Module 1-4 Flashcards
Name 3 practical ways research is important in social work practice?
- Community Development- needs based assessment, feedback, program design, program addition and removal
- Clinical practice: self-eva, eva of treatment progress and outcomes
- Inform advocacy and policy : i.e. food insecurity, healthcare workers rights and working conditions, refugee settlement rights
How is theory used in quantitative research?
helps to develop hypothesis which explain or predict research
How is theory used in qualitative research?
Lots of different uses.
- Theory helps to adapt a perspective or lens
- the purpose of research is to generate a theory(grounded theory)
How is theory used in mixed methods?
Depending on type of mixed method research:
- the research may test and generate theories
- the research maybe guided by a bigger theory
How is theory used in indigenous research ?
Indigenous theories are unique and different from Western perspective
- cultural context specific
- born from “on the grounds” working with people
- interacts with other theoretical paradigms
- applicable to many situations
- change-focused
What are research paradigms? How do they differ? Similarities?
Researchers’ way of looking at the world and gaining knowledge. Informs research approach.
Intrepretativsm:
Indigenous knowledge paradigm?
Indigenous: Knowledge does not belong to individual and is not determined by individuals. Knowledge belongs to the community and is relational
Positivism paradigm?
Everything has a cause and effect and is explainable. Textbook elaborates
Interpretivism paradigm?
Knowledge and perspective based on cultural and historical understanding.
What is a research approach? What is the hierarchy?
A particular process conduct research. An approach informs the research paradigm, broad assumptions, it also informs theory and methodology used.
Three main types of research approach?
Qualitative, quantative, indigenous
What are the universal characteristics of indigenous research approach?
1) includes “reflexivity”- subjective perspective of the researcher 2) emphasis on relational knowledge. Importance of knowledge sharing for community
3) research and spirituality
What are the characteristics Qualitative research
Explorative or dsecriptive research. Theory guides research question.
Theory can become end point of research.
What are the characteristics quantitative research
Explanatory research. Informed by a positivistic or determinisitic paradigm
6 factors that affect the social work research? Explain briefly
social work profession: questions that arise from the profession that should be changeable. social work agency researcher social work practitioner ethical and cultural considerations political and social considerations
What is a pure research study vs. applied social work question
Pure: based on researcher’s own curiosity. More philsopohical Hypothetical circumstance and not stemmed from immediate needs of real-life situations. . Maybe less relevant.
applied: stemmed from a real life situation and addresses immediate needs. More relevant.
In the knowledge-level continuum, what types of research questions derived from high and low level of knowledge?
High level: Explanatory questions. quantitative.
Mid Level: Descriptive questions. mixed approaches.
Low level: Exploratory questions. qualitative.
The quantitative research approach is part of the positivist way of
thinking which includes:
Measurability, objectivity, reducing uncertainty, duplication,
and the use of standardized procedures
Ralph is conducting a research study. He believes that his study
needs to be accurate, measurable, be very scientific, and
completely objective. He is aware of his values and beliefs, but
knows he has to leave them so that his values do not influence his
results. Steven is taking an interpretive approach to his research
False
Respectively, which words represent the nature of quantitative
and qualitative data?
Numbers, words
With regard to the researcher’s values, what best fits the
qualitative research approach?
The researcher’s values are acknowledged and explored so that
interactions with the participant are understood.
What is a major factor in an Indigenous research approach as
outlined by Hart (2010)?
Relationality
What is the knowledge level continuum and why is it important?
It helps to assess how much we know of a research question, and from there determine the research approach we might take
what are the classification of research questions? What is there respective place on the knowledge level continuum?
From low to high: Existence: do concepts that you try to explore exist Composition: defining operating definitions such Relationship(correlation) Descriptive-Comparative Casaulity Casaulity-comparative Casaulity-comparative interaction
Regarding the classification of research questions, Use the example of emotional abuse in childhood and unsuccessful relationships and explain in context of each
Relationship: describe the correlation
Descriptive comparative : is emotional abuse childhood different from sexual abuse childhood in their adult relationships? Are people with different gender identities- male, female, others differ in their emotional abuse? Ethnicity?
Causality questions: which causes which? Is it uni or Bi-directional?
Causality comparative questions:
Looking for other variables that may also cause. fancy way of saying bivariables.
Causality comparative interactive questions:
fancy way of saying compounding variables all become the mediators of certain situations
What are the components to a research proposal?
operating definitions. paradigms. theories
what are the four criteria for a good question?
relevance, researchable, ethically sensitive, feasible
Joe has decided that she would like to conduct a research study on
which Presidential candidate people plan to vote for in the next
election. Using the knowledge-level continuum, she determines
her research study is:
Descriptive, using a quantitative approach
Does X cause, lead to, or prevent changes in Y? This is a research
question that can be categorized as a:
Causality question
What is it called when you read very carefully for understanding of
the material you found when doing a literature review?
