Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 503 – Social Work Research I (Fall 2020)

Credits - 3

Description

Research I provides an orientation to the history of science and the range of methods for informing evidence-guided social work practice. Knowledge generation and its application to social work research will be examined critically from a paradigmatic level. Students will explore the continuous relationship between research, theory development, and practice principles and will develop an understanding of the context of research, ethics and values, use of research resources, problem formulation, measurement, sampling, and research design.

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

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Access relevant databases for research evidence to support or refute social work practice, program and policy decisions
2. Evaluate the methodological rigor of qualitative and quantitative research
3. Apply the core values and ethical standards of the social work profession (NASW Code of Ethics) to research in settings with diverse constituencies
4. Effectively communicate empirically-based knowledge
5. Become regular and critical consumers of evaluation reports and other social work research

Assignments

Assignments

This course is designed as a project-based course; therefore, you will complete a comprehensive project that will be submitted during Week 8. To assist you in completing the project, additional assignments are developed that require your attention to meeting certain benchmarks throughout the course.

Leading a Discussion about a Best Practice Model (In Weeks 2 and 3)

Working in small groups as assigned by the instructor, you will co-lead a discussion on a best practice model in social work. About half of you will complete their presentations in Week 2 and the other half in Week 3. Please keep in mind that the calendar due date will be in Week 3; however, actual work is to be completed as assigned by the instructor.

You will be responsible for sharing the best practice strategy and offering recommendations for practice. Please complete your overview/presentation by Saturday of Week 2 and Week 3 respectively.

In most cases, you should plan on some overview/dissemination of the research findings, cases, policies, and issues; and you will co-facilitate with your partner a discussion via comments for each page.

The discussion will take place Sunday through Tuesday. As facilitators of the discussion, you must monitor the comments and make sure all the questions are addressed – by the end of the week, please add a paragraph summarizing the discussion to the end of your page.

You must comment on all of the presentations.

Literature Review (Due End of Week 4)

You will develop a comprehensive understanding of a social issue based on a literature review. You will choose a social issue of interest to you. Keep in mind the issue should be closely related to the field of social work and social work practice. Review ten articles in peer-reviewed journals about this social issue. Develop a 4-5 page paper based on your review of the literature on your particular topic you have selected. 

APA style formatting required.

Constructing a Survey (Due Week 5)

Assume that you are a new social worker employed in a residential complex for retired people. In talking to one resident, you find out that he has complaints about the quality of the food, the limited variety of social activities, and the inadequate transportation to nearby stores and restaurants. He states also that the administrators of the facility tend to ignore his complaints and those of other residents.

Construct a questionnaire composed of six questions that will help you to find out the extent to which other residents feel the way he does. Use quantitative survey questions. Please be sure to use references from the literature to support the survey questions you selected. This assignment should be no more than 2 pages.

APA style formatting required for references.

Final Research Proposal (Due Week 7)

Problem formulation is the first step in the process of social work research. This assignment will help guide you through a basic approach to formulating an action research topic and developing a methodology to conduct your research. This assignment should not exceed 10 pages (1″ margin, 12-point typeface), excluding references. This is not meant to be a lengthy paper, nor should it be. Please edit your paper carefully so that it covers all salient points in a flowing, engaging manner. Use headings to make for a well-organized and concise paper. Papers must follow the APA style format.

Ideally, this proposal could realistically be implemented. Keep in mind this is an action research project which must be focused on social work, social workers and/or the social work profession. 

Your proposal will follow the structure as outlined below:

1. INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND, and SIGNIFICANCE (3-4 pages)
2. HYPOTHESIS/RESEARCH QUESTION(S) (1 page)
3. RESEARCH DESIGN (4-5 pages)
   1. CLIENT/STUDY POPULATION
   2. PROCEDURES
   3. MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS
   4. REFERENCES

Discussions

This course is designed to have discussion forums as a place to exchange ideas and engage with peers. Your timely and thoughtful responses facilitate deeper learning.

In several cases, peer responses are encouraged but not required; the discussion forums are thus set up to be a place to share your ideas or solutions. These will require you to post your initial response before you can view other students’ posts. 

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	Points	% of Grade
Discussion Questions	160 points (40 pts x 4 discussions) & 280 points (35 pts x 8)	16%
Best Practice Methodology Model (Wiki)	100 points	10%
Literature Review	160 points	16%
Construct a Survey	100 points	10%
Final Proposal With Survey	200 points	20%
Total:	1,000 points	100%