Social Work Research

This graduate course aims to provide students with an understanding of advanced research designs, data collection techniques, and analyses methods commonly used in public health and social science investigations. Students will be introduced to quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research approaches. Topics will include ethical consideration in data collections and reporting, sampling methods, sample size consideration, secondary data analyses, and metaanalyses. Students will gain skills in the design and rigor of proposal development and manuscript preparation. Lectures will be built through a mix of texts, public health literature, and course work, and students will build skills for conducting research and evaluation.

This course builds on Research Methods I (SWRS-201) enabling students to become better acquainted with how to evaluate practice. Enhances analytical skills necessary to assess the validity of research literature. Content areas related to quantitative data analysis include social work research code of ethics, use of SPSS and preparation of data for entry into SPSS, descriptive statistics, types of distributions, steps in hypothesis testing, inferential statistics, guidelines for test selection, bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques, analysis of qualitative data, and presentation, interpretation and reporting of findings.

(Advanced Course) Builds on knowledge and skills of the core research courses, "Research Methods for Social Workers" and "Data Analysis for Social Workers." Course content provides advanced-level knowledge and skills that prepare students to develop, use, critically assess, and effectively communicate empirically-based knowledge in developing and evaluating practice and human service programs. It develops skills in using key evaluative methods that measure the need, effectiveness, fairness, and efficiency of various interventions in achieving stated objectives and desired outcomes for various stakeholders with particular focus on at risk populations design and conduct evidenced-based interventions appropriate for their method of practice and specialized field of practice.

(Research Elective) Preparation of a scholarly research paper on a topic related to the concentration of the student which integrates research knowledge of social work practice, human behavior and the social environment, and social welfare policy and services.