Clinical Social Work Research

Hi Everyone-

Hopefully, by this time, you have completed the following items:

(1) Formalized a general research question
(2) Narrowed the research question
(3) Gathered literature citations in support of your research question
(4) Developed a "because" theory statement
(5) And begun to construct your null and alternate hypothesis statement

In the construction of these items, you have thought about feasibility, ethical issues related to your study, and addressed any problems associated with trying to carry out the study at your field placement if you are using field placement as part of the study. In addition, you have thought about what variables are the independent and dependent variables, what could confound your study, and what instruments you will use to perform your study (should you need instruments). As you have been reading the articles, you have been examining the "How to Read a Scientific Article" handout (it's in your syllabus) and begun to be more familiar with the kinds of questions to ask about a research project and how these questions apply to your own research project development. This unification of all of these ideas is the essence of what you should have taken home from the first four course classes. Some of you may feel a bit panicky about where you are with your work. Not to worry! We will be spending time in Lecture 5 finalizing things and I will work with you as needed.

Have a great day
Tarynn

Posted by tmwitten at 09:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi Everyone-

This is a reminder to get your lecture evaluations in. I still haven't received a number of them.

A number of you have asked me to go into some more detail on "metaphors of reality." So, here we go. Consider that there are the following potential realities:

(1) Absolute Reality , which assumes that there is an absolute truth that is knowable in some way. Some people think of this as "God's" reality and therefore it is unknowable. But, for the purpose of hypothetical discussion, let's assume that such a thing does exist and may or may not be knowable by an individual.

(2) Consensus Reality , which assumes that if you put enough people in a room at the same time and ask them questions about an event that was commonly experienced and that happened in the room, most of the people will tend to agree on a certain answer.

(3) Individual Reality , which assumes that each person has an individual or personal understanding of how the world functions.

How that individual reality is internalized and then constructed through rules and categories is called an individual's "metaphor of reality." It is important to understand metaphors of reality because it is how we operate in the world. For example, one metaphor that is commonly used is "argument = war". Example, "I won that debate" or "He had cutting remarks to say" or "I rolled over his arguments like a tank." Another metaphor that is commonly used is "time = money." Example, "That cost me hours of work" or "He spent his time fiddling around." These are metaphors that we have absorbed without realizing it. We use them unconsciously. How our metaphors of reality influence our construction of research questions, hypotheses, and how we unconsciously interpret our results within those metaphors is an important understanding we, as researchers, must be aware of.

Hope that helps. See you all in class. And, the Preparing for Week 4 is now available.

Tarynn

Posted by tmwitten at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Greetings Everyone -

The core course faculty have discussed the idea of doing qualitative research projects and have come to the decision that we will support these projects as well. I have been told that there is a way to do them without using software for analysis. Hence, I am also encouraged that such projects could be carried out. For those of you who are interested in pursuing a qualitative project, please contact me directly via email and we will discuss how to proceed.

Tarynn

Posted by tmwitten at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi Everyone-
As you begin to think about your research project, remember that it is important to keep in mind the following:

(1) If you are in a certificate program, you must do a project related to your certificate
(2) If you plan to do something related to your field placement that involves the use of facilities, clients, staff or data from your field placement, check with your field supervisor about any necessary permissions and/or IRB issues that you need to address for your field placement
(3) Think about feasibility - can you do the project in the amount of time that you have?
(4) As yourself, "So what!" When you are done with the project, "So what!" If you say "ho hum," you probably need to rethink your project idea.

Remember, this is the time for you to start your CITI Exam and Literature/Web Search Week. So

(5) Begin your CITI exam - CITI Exam Link (don't forget to use the "Getting Started With The CITI Exam" pdf file in the Lecture 1 folder on your CD, if you need help.
(6) Use the Course Web Links Page to help you explore the websites of organizations related to your area of interest
(7) Use the various web search engines we discussed in Lecture 1 to help you find literature related to your area of interest (don't forget to use the "Getting Started With Web Searching" handout in the Lecture 1 folder on your course CD, if you need help.
(8) Begin to familiarize yourself with the the Article Review Guidelines (which you can download from the course website or find in your course syllabus). Use this handout to help you guide your thinking about what you read and how you will begin to set up your project.

Take advantage of the time off. Well, not really time off. But you all know what I mean. :-}

Posted by tmwitten at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)