SW 8102 Advanced Research (3 credits)
Fall, 2008
Instructor: Denny Falk Office
Hours: Tu 1:30-2:30 pm;
220
Bohannon Hall Th
10:00-11:00 am;
726-8862
(office) &
by appointment
724-7407
(home) (sign
up sheet on office door)
e-mail: dfalk@d.umn.edu
Web
URL: http://www.d.umn.edu/~dfalk
Research
page URL: http://www.d.umn.edu/~dfalk/research
Course Overview
This second course in the
research sequence builds on the beginning understanding of social work research
that was acquired in SW 8101 Introduction to Research or in an undergraduate
social work research course.
Successful completion of SW 8101 and 8102 will provide a student the
abilities to understand and apply the principles of social research, to
evaluate research articles, to evaluate one's own practice, and to conduct
research projects as an advanced generalist social work practitioner. The
relationship of this course to the advanced generalist curriculum will be
discussed in class.
The broad goals of this
course are for students to review and apply the knowledge they have gained in
SW 8101 or a previous research course; to further develop key research skills;
to further consider ethical issues inherent in the practice of social work
research; to learn more about data collection methods, program evaluation, and
analysis of data; and to use appropriate statistical software to analyze
data. At the completion of the
course, the student should be able to:
1. Apply
key concepts of the research process to a specific research project.
2. Describe
the importance of research in advanced generalist social work practice.
3. Describe
and be able to apply selected data collection methods, including research interviewing, survey
research, secondary analysis, and single case design.
4. Describe
how research data collection techniques and research concepts and results can
be integrated with practice.
7. Demonstrate
a beginning level of understanding of computer operations and applications to
social work research, including the use of data analysis software.
8. Describe
of the impact of one's own values and biases on research projects, and to be
able to conduct more
culturally competent research being sensitive to issues of gender, class, and race/ethnicity.
9. Develop
a social work research proposal.
Course Format
The first portion of this
course will involve reviewing basic social research content and concepts and
applying this information to students' research topics. Later class session will introduce new
topics and also focus on implications for social work research.
We will incorporate a
variety of learning activities in attempting to accomplish the goals described
above. A reading list appears
below and an extensive bibliography of additional readings is available
online. Class meetings will
include lectures by the instructor, group discussions, guest presentations, discussion
of studentsÕ research projects, and skill development activities. Students will also be encouraged to
participate in additional learning activities outside of class.
Students
are encouraged to participate actively in the class. If you have ideas on how a certain topic might be presented
or addressed, please express them; if you aware of learning resources that are
not being used, please suggest them.
If we work together, I think this can be a very interesting and
rewarding class.
Readings
The primary texts used for
this course will be:
Rubin, A.
and Babbie, E. (2008). Research
Methods for Social Work (6th Edition). Pacific
Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. (abbreviated R & B below)
Weinbach, R. W. and Grinnell, R. M. (2007). Statistics for Social Workers (7th
Edition). New York: Longman. (abbreviated W & G below)
Both of these texts are
available in the UMD bookstore.
The Masters Research Project Handbook is available online at: http://www.d.umn.edu/sw/MANUALS/MSWDepartmentHandbooks.htm. Additional readings will come from
materials provided in class or available on reserve in the library, including
the following books:
American
Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the APA 5th Ed.). Washington,
DC: APA.
Grinnell,
R. W. (1988). Social Work
Research and Evaluation (3rd Edition). Itaska, Illinois: F. E. Peacock Publishers, Inc.
(abbreviated G88 below)
A course reading handbook
(abbreviated H below) of selected readings is referenced in the syllabus and
will be available online.
Student Evaluation
The requirements for this
course include class participation, two tests, three assignments, and
activities that lead to a research proposal. The tests will be given near the middle and at the end of
the term. The mid-term test will be administered in class, and you will have
the opportunity to make corrections.
The final test will be of the "take-home" variety. These tests will be based on required
readings, class discussions and activities, and handouts. The topics to be covered on the
mid-term test will be described prior to the test. Separate handouts on the Internet resource identification
and evaluation assignment, the research critique assignment, the statistics
assignment, and the research proposal will be provided in class.
