errors in Reasoning Overgeneralization Selective or Inaccurate Observation Illogical Reasoning Resistance to Change Adherence to Authority The Social Scientific Approach Social Work and the Social World Social Work Research and Evidence-Based Practice Striving for Validity Measurement Validity Generalizability Causal Validity Social Work in Research in a Diverse Society Social Work Research in Practice Descriptive Research Exploratory Research Explanatory Research Evaluation Research Quantitative and Qualitative Methods Strengths and Limitations of Social Work Research Conclusion CHAPTER 2: THE PROCESS AND PROBLEMS OF SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH Social Work Research Questions Identifying Social Work Research Questions Refining Social Research Questions Evaluating Social Research Questions Implications of Social Diversity and Formulating a Question Foundations of Social Work Research Finding Information Reviewing Research Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Social Work Research Strategies The Role of Social Theory The Deductive/Inductive Cycle Descriptive Research Social Work Research Philosophies Scientific Guidelines for Social Work Research Social Work Research and Ethical Guidelines Honesty and Openness The Uses of Science Research on People Conclusion CHAPTER 3: CONCEPTUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT Concepts Conceptualization in Practice From Concepts to Observations Operationalization Scales and Indexes Treatment as a Variable Gathering Data Combining Measurement Operations Measurement in Qualitative Research Levels of Measurement Nominal Level of Measurement Ordinal Level of Measurement Interval Level of Measurement Ratio Level of Measurement The Case of Dichotomies Types of Comparisons Measurement Error Evaluating Measures Reliability Measurement Validity Screening and Cut-off Scores Ways to Improve Reliability and Validity of Existing Measures Measurement in a Diverse Society Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Conclusion CHAPTER 4: SAMPLING Sample Planning Define Sample Components and the Population Evaluate Generalizability Assess the Homogeneity of the Population Recruitment Strategies with Diverse Populations Sampling Methods Probability Sampling Probability Sampling Methods Nonprobability Sampling Methods Sampling Distributions Estimating Sampling Error Determining Sampling Size Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Conclusion CHAPTER 5: CAUSATION AND RESEARCH DESIGN Causal Explanation Nomothetic Causal Explanation Idiographic Causal Explanation Research Designs and Criteria for Causal Explanations Association Time Order Nonspuriousness Mechanism Context Units of Analysis and Errors in Causal Reasoning Individual and Group Units of Analysis The Ecological Fallacy and Reductionism Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Conclusion CHAPTER 6: GROUP EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS Threats to Validity Internal (Causal) Validity Generalizability True Experiments Experimental and Comparison Groups Randomization Pretest and Posttest Measures Types of True Experimental Designs Difficulties in True Experiments in Agency-Based Research The Limits of True Experimental Designs Quasi-Experiments Nonequivalent Control Group Designs Time Series Designs Ex Post Facto Control Group Designs Common Group Designs for Program Evaluation and Research Types of Nonexperimental Designs Implications for Evidence-Based Practice Diversity, Group Design, and Evidence-Based Practice Ethical I
