Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSW 504 – Research II – Old (Capstone)

Credits - 3

Description

Students will become critical consumers as well as producers of research in order to inform their practice and contribute to social change. Students are exposed to research as a systematic problem identifying and problem solving process with parallels to other forms of social work practice where naming the issues to be addressed functions as a foundation for ongoing action planning. Enhanced critical thinking and conceptual skills are emphasized throughout. The relevance of fundamental social work values to social work and social science research is explored through attention to ethics, value conflicts, institutionalized bias and prejudice, validity and reliability of human observation, and critical comparison of various methods of knowing. The research sequence of the MSW program is composed of two 3-credit courses. Research as a means to promote social change will be emphasized throughout the course sequence. This includes attention to creating empowering research processes and using research outcomes to advocate for social and economic justice.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

1. Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
2. Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
3. Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
4. Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
5. Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
6. Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
7. Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:

1. Prepare competent Masters-level professional social workers who at every system level:
   • Challenge the inequities of existing social, political, economic and cultural institutions and relationships
   • Create collaborative, sustainable, and health-promoting relationships and communities
2. Develop and apply value-based, theory-driven, and evidence-guided empowering social work practice
3. Provide leadership to advance equitable social structures and practices for human health and well-being

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. Design and implement an original research project aimed at improving health and well-being. Each student distinguishes between program goals and objectives, how to develop goals, and formulate measurable objectives.
2. Develop awareness and understanding of different statistical software and data analysis methods.
3. Develop awareness of the importance of both disseminating findings and translating them into actionable steps leading to completion of an original research project.
4. Develop awareness of the impact of evaluation outcomes on the future of social work services

EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES:

Students will be able to:

1. Finalize their methodology and design.
2. Demonstrate understanding of the rationale for their study through discussion forum discourse and submission of their first chapter of their research project.
3. Synthesize information learned thus far to demonstrate an organized approach to moving forward in the data collection phase of their research project.
4. Apply ethical principles to developing an informed consent form.
5. Present a plan to collect data starting in week 3.
6. Assemble all necessary components of a research proposal to include the following chapters: Introduction, Literature Review, and Methodology.
7. Collect data.
8. Demonstrate understanding of basic qualitative analysis techniques.
9. Evaluate their own learning experience through a journaling exercise.
10. Demonstrate basic principles of qualitative analysis through discussion forum activities with their peers.
11. Students will be able to articulate the challenges and considerations of qualitative analysis.
12. Conduct hypothesis testing using the t-Test
13. Demonstrate understanding of the t-Test assumptions through discussion board discourse.
14. Demonstrate understanding of the correct format for a null and alternative hypothesis by writing your own hypothesis as a course activity.
15. Demonstrate understanding of the Chi-Square statistical test through discussion board discourse and completion of the Abu-Bader practical exercise.
16. Use research evidence to inform social work practice methods both at the micro and macro level by developing a short lesson for classmates in micro and macro research methods.
17. Evaluate their own positionality as a researcher through peer-to-peer discourse of challenges and considerations in social work research design practices.
18. Provide analysis of raw data and present your findings through submission of your Results chapter.
19. Distinguish the difference between research grants and research contracts through discussion with peers
20. Locate an existing request for funding (RFP) and discuss the funding source, maximum size of the grant, and the types of designs the funding source has in mind through an internet search.

Assignments

There are 4 assignments for this course:

Research Proposal Including Chapters 1-3, Consent Form, and Instrument (Due Day 7 of Week 2)

Overview

This second paper submission shouldn’t take too much of your time. You have completed a lot of writing thus far in your project and this is the time to compile the first three chapters. In this submission, you must include the first three chapters of your project to include your Introduction, Literature Review, and Methodology. All of these components should be completed by now, you just have to compile them into one document. Following the outline below to ensure you are compiling your paper appropriately.

