Practice Evaluation Ii

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY INSTRUCTOR: Wehrmann SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK OFFICE: RC 324 Semester: Spring 2015 OFFICE HOURS: Monday 1-4 and by appointment Course: SWK 448 OFFICE PHONE: 438-5903, cell 217 898 2686 Section: 02 EMAIL: [email protected] Day: OTHER: Time: 4-5:40PM PRACTICE EVALUATION II

CATALOG DESCRIPTION Acquaints students with evaluation research through the experience of doing it; implementation of the research proposal developed in SWK 445. Concurrent registration required in SWK 498.04: Concentration Practicum and SWK 492: Concentration Practicum Seminar. 2 semester hours.

Prerequisites: Satisfaction of all MSW foundation requirements; SWK 445; and graduate standing.

COURSE DESCRIPTION SWK 448 is the second research course in the MSW advanced curriculum and is taken during the same semester that students are completing their advanced practica. The course focuses exclusively on the implementation of research knowledge and skills in agency-based programs and practice situations. A seminar format is used to create a “think-tank” where students present, discuss, and debate issues related to the implementation of their evaluation projects, which were designed in SWK 445 and will be executed in their field placements.

Students are expected to present the problems, pitfalls, and successes associated with their evaluation projects, as well as the rewards. Student readings will be individualized according to the needs and issues presented by student's in their projects. The instructor will provide students with a comprehensive bibliography of readings that cover various aspects of the evaluation process. However, students are expected to search for readings and materials beyond this list. The course will be structured such that the students registered in the class become research consultants for each other. Each student is expected to present his or her work, question and critique the work of other students, and debate theories, models, and arguments presented in the literature.

1 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER COURSES Building on the foundation of knowledge gained in previous research courses, this course focuses on the evaluation of the effort, efficiency, effectiveness, and adequacy of social service delivery. The course stresses the practical aspects of conducting a research study in a practice setting and the ethical and political issues involved in carrying out such projects.

This course builds upon SWK 440 Foundation Research and Social Work 445 Evaluation in Child and Family Practice by applying principles and techniques acquired in these earlier courses. It is offered in the final semester of the MSW program while students are completing their final MSW requirements. This course links students’ research and practice experiences since it is taken concurrently with SWK 498.04 Concentration Practicum.

All undergraduate and graduate courses in the research sequence are structured to advance students’ cognitive learning in research as measured by Bloom’s classical taxonomy, which represents a continuum of basic to complex cognitive learning objectives. The learning objectives advance student learning beyond the knowledge and comprehension levels expected in SWK 445 Practice Evaluation I. Specifically, SWK 448 emphasizes learning at the analysis and synthesis levels of cognitive learning as presented below.

COURSE GOALS The goals for this course are to:

1. Increase the ability to use research to improve social work practice, programs, and policies. 2. Promote understanding of the interrelated roles of evaluation and quality improvement. 3. Enhance the ability to integrate research with one’s practice. 4. Advance competence in research. 5. Enhance sensitivity to potential bias in research. 6. Address ethical considerations for the design and implementation of research. 7. Facilitate the implementation of research projects. 8. Facilitate the preparation of research reports.

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of the seminar, students will have achieved the following outcomes. Students will be able to:

1. Describes the research purpose. 2. Present a literature review of the available knowledge about their topic. 3. Present the research questions or research hypothesis. 4. Operationalize the variables in the research project 5. Identify the sources for the data. 6. Describes ethical considerations and issues. 7. Describes any potential issues of diversity and/or cultural competence.

2 8. Describes reliability and validity of the measures. 9. Describes the process of data collection. 10. Analyze findings using qualitative and/or quantitative procedures. 11. Interprets the findings in terms of how it addresses the research problem. 12. Describes the limitations of the research. 13. Discusses the implications of the findings for further research and social work practice.

REQUIRED READING(S) AND TEXTBOOK(S) ─ Professional Reading. Students are required to read professional literature as it relates to their research topic. And use the text for SWK 445 as reference. Faulkner C. A. and Faulkner S. S. (2009) Research methods for social workers: A practice-based approach. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.

EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS This is a seminar course in which you prepare your written research report and your presentation of findings to the class. Promptness in completing assignments is a requirement. When circumstances occur which make it impossible to complete class requirements on time, appropriate arrangements must be made in advance whenever possible.

Your written work should show thoroughness, accuracy, clarity and professionalism. Such writing generally requires first writing, then review, then editing and rewriting. All work should be carefully proofread and corrected. Papers should be free of errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

All papers written from sources must include citations following the style requirements of the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010). This reference text also provides excellent information on the organization and writing of papers.

Nondiscriminatory Language: Oral presentations and written work should use nonsexist, non- racist, and non-stigmatizing language. Faculty may return papers for revisions in language prior to grading. Be sensitive to your use of language.

Special Needs: Students with special needs should notify the instructor immediately so that available accommodations can be made.

Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism, cheating, and all other forms of academic misconduct are not only considered a violation of university regulations, but are also a serious breach of the ethical code of conduct for the social work profession. Students are expected to abide by the ethical standards of the profession. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics is available on the Internet: www.naswdc.org.

