THE RESEARCH PROCESS

I. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

QUALITIES

1. IS OF INTEREST

2. IS SIGNIFICANT

3. IS A SOCIAL WORK PROBLEM

4. IS RESEARCHABLE

5. POSES AN ANSWEABLE QUESTION

MAJOR TOOL – THE LITERATURE SEARCH

1. HELPS FIND RESEARCHABLE TOPICS

2. GIVES EXAMPLES OF RESERARCHABLE QUESTIONS

3. HELPS IDENTIFY ROADBLOCKS & PITFALLS

4. PROVIDES MODELS FOR:

Ø DESIGN

Ø INSTRUMENT CONSTRUCTION

Ø DATA COLLECTION

Ø DATA ANALYSIS

Ø REPORT WRITING

II. FORMULATE THE PROBLEM

1. SPECIFICALLY DEFINE THE PROBLEM

2. STATE A RESEARCHABLE QUESTION

3. DEFINE THE PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH

4. IDENTIFY THE UNITS OF ANALYSIS

5. DEFINE & OPERATIONALIZE MAJOR VARIABLES

6. FORMULATE HYPOTHESES (IF APPROPRIATE)

III. IDENTIFY THE STUDY DESIGN

1. MACRO ASPECTS

THE TIME ELEMENT

Ø CROSSECTIONAL

Ø LONGITUDINAL

THE PUPOSE

Ø EXPLORATORY

Ø DESCRIPTIVE

Ø EXPLAINATORY

Ø EVALUATIVE

2. MICRO ASECTS

Ø IDENTIFY THE POPULATION

Ø DETERMINE SAMPLING PROCEDURES

Ø SPECIFY DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES

Ø IDENTIFY MEASUREMENT ISSUES

Ø SET A DATA ANALYSIS PLAN

IV. DATA COLLECTION

1. QUANTITATIVE PROCEDURES

Ø PERSONAL INTERVIEWS

Ø TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS

Ø QUESTIONNARIES – MAILED & GIVEN IN PERSON

Ø REVIEW OF SECONDARY DATA

Ø EXPERT JUDGMENTS

2. QUALITATIVE PROCEDURES

Ø PERSONAL & PHONE INTERVIEWS

Ø PARTICIPANT OBSERVATIONS

Ø NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATIONS

V. DATA PROCESSING

1. QUANTITATIVE STUDIES – CODING

2. QUALITATIVE STUDIES – IDENTIFYING THEMES

VI. INTERPRETATIONS OF FINDINGS

1. DECIDING WHAT THE FINDINGS MEAN

2. CONSIDERING INPLICATIONS

VII. WRITING THE REPORT

1. INTRODUCTION

2. METHODOLOGY

3. RESULTS

4. LIMITATIONS

5. RECOMMENDATIONS