RESEARCH 1

Presented by:

Prof. Leilany Q. Ursua,

RSW
 OVERVIEW OF
SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH

a. Social Work Concept and

definition
b. Types of Research
c. Historical Development of Social
Work Research and Implication to
Social Work practice
A. SOCIAL WORK CONCEPT AND DEFINITION

“Social work is a practice-based profession and

an academic discipline that promotes social
change and development, social cohesion, and
the empowerment and liberation of people.”

approved by the IFSW General Meeting

and the IASSW General Assembly in July 2014.
People generally become social
workers because they want to have a
positive impact on social conditions
in order to improve lives of people.
Impact comes from commitment to
make change and the knowledge and
skills to put that commitment to use.
 Why social work students
need to know and do social
work research?
• In order to understand deeper what are
the social issues and concerns that
related to social functioning of an
individuals, families and communities
• Gain knowledge and skills that can
apply to social work practice
• In order to have a positive impact social
conditions
B. TYPES OF RESEARCH

What type of research do

you know?
TYPES OF RESEARCH CAN BE
CLASSIFIED FROM THREE DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES (KUMAR, 2011):

• Application of the findings of the

research study
• Objectives of the study
• Mode of enquiry used in conducting the
study
a. Pure research: This kind of research is
academic in nature and is undertaken in
order to gain knowledge about
phenomena that may or may not have
applications in the near future, and to
develop new techniques and procedures
that form the body of research
methodology. This type of research is
primarily focused on the advancement of
knowledge rather than solving a specific
problem.
Example of pure research

• How does the Language Acquisition Device

work on children?
• How does the human retentive memory work?
• How do teaching methods affect student's
concentration in class?
• A research to determine the chemical
composition of organic molecules.
• A research to discover the components of the
human DNA.
b. Applied research: Most of the
research in social sciences is
applied. In other words, the
research techniques, procedures
and methods that form the body of
research methodology are applied.
• 2. Types of research: Objectives
perspective
• a. Descriptive: A
research study
classified as a
descriptive study
attempts to describe
systematically a
situation, problem,
phenomenon, service or
programme, or provide
information about the
living conditions of a
community, or describe
attitudes towards an
issue.
The methods that can be used in the descriptive
research are:

• The case-study method: case study research

involves an in-depth study of an individual or group
of individuals;
• The survey method: in survey method research,
participants answer questions administered through
questionnaire or interviews. In order for the survey
to be both valid and reliable, it is important that the
questions are constructed properly;
• The observational method: it can be naturalistic
observation or laboratory observation.
• b. Correlational research: The
main emphasis in a correlational
study is to discover or establish
the existence of a relationship/
association/ interdependence
between two or more variables or
more aspects of a situation.
• In other words, it determines whether and to
what degree a relationship exists between
two or more variables (quantifiable but
nothing is manipulated). The degree of the
relationship is expressed as a coefficient of
correlation.
FOR EXAMPLE

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF AN

ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN ON THE
SALE OF A PRODUCT?

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND
UNEMPLOYMENT?
IT TRIES, FOR EXAMPLE, TO EXPLAIN
WHY STRESSFUL LIVING RESULTS IN
HEART ATTACKS; OR

HOW HOME ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS

CHILDREN’S LEVEL OF ACADEMIC
ACHIEVEMENT.
d. Exploratory research: it is a study
which is undertaken to explore an
area where little is known or to
investigate the possibilities of
undertaking a particular research
study. It is flexible and can answer
what, who and whyquestions
3. TYPES OF RESEARCH:
MODE OF ENQUIRY
PERSPECTIVE
 From the point of view of the mode of
enquiry perspective, there are two
types of research:

a. Quantitative research (structured

research): The main objectives of this
research is to quantify the variation
and diversity in a phenomenon,
situation or attitude.
b. Qualitative research (unstructured):
A qualitative study describes the
variation and diversity in a
phenomenon, situation or attitude
with a flexible approach so as to
identify as much variation and
diversity as possible.
C. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF
SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH AND
IMPLICATION TO SOCIAL WORK
PRACTICE
SOCIAL WORK AND ITS SCIENTIFIC
ROOTS