The relative weights of the
various tests and assignments are as follows:
Class participation 10%
(successful completion yields about 90 of 100 points)
Mid-term test 20%
Take-home final test 25%
Research critique
assignment 5% (successful completion yields about
90 of 100 points)
Resource ID & eval
assignment 5% (successful completion yields about 90 of 100 points)
Statistics assignment 10%
(successful completion yields about 90 of 100 points)
Research proposal 25%
Students receiving 90 or
more points will be assured of receiving an "A," 80-89 points will
guarantee a "B," 70-79 points receives a "C," and 60-69
points receives a "D."
Students may demonstrate
competency related to the broad goals of this course through alternative means
by working with a learning contract.
Please see Denny if you would like more information about this option.
Policy on Incompletes
I encourage you to complete this course by the end of
the fall term. If you do find it
necessary to take an incomplete, you must develop a written contract by the
last day of class to clearly indicate which tasks you still need to complete
and the date by which you will complete these tasks. This form is found at: http://www.d.umn.edu/sw/FORMS/index.htm.
Please be aware that it is
often difficult for the instructor to read materials on short notice once an
incomplete has been taken.
Disabilities
My highest priority is for
our classroom and course work to facilitate participation and exchange. I am eager to make accommodations to
guarantee to students with disabilities access to class sessions, course
materials, and the activities of the class. You are encouraged to contact the
Access Center-Disability Services to discuss and arrange reasonable
accommodations (102 Kirby Center, tel. 726-8217). In addition, please let me know as soon as possible if
you have a disability for which accommodations will be requested. Note that you are under no obligation
to disclose the nature of your disability to me or other faculty.
Evaluation of Course and
Instruction
During the term I will
solicit feedback from you in several ways. First, I will encourage you to speak up with feedback at any
time as the course progresses.
Feel free to tell me what is valuable and useful and what is not. At mid-term and at the end of the
semester, I will ask you to fill out forms asking for your reactions and
feedback. I appreciate any
feedback you may offer and will try to incorporate what I can in order to make
the course more interesting and valuable.
Ground Rules for
Discussion (We will discuss these
guidelines further in class.)
Since this course includes a
variety of topics that could raise controversy or conflict, the following
ground rules for how we discuss sensitive topics are proposed. These ground rules are adapted from
Lynn Weber Cannon's "Fostering Positive Class, Race, and Gender Dynamics
in the Classroom," which appeared in Women's Studies Quarterly, 1990, 1&2, 130-132.
¥ We can assume
that discrimination exists in many forms (e.g. sexism, racism, classism,
ageism, homophobia, anti-semitism, ableism, etc.). Any critical understanding of these various -isms means that
we need to recognize that we have been taught misinformation about our own
groups and well as about members of other groups. This is true for both dominant (e.g. white, male, upper
class, heterosexual, able-bodied, etc.) and subordinate (e.g. people of color,
women, poor and working class, gay/Lesbian, disabled, etc.) group members.
¥ Based on these
assumptions then, let's agree that we cannot be blamed for the misinformation
we have learned, but we should take personal responsibility for repeating
misinformation after we have learned otherwise. This is not to suggest that any one person has a corner on
truth or that disagreement with any one idea carries with it any kind of
punitive response. People and
groups are not to be blamed for their subordinate positions.
¥ Let's assume
that people are always doing the best they can. Let's actively pursue information about our own groups
and those of others. Let us share
information about our own groups with other members of the class but never
demean, devalue, or in any way put down people for their experiences.
¥ Essentially
what this means is that we can talk about ideas the class agrees to discuss,
but that we will do so with respect for each other as human beings. We will not engage in depersonalized
name-calling. We each have an
obligation to actively combat the myths and stereotypes about our own groups
and other groups so that we can break down the walls which prohibit group
cooperation and group gain. Let's
create a safe atmosphere for open discussion. Thus, at times, members of the class may wish to share
writing or make comments that they do not want repeated outside the
classroom. If so, the student will
preface his/her remarks with a request and the class will agree not to repeat
the remarks.
1. Because of the nature of the course, attendance is required at all class sessions. The instructor
also recognizes that other life events (e. g., illness) may prevent you from
attending every session. Please
schedule an individual meeting with Denny to make up for any session that you
miss. StudentsÕ presentations of aspects of your research proposal contribute
to the participation grade, along with the forms students turn in related to
these presentations.
2. You will be asked to critique one previous Research Proposal and one previous Masters Research (Plan B) Paper that
you read. Criteria for critiquing
the proposal and paper, and a form to submit, will be provided.
