intervention tends to focus on client outcome for a single client or a group of clients.7 The research process was presented as having four basic phases: (1) articulation of the research question and the knowledge base that guides it, (2) determination of the methods that will be used to select a study sample and measure the study variables, (3) collection and analysis of data, and (4) drawing the study conclusions.
8 The nature of scientific inquiry necessitates the systematic examination of human phenomena through a step-by-step process where each phase naturally leads to the next. You do not, for example, decide how you are going to measure the study variables before you articulate the study question and examine an appropriate knowledge base.
9 From the knowledge base, you can better understand the phenomena of your study through theories or conceptual frameworks. From this understanding, you will be in a better position to measure your study variables and to predict your study results.
10 From the report on your study methods, we can learn about the extent to which the results of the study can be generalized to a population of people who were not in the study. We can also learn about the confidence we can have that you have measured your study variables accurately.
11 If you are conducting an evaluative study, you will determine the research design. This design instructs you on the procedures for the collection of your data on client outcome. It helps you answer the following question: Did the treatment cause the measured client gain? Some designs do a better job of answering this question than others.
12 A critical issue in data analysis is statistical significance, which addresses the issue of chance. If your data can easily be explained by chance, you cannot rely on them to give you the truth.
Chapter Discussion Questions
1 Present three research questions below, one that is descriptive, one that is explanatory, and one that is evaluative.Descriptive research questionExplanatory research questionEvaluative research question
2 What general purpose for research (descriptive, explanatory, evaluative, or exploratory) do you find most suited to your own interests or professional development?
3 What is the form of qualitative data? What about quantitative data?Qualitative dataQuantitative data
4 What is a research question that is in the category of a program evaluation? What is a research question that is in the category of the evaluation of an intervention?Program evaluationEvaluation of an intervention
5 What is the general category (descriptive, explanatory, or evaluative) of research that is the focus of most of the data that your agency collects and reports?
Chapter Test
1 Suppose you collect data on the following variables for your current clients: age, gender, marital status. You report such data as the mean age, the proportion who are male and female, and the proportion who are in each of several categories of marital status. What is the category of research that you are conducting?Explanatory researchExploratory researchEvaluative researchDescriptive research
2 Suppose you collect data on the scores for anxiety for your nine clients who are being treated for anxiety with a special intervention. You collect data on their anxiety scores once before the treatment begins and once at the end of the treatment period. You report whether the anxiety scores improved and whether these data are statistically significant. What type of research are your undertaking?Explanatory researchExploratory researchEvaluative researchDescriptive research
3 Suppose you collect data on a group of 24 students in your class with regard to two variables: (a) whether the study subject engages in regular aerobic exercise and (b) whether the study subject has experienced minor illnesses in the past 6 months. You are expecting that those who exercise are less likely to have experienced minor illnesses recently. You test this expectation with your data. What type of research are you undertaking?Explanatory researchExploratory researchEvaluative researchDescriptive research
4 If an improvement in scores on depression for your clients can be explained by chance, which of the following does this mean?You can conclude that your intervention caused the client’s improvementYou can generalize your findings to the study populationBoth of the aboveNone of the above
5 A theory isAn attempt to explainA truthAn expressionA conclusion
6 Which of the following statements is/are true?A program evaluation has a broader scope than an evaluation of an interventionA program evaluation may include evaluations of various interventionsBoth of the aboveNone of the above
7 Qualitative research measures concepts with regard toNumbersCategoriesWordsNone of the above
8 Statistical significance provides information with regard toCausationChanceGeneralizationConsideration
Answers: 1 = d; 2 = c; 3 = a; 4 = d; 5 = a; 6 = c; 7 = c; 8 = b
Chapter Glossary
Chance. A possibility that is not predicted.
Descriptive research. Research that has the purpose of describing people (or things).
Evaluative research. Research that has the purpose of determining the success of an intervention or program.
Explanatory research. Research that has the purpose of explaining things by examining the relationship between two or more variables.
Exploratory research. Research that has the purpose of examining things that are not yet well known.
Intervention evaluation. The assessment of the success of a social work intervention (service) for an individual or a group of clients with a common treatment objective.
Population. The people from whom your study sample was drawn.
Program evaluation. An assessment of the success of a program with regard to various components of the program.
Qualitative measurement. Research that measures concepts with words rather than numbers or predetermined categories.
Quantitative measurement. Research that measures concepts numerically (e.g., age or score on the depression scale) or by predetermined categories (e.g., gender, race, etc.).
Sample. The people from whom you collect your data for your study.
Statistical significance. The likelihood that this set of data would occur by chance, rather than having meaning with regard to causation.
Theory. An attempt to explain, usually by portraying the relationships between concepts.
Descriptions of Images and Figures
Back to Figure
A flow diagram illustrates the research process. The details are as follows:
Research Question: Do tutored students have higher grades than non-tutored students?
Study
