SW 504 - Fnd of Sci Inquiry w/Soc Sys

Credits: 3

For social work practice to be effective, it is important that social workers be both consumers of and contributors to research efforts that aim to build knowledge and improve social work practice. Social work practice and research share common features and processes: (1) Both are fundamentally problem-solving enterprises, and (2) Both take place in the context of the communities in which people live and the organizations that provide services and support. This course presents basic concepts and principals of research in the community and organizational context in which people live and social work is practiced. Students are encouraged to generalize this knowledge to inform their practice and enhance their learning throughout the broader curriculum. The course content will integrate the core themes related to clients’ strengths, multiculturalism and diversity, social justice, social change, and behavioral and social science research. This course will provide students with an understanding and appreciation of a scientific approach to building knowledge for social work practice and for evaluating service delivery in all areas of practice. Ethical standards of scientific inquiry will be presented. The course will include analysis of theoretical bases on which the research enterprise rests. Students will learn how to formulate research questions and understand the basics of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Students will be introduced to analyses of data that include using both statistical procedures and qualitative theme analysis, including computerized data analysis tools. Prerequisite: admission to MSW program or permission of program.