3. The timetable for the research project includes a list of the
various tasks that remain for you in completing your research project and the
anticipated dates of completion for each of these steps. For the purpose of example, please
assume you will collect and analyze data and complete a final research
report. Leave a column to fill in
the actual date that the step was finished. Because of the nature of the research process, the timetable
is usually a dynamic guide that changes as the time required to complete the
research tasks become clearer. A
sample will be provided in class.
4. You will be asked to present your research topic
in class and turn in a copy of a completed form used to organize your thinking
about the topic. You will be asked
to describe the general topic of your research and to identify and define key
concepts associated with this research topic.
5. The research question/hypothesis will be presented to a group in class and handed in
to the instructor. Criteria for a
quality research question/hypothesis will be discussed in class.
6. The presentation of the research methods involves describing the tentative 1) population and
sample, 2) general research design, 3) data collection procedure, and 4) data
analysis plan that you could use in you research project. A form to turn in to the instructor
will be provided, and this requirement will be discussed further in class.
7. The presentations of a final progress report describe the progress the student has made in
completing the research project according to the timetable developed. The report includes a discussion of
limitations or difficulties encountered and how these were addressed. The focus is not so much on whether or
not one is rigidly adhering to the timetable, but rather on providing an
opportunity to be affirmed for the progress made and to receive support for
moving on to the next steps if you choose to do so.
8. The research proposal
will be completed when the criteria for a research proposal in the ÒCurrent
Guidelines for Proposals for Masters Research Projects and SW 8102Ó have been
achieved. The research proposal in particular will be discussed more
extensively in class.
Each of the items described briefly above will be discussed in class and can be clarified further in discussions with Denny. Forms and samples will be provided for most requirements.
SW 8102
ADVANCED RESEARCH--TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Class Date Topic Reading
1 9/2 Hand out
materials; brief overview during orientation
2 9/9 Introduction
to the course; distribute materials;
Syllabus
review; get acquainted; overview of research
process;
using the computer in research R&B 545-570
Review
and apply ÒWhy Study Research?Ó R&B
1-21
Introduction
to the research proposal* Masters
Research
Project
Handbook
3 9/16 Review and apply
evidence-based practice R&B
22-38
Review
and apply philosophy and theory in science R&B
39-66
Review
and apply ethics and politics of SW research R&B
67-96
Review
and apply culturally competent research R&B
97-122
Writing
the research proposal*(overview) G88
429-444
4 9/23 Review and apply
problem formulation R&B
123-149
Review
and apply conceptualization and operationalization R&B 150-172
5 9/30 Review and apply causal
inference and correlational design R&B
227-249
Review
and apply experimental design R&B
250-279
Resource
identification and evaluation assignment due
6 10/7 Program evaluation R&B
305-334
handouts
Review
and apply sampling & survey research R&B
335-389
Preview mid-term test
Present
research proposal topic* (form due)
Timetable
for research project due
7 10/14 Analyzing existing data R&B
390-414
Qualitative
research: principles and methods R&B
415-454
Institutional
Review Board Form (review on the Internet prior to class)*
Research
critique form due
8 10/21 Mid-term test; mid-term evaluation
Qualitative
data analysis R&B
455-476
Class Date Topic Reading
9 10/28 Begin quantitative data
analysis W
& G xiii-39
R&B 477-503
Descriptive
statistics W&G
40-78
Begin
inferential statistics W&G
79-118
Present
research proposal question* (form due)
10 11/4 Inferential statistics
(continued) W&G
119-189
Feminist
and cross-cultural perspectives on H
(Davis,
research
(including focus on issues related to Holman,
American
Indians) Foulkes,
Attneave)
11 11/11 Inferential statistics
(finish) W&G
190-248
Present
research proposal methods* (form due)
12 11/18 Using SPSS to do statistics
(handouts to be provided); R&B
504-544
practice
data analysis assignment (skim)
Integrating
data gathering techniques H
(G88 chap 20)
13 11/25 Using SPSS to do statistics
(handouts to be provided)
regular
data analysis assignment
Integrating
research concepts into practice H
(G88 chap 21)
14 12/2 Constructing personal
practice models H
(G88 chap 22)
Finish
statistics W&G
249-267
15 12/9 Presenting results
Final
report on research proposal* (form due)
Summary
and conclusions; evaluation
Final
take home exam due by 4:00 pm
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 in 220 BohH (or by email)
*Items in italics in the schedule relate to completing a
research proposal. Collectively,
these activities go into the participation portion of the grade for the course;
they also prepare the student to write the final research proposal.