Inview
how many and what are the parts of writing a quantative proposal? (explanatory research)
- Research topic
- Lit review
- Conceptual framework
- Research question or hypothesis
- Methodology-two parts. i. Research design, ii. Operating defintions or variables. iii. samples iv. data collection. v. data analysis.
- Limitations
- Administration
How is conceptual framework different from theoretical framework?
Conceptual framework is a relationship(correlation or cause/effect between two variables) and can be modified by the researcher.
Theoretical framework is based from a theory and something that a researcher cannot easily “come up with”
What is a variable?
A characteristic of something that changes but is quantifiable or measurable
When is conceptual framework applied? when is theoretical framework applied?
Conceptual framework needs to be explained in both quantative and qualitative research. Theoretical framework only needs to be explained in qualitative research
How is a theory used in quantitative different from theory used in a qualitative research?
Theory in quantitative research is “ scientifically objective” and only cares about causal relationships. Theory in qualitative research is social- justice oriented and cares about the oppressive frameworks of different populations
How many parts are there to a qualitative research proposal?
- research topic
- Lit review
- Conceptual framework & theoretical framework
- Research question
- Operational definitions OR variable
- Research methodology
What is the difference between causality comparative and causality comparative interactive?
causality comparative interactive is testing the conditionality or the contingency of a variable/variables causing sth, further narrowing down the possibilities
what are some things to do in an inview?
- notice different theories presented and criticisms
- generalizability of findings
- differences of opinions
- look for gaps of knowledge
what are some ways to organize a lit review?
- date of publication
- by theory or school of thoughts
- themes of lit
- research approach
What is the three research approaches within the scientific method? How are they different in the paradigm of reality?
scientific method: quantitative, qualitative, mixed
Paradigm of reality: 1 objective reality, many realities, integration of both.
What are the three value base in the three scientific methods?
quantitative: researcher strives to be “value-free”.
qualitative: researcher acknowledges and explains their value in theoretical framework
mixed: dominant of one or both
What is the purpose of each of the three research approaches within the scientific method?
purpose: quantitative: to explain, measure the quantifiable. or test and prove a hypothesis. qualitative: To gain deeper insight into knowledge. describe phenomenon. often not easily quantifiable. looking to generate future hypotheses. Mixed: a mix of both and gain more knowledge on the subject studied
What is the difference in sample size in three research approaches within the scientific method?
quantitative: as big of sample size as possible
qualitative: usually small sample size
mix: depending on the research
What is the difference between measurements of variables used in three research scientific methods, and costs?
quantitative: standardized instruments such as clinical questionnaires. Standardized procedures and protocols such as ways of observation and data collection. Least expensive.
qualitative: subjective measurements- researchers come up with questions and ways of observations. More expensive.
mixed: uses a mixture of both. Most expensive
What is the difference between data analysis of the three research methods
quantitative: statistical instruments such as graphs, tables. Analysis of normal distribution, deviations,
qualitative: researchers read through data to identify themes
mixed: uses both
What is the generalizability of the three research methods
quantitative: high
qualitative: limited
mixed: depending on the study. But clearly outlines the limitation.
How are the phases for qualitative and quantitative research approach different?
Steps1-4 are similar.
Step 5: Design study, data collection, analysis and findings- these components are interactive in qualitative research and can be changed based on the process.
Step 5: in quantitative research the process is rigid and rigorous in following standardized protocols and cannot be changed.
How does a difference in the research paradigm inform the research design and data collection?
Positivistic paradigm believes there is a single reality, the one that can be measured. Assumes participants have the same reality as researcher, and gathers Numbers from participants without letting them add words.
The intrepretativsitic paradigm believes there are many realities. The researcher strives to incorporate multiple realities in the research, and let participants add words to the research design
What are the different approaches to analyzing variables for quantitative and qualitative research?
quantitative: giving variables exact attributes in order to make them measurable using standardized instruments. Instruments are not subjectively made by individual researchers
qualitative: not giving variable exact attributes. the way of analysis is subjective and varies depending on participants and their environment
What are the 5 aspects of a qualitative study related to Credibility
Triangulation of data sources: asking same question from different data sources.
Consulting with colleagues: research methods ethical and legal considerations
Negative case analysis: inclusion of data that contradicts the finding
Referential adequacy: keeping good record of all data collected
Member checks: feedback from participants
What are the four areas in research equivalent to internal and external validity
- credibility
- transferability generalizability (external validity)
- Dependability: consistency of data (reliability)
- Confirmability: neutrality and objectivity
What is internal validity
- the research variables, methods and results reflect the accuracy or what it actually wants to study
Is it considered a limitation for qualitative studies to Not use large samples of data?
No
