Level of Measurement

• Nominal: Name only, just words - numbers have no ranking, weight, meaning.
• Gender
• Yes or No
• Ethnicity (African American, Native American, Asian American, Caucasian… etc)
• Ordinal: Ranking or weighting of responses, but not real mathematical properties
• Attitude surveys (Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree)
• Questions that ask for relative answers and are formatted by least to most

Sampling

Sampling and population are two important and often confused subjects in research. They can be defined as;

Population: Theoretically specified group of studied elements or the large group results are generalized to

Sample: Study participants, usually a smaller group or a subset of the population

Sampling: process of selective study participants

Looking at a studies design helps to determine internal validity and causality in regards to the results of the study. It explains simply what you did to whom. The design of the study looks at the number of groups and measures, the independent and dependent variables, and whether the sample was randomly assigned.

The researcher can enhance internal validity by having a comparison group and a control group. Furthermore, randomly selecting and assigning participants can increase internal validity and reduce selection bias.

Basic Design

Paradigm's in Research

Research is a pursuit of the truth, attempting to find the best methods to reaching clients. A paradigm is a world view (a view point, the nature of reality). There are three different paradigms for social work research

Positivism: This deals the the concept of there being an objective reality, i.e. there is a truth. This supports the pursuit of scientific inquiry. It focuses on the generalizeability, and objectivity of the research.

Study Design

Looking at a studies design helps to determine internal validity and causality of said study. It explains simply what you did and to whom you did it. The design of the study looks at the number of groups and measurements, the independent and dependent variables, and whether the sample was randomly assigned.

The researcher can enhance internal validity by having a comparison group and a control group. Furthermore, randomly selecting and assigning participants can increase internal validity and reduce selection bias.

The Scientific Method

Researching should follow the scientific method. Research is a scientific endeavor that has direct practice implications. Due to this the scientific model ought to be utilized. The process of describing the variables and aspects of a study is known as overcapitalization. The first phase is looking at problem formulation. There are some concerns to look at in regards to the area of study.

As with every other area of social work, ethics is an important discussion. The NASW has a specific document completely focused on ethics (NASW Code of Ethics). Research requires specific ethical considerations. Sensitivity in conducting research is among those important considerations. The following lists some important areas to consider;

Why Research

Purpose of research

The first thing to look at in regards to activity that is done is they why. If there is no reason to do something, then why would you do it?

There are three main reasons that social workers need to understand research;