Essential Research Methods for Social Work, Questionnaire Example

Chapter 9 Question

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to you because I am concerned with the level of education attained by members of the community in Miami. It is unfortunate that so many are able to gain an education at our university, while we ignore those who are in our immediate neighborhood. I therefore propose a plan that will allow members of the community to take college classes for free. The funding for this project will include a combination of donations from the university in addition to fundraising conducted by the students. The proposed plan would benefit both members of the community and current students at Florida International University. By allowing access to a greater degree of online classes for students and allowing members of the community to access these classes for free from home in non-degree programs, we will provide many people with the experience they need to attain entry level positions.

I have attached a survey to learn more about student interest in this project and to define project needs. Specifically, these questions aim to define the needs of both students and members of the community. It is my belief that online classes will make it easier for students to complete their degrees in a timely manner, while it will benefit members of the community by providing free access to education that they may have not had the opportunity to access otherwise. Both the student body and the community would benefit greatly from your responses.

Appendix C Question

Simple random sampling occurs by using a table of random numbers to select sampling units. Each single number gets assigned an element from the sample frame list. This process can also be performed by using Microsoft Excel. To do so, the RANDBETWEEN function can be used. RANDBETWEEN (bottom, top) was the formula used for this purpose, and RANDBETWEEN (1, 9876) was inserted. The numbers generated were as follows:

1: 568

2: 1551

3: 245

4: 6778

5: 6433

6: 4308

7: 2081

8: 394

9: 8612

10: 1501

Chapter 10 Question

X is representative of the exposure or intervention in the group or of the individual being studied. This can either be controlled or uncontrolled. O is representative of the observation or measurement the results from the intervention. Ultimately, this helps to determine whether the instruments used during the experimentation process were valid and reliable. R represents the random assignment of participants to comparison groups. The order in which the R was presented determine how this process was conducted. The randomization can either be influenced by or independent of an observation. Matching can be used as an alternative to randomization. An experimental design denoted by “R O1 X O2” is a pretest-posttest control group design, while an experimental design denoted by “R O1 O2” is a prospective observational design.

Chapter 11 Question

An experiment that can be continued pretest-posttest control group design is to determine whether providing individuals with low socioeconomic status with welfare benefits will increase their ability to provide for their family. At the beginning of the study, individuals with low SES status who are currently being screened for welfare eligibility will be selected for the study. The primary observation is whether or not these individuals are eligible. At this point, the intervention, which is welfare will be applied. The ability of each group to provide for their family will be determined, a process marked by O2.

Chapter 13 Question

The main purpose of this evaluation program is to determine which students are most suitable to work in the field of public child welfare. It was found that racially diverse IV-E students were not drawn to private practice and were more likely to become involved in direct services and case management. It was also found that IV-E students prefer to work with at risk families over clinical clients. Ultimately, IV-E students prefer careers related to service, rather than those that would contribute to career advancement. This piece of research was strong because it collected opinions and preferences from many diverse groups of students. However, the randomization was a weakness because it selected students from few geographic regions. Therefore, this work can be considered internally valid but would need a more comprehensive participant sample in order to be considered as having external validity.

Chapter 14 Question

Since the Spanish community in Miami is very close, I spend a lot of time with my friends and family celebrating our culture. To understand our culture, it is important to understand aspects of our language, food, and emotional expressions. Furthermore, our traditions and customs are important to our daily life, and we celebrate several holidays that a majority of Americans are not familiar with. Therefore, I recommend that an individual trying to learn about our cultural norms attend a dinner with a typical Spanish family. This will provide him or her with an introduction to Spanish food and language. It would be useful for outsiders to read local newspapers that are written in Spanish in order for them to gain a greater understanding of what is important to the Spanish people living in Miami. Even if these individuals are not able to speak Spanish fluently, they will still be able to benefit from this information using an online translator and then discussing its content with a native Spanish speaker.

Reflection Question

This course has contributed to my own personal growth and knowledge in the field of social work because prior to this course, I had read many original research articles that were relevant to the field without fully understanding how or why they were conducted. Delving deeply into the research methodology that is used to complete these types of studies was valuable to me because it helped me determine many aspects of the research process, ranging from how participants are recruited to relevant study designs. I feel that this knowledge serves as a solid foundation for the remainder of my studies because I will need to continue reading these types of peer-reviewed papers and it is possible that I will need to conduct my own studies in the future.

I could use research in my future field work to determine how interventions benefit my population of interest. Particularly, I’m interested in determining how welfare programs help increase the ability of families to support themselves and contribute to their ability to eventually leave the system. Furthermore, I am interested in determining whether additional families would benefit by belonging to this system and whether eligibility for welfare is currently too strict. To study these processes, it is possible to use welfare as an intervention for different populations and determine how this influences their income level. Ultimately, this type of study would help direct practice because it would allow both local and federal governments to understand what is needed for welfare to work properly. This will allow a maximal number of families to receive the support they need and potentially allow families who did not qualify for welfare to join the program. By eliminating waste, the welfare program can be bolstered to ensure the families that truly require financial assistance are receiving it, while those that are dishonest about their income and are able to support themselves are removed from the program.

References

Rubin A, Babbie ER. (2012). Essential Research Methods for Social Work, Third Edition. Cengage Learning.