Paper Components

• Include Chapter 1 (Introduction)
• Include Chapter 2 (Literature Review) (Completed during SSW503)
• Include Chapter 3 (Methodology) (Completed during week 1 in discussion forum in SSW504)
• Include the “References” section at the end of your document
• Include an “Appendix” after the references section to include a copy of your instrument
• Include another “Appendix” after the instrument to include a copy of your consent form (completed during week 2 in discussion forum in SSW504)

Expectations

• Write paper following APA 6th edition formatting rules (including Title Page and References)
• Write in a straightforward, step-by-step manner. Cite sources as needed.
• Demonstrate proper use of levels of headings throughout the entire paper
• Everyone’s length of this paper will vary

2. Abu-Bader Practical Exercises (Due Day 7 of Weeks 5 & 6)

During weeks 5 and 6, you will complete a practical exercise offered in the text written by Soloman Abu-Bader. These practical exercises should be completed using an MS Word document and do not have to be formatted in APA format, rather should be drafted in a way that is most applicable to the exercise instructions.

3. Results Chapter Submission (Due Day 3 of Week 7)

Overview

Review your data collected in SSW504. Compose a 5-8 page paper following APA 6th edition formatting and present a Results chapter of your research project.

Paper Components

• Re-introduce and identify the purpose and research question
• Discuss the demographics and characteristics of the study
• Discuss data collection procedures
• Discuss data analysis procedures
• Discuss reliability and/or validity concerns
• Present key results that address the research question. Include tables, figures, quotes, etc to illustrate results, as appropriate, as per APA 6th edition formatting
• Summarize findings and provide transition to Discussion chapter

Expectations

• Write 5-8 pages following APA 6th edition formatting (including title page and References)
• Write in a straightforward, step-by-step manner. Cite sources as needed.

4. Final Research Paper Submission (Due Last Day of Week 8 by 11:59pm ET)

Overview

Review the topic, research questions and/or hypotheses you formulated as well as the literature review completed. Review the compiled study findings completed in Week 7 (Results). Compose your paper following APA 6th edition formatting and present a Discussion/Conclusion chapter of your research project along with the entire submission. This submission should encompass your entire paper including all chapters; Chapter 1 (Introduction), Chapter 2 (Literature Review), Chapter 3 (Methodology), Chapter 4 (Results), and Chapter 5 (Discussion).

Paper Components

• Chapter 1 (Introduction)
• Re-identify the topic selected
• Provide the rationale statement
• Present your research questions or hypothesis
• Present a brief discussion on the problem being addressed

Chapter 2 (Literature Review) (from week 4 submission in 503)

• Present your literature review
• Re-identify and discuss gaps (i.e. what is lacking or needs development) that exist in the literature on this topic

Chapter 3 (Methodology) (from week 1 discussion forum in 504)

• Re-identify how your research design can address existing gaps in literature
• Re-identify and discuss your design procedures. This includes which research design you employed (i.e. qualitative or quantitative), the type of data to be collected, and the steps involved in the process
• Re-identify and discuss your measurement instrument. Describe the measurement instrument, how it was developed, and the concerns related to reliability and validity
• Re-identify and discuss your study population.

Chapter 4 (Results) (from week 7 submission in 504)

• Re-identify key results/findings

Chapter 5 (Discussion)

• Connect key results/findings to research question
• Discuss strengths/weaknesses of research project
• Discuss recommendations for future research efforts
• Discuss implications for social change

Expectations

• Compile report following APA 6th edition formatting (including Title Page and References)
• Write in a straightforward, step-by-step manner. Cite sources as needed.
• Include a copy of the instrument (script for qualitative interview, survey, or face sheet) at the end of the document
• Include a copy of the Informed Consent Form at the end of the document

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment	Point Value	% of Grade
Discussion Questions	12 graded forums x 10pts = 120	12
Participation	7 weeks x 15pts = 105	10.5
Research Proposal Including Chapters 1-3, Consent Form, and Instrument Paper Submission (Due Day 7 of Week 2)	200 points	20
Abu-Bader Practical Exercises (Due Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6)	5 exercises x 35pts = 175	17.5
Results Chapter Submission (Due Day 3 of Week 7)	100 points	10
Final Research Paper Submission Due Last day of Week 8	300pts	30
Total:	1,000 points	100%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00