Social work has reached a significant

developmental milestone in its
professional identity as it collectively
celebrates over a century of
professional practice that targets
individual and societal transformation
(Popple & Leighninger, 2007).
Historically, social workers have used
a combination of research and
practice strategies to advocate for
improved social conditions for
underserved populations, such as the
poor, immigrants, political refugees,
child abuse victims, and criminal
offenders (Day, 2008; Maschi,
Bradley, & Ward, 2009).
In fact, social workers’ striving for “new
possibilities” for humankind parallels the
global social movement for human rights
(United Nations [UN], 1994), particularly with
the emphasis on the “intrinsic” value of
every person, and the use of individual and
group action to promote social justice as a
form of “equitable social structures that
provide people security and development
while upholding their dignity” (International
Federation of Social Work [IFSW], 1988, p.
1).
Social work research and evaluation
continue to evolve as a mechanism that
gathers data that can be used toward
enhancing well-being and socially just
outcomes (Wronka, 2008). Since the
beginning of the profession, research in the
form of the scientific method has been
used to understand individual and social
problems and to guide, assess, and
intervene with underserved populations,
especially the poor (Zimbalist, 1977).
As the social work profession moves forward into
21st-century practice, a clear understanding of its
historical roots can be used to inform current
practices, especially those related to the roles and
functions of social work research and evaluation. A
review of history reveals the birth of the profession
based on humanitarianism during turbulent times
in which poverty, discrimination, and political
corruption were rampant, and two world wars were
waged killing millions of world citizens.
Social workers actively used scientific
methods, such as descriptive surveys and
outcome studies, to achieve their aims of
identifying adverse societal conditions or
evaluating their practice. Significant
progress in educational, practice, and
policy reform was made using evidence
that it was research that guided practice
and practice that guided research.
THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL
WORK AND RESEARCH:
EVIDENCE AND THE
ALTRUISTIC IMAGINATION
Perhaps one of the most notable 19th-century
humanitarians who used research strategies for
advocacy purposes was Dorothea Dix (Viney &
Zorich, 1982). In the early 1840s, Dorothea Dix
began her in-depth observation of the treatment
of people with mental illness in jails and prisons.
She used the findings of her observational notes
to increase awareness of the inhumane
treatment meted out behind closed correctional
doors. She also used her findings to advocate
for improved conditions for this population. The
following excerpt is an appeal she made to the
Massachusetts Legislature in 1845:
 SOCIAL WORK AND THE SOCIAL
SCIENCES: A SHIFTING ALLIANCE
In the late 1800s, the rise of the scientific philanthropy
movement and the use of the scientific method helped social
scientists to understand and intervene with pressing social
problems. These problems included mental health, political
corruption, crime-ridden streets, juvenile delinquency,
exploitative work conditions, and immigrants living in urban
slums. Social scientists, from disciplines such as history,
anthropology, political science, and psychology, banded
together to help understand the nature of these pressing
social problems. In 1865, an interdisciplinary collaboration of
social scientists formed the American Social Science
Association (ASSA) (forerunner of the American Sociological
Association) (Broadhurst, 1971; Kirk & Reid, 2002).
The author, Helen Jeter, wrote, “research in social work
is inquiry into the techniques used by social workers in
meeting certain human problems, whether these are
individual or community-wide” (Jeter, 1933, p. 98). In
addition to practice techniques, research involved the
investigation of social needs and problems to which
social work services actually or potentially apply
(Zimbalist, 1977).
Similarly, in 1937, the Social Work Yearbook published
another article that clearly distinguished “social work
research” or “research in social work” from “social
research” of other social sciences. Collective
ownership of the research arm of practice was
reiterated in 1947 when the landmark conference also
articulated a clear distinction between social work
research and social research.
 THE CONVERGENCE OF RESEARCH
AND EVALUATION AND SOCIAL REFORM

Zimbalist (1977) identified six major themes in social

work research history before 1980: research on the
causes of poverty, measurement of the prevalence of
poverty, the social survey movement, quantification
indexes in social work, evaluative research on social
service effectiveness, and study of the multi problem
family. Since that time, the rise of prevention and
intervention research, emancipatory and
empowerment methods, and community-based
participatory action research methods have become
part of the diverse repertoire of social work research
techniques that foster the profession’s mission.
EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY
RESOURCES

Other important aspects of social work’s

professional development in the 19th century
were the development of professional education
and other resources. By 1906, school social work
programs were established in New York and other
major American cities (Leighninger, 2000). Around
the same time, in 1907, the Russell Sage
Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation, was
formed and became an important funding source for
social work until the 1950s (Kirk & Reid, 2002).
TOWARD A SEPARATE BUT
COLLECTIVE IDENTITY

As the profession began to forge a professional

identity, organizational alliances evolved and
merged, and separated between the education,
research, and prac- tice factions of social work. In
1919, schools of social work formed an associa-
tion that later became the Council on Social Work
Education (CSWE) in 1952 (Leighinger, 2000). The
SWRG was established in 1948 in an effort to
advance the growth of social work research
(Graham et al., 2000). In 1948, the NCCC was
renamed to the National Conference of Social
Workers to underscore a professional social work
identity.
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
INTEGRATION AND EFFECTIVENESS
As the social work profession matured, around the
1950s, there was a shift from conducting social work
research at agencies to conducting it at universities, and
there was growing alarm about the lack of research and
practice integration. Another significant milestone was
the establishment of the National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH) in 1949. NIMH became the major funder
of social work when the Russell Sage Foundation folded
and social work funding ended. During the 1950s, there
was a significant expansion of social work doctoral
education to accommodate the need for PhD-level social
workers. The Group for the Advancement of Doctoral
Education-Social Work (GADE) was formed in 1975 to
meet this demand.
FOUNDATIONAL SHIFTS
• In the 1980s, research conducted at agencies almost
completely shifted to university schools of social work.
Also, the NIMH shifted from funding the training of
social workers in mental health practice to funding
research on the etiology of mental illness and
intervention effectiveness.
• Despite this growth, the direction of social work
research was the subject of intense debate among
academics and practitioners. In 1981, Martha
Heineman called into question the logical empiricism for
social work aims and argued that qualitative methods
which drew data from the ground up were more suitable
for the profession.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTAL
MILESTONES
More recent efforts to disseminate social
work research have been achieved. IASWR
was disbanded as of 2009 for achieving its
aims. The establishment of SWRnet (Social
Work Research Network) was launched in
October 2009 to continue serving the social
work research community by providing
regular up- dates on funding opportunities,
calls for papers, conference deadlines, and
newly published research
 REFERENCES
• International Federation of Social Work [IFSW], 1988, p.
1).
• Kumar, R. (2011). Research methodology: A step-by step
guide for beginners. London: Sage Publications.
• Krysok, July L. and Finn, Jerry (2007) Research for
Effective Social Work Practice, McGraw –Hill Publication,
New York
• http://.bu.edu/swrnet
• https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/samplechapter/
0/2/0/5/0205594948.pdf