3 ASSIGNMENTS Assignment #1 Students will complete the Abstract for the Graduate Research Symposium by January 20 and submit to instructor. Applications including the abstract must be submitted to Research Symposium by January 30. Please note that the registration requires instructor approval. Waiting until the last moment to prepare and submit your application is not advised. Students will follow the instructions found at the Graduate School website at http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/symposium/ The directions for the abstract are as follows and come directly from the Symposium website.

ABSTRACT: An abstract is a brief summary of your work. The abstract must be no longer than 400 words, single spaced. Double space between paragraphs but do not indent. Your abstract must be proofread and approved by your faculty mentor before registration. (Note: Symposium staff will email the registration to the instructor for final approval.) At the time of your on line registration, you will be asked to include a copy of your abstract. A copy of your abstract must be included in your poster display. The abstract may be within or attached to your poster. This will allow viewers to quickly understand what your project is about and enhance the visual explanation given by your poster.

A GOOD ABSTRACT IS: Accurate: Ensure that the abstract correctly reflects the purpose and content of your presentation. Do not include irrelevant information or any additional information that does not appear in the body of your presentation. Self-contained: Define all abbreviations and acronyms. Spell out names of tests, drugs, etc. Define unique terms. Paraphrase rather than quote. Concise and Specific: Make it maximally informative; especially the lead sentence. Be as brief as possible. Coherent and Readable: Write in clear and vigorous prose. Use verbs, rather than noun equivalents; and use an active voice, rather than a passive voice. Use the present tense to describe results with continuing applicability or conclusions drawn.

Assignment #2: Research Symposium Preparation and Participation

This assignment contains two parts. The first part requires that you prepare the content of the poster using the resources provided on the Symposium website and consultation from the instructor. The actual construction of the poster can be done after you have determined what

4 content you will include. You may prepare PowerPoint slides or include the content in a WORD document for my review and feedback.

Research Symposium Poster Presentation content Due March 30, 2015. Your actual participation in the Symposium is the second part of the assignment. Please use the resources provided on the Symposium website to prepare your poster. http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/symposium/ Participation in the Symposium on April 10, 2015. Assignment #3: Final Research Report Due May 4, 2015 The paper will consist of the following general sections:

Introduction: • Introduction lays foundation for focus of paper, provides organizational context including logic model. • Intro defines why the issue should be a focus of study • Intro uses data (such as incidence, prevalence, severity, etc) to substantiate need for focus Review of Literature Methods section including: Research question/hypothesis • Research question(s) is clearly stated • If hypothesis, the independent, dependent, and other (mediating, moderating) variables are appropriately identified Research design •Quantitative and/or qualitative is appropriately identified • Appropriate identification as to summative vs. formative • Internal threats to validity are accurately identified and explained • External threats to validity are accurately identified and explained Sampling methods • Appropriate sampling method is identified and justified Data collection methods • Instrumentation is appropriately explained • If standardized instrument is used, validity and reliability of instrument is discussed • Data collection methods are thoroughly described Data analysis methods Results Section: • Narrative discussion of results • APA‐appropriate graphic display of data if appropriate Limitations: • What might contribute to limitations of results • Any ethical issues • Any issues regarding diversity issues

5 Discussion and Implications • Implications for practice • Implications for future research • Any implications for diverse populations

Assignment #4: Brief Oral Presentation of Project on April 24 and May 1. Students will deliver an oral presentation of the research project to fellow classmates, colleagues, and professors. The class professor will determine who presents on April 25 or May 2.. Each presentation will be 10 minutes. Students may use power point or other presentation as appropriate. The presentation will briefly cover:  Research focus  Methods  Findings  Implications  Questions/discussion from audience

GRADING Grades will be assigned in accord with the following scale. Students must achieve the full value of the lower end of each subscale to be awarded the corresponding letter grade. A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79% D 60-69% F 59% and below Grade Allocation: Grades for the course will be assigned using the following formula:

Assignment Due Points Research Symposium Abstract January 20 50 (Register for Symposium by Jan 30) Research Symposium Poster 50 Presentation Poster content due: March 30 Poster Presentation due April 10 Final comprehensive research May 4 100 Paper Oral presentations April 20, 27 50 Total 250

6 COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1: Introduction and overview of the course January 12, 2015 This session describes the guidelines for assignments, reviews (class will meet) the due dates, and expectations for grading. Focus will be on the IRB, the Research Symposium Abstract and the Poster Assignment. Note: Abstract due on January 20 by 5PM. Week 2: Research symposium presentation application January 26, 2015 Online discussion and consultation of abstract development. Updates from seminar members on overall project progress.

Week 3: Research project work February 2, 2015 Consultation on research protocols, data collection and any final (class will meet) work on registration for the Graduate Research Symposium. Group consultation on evaluation projects. (Registration for Graduate Research Symposium deadline for our class January 30. No late registration is possible and you must have faculty approval.) Week 4 Data collection consultation February 9, 2015 Group discussion on issues related to implementation of projects Week 5 Individual Meetings on progress. February 16, 2015 Online individual and group consultation this week regarding data collection or analysis. Week 6 Organizing data for analysis and review of qualitative data analysis methods February 23, 2015 Group consultation (class will meet) Week 7: Data analysis review March 2, 2015 Organizing data for analysis and review of quantitative data (class will meet) analysis methods, internal and external validity. Week 8: Individual meetings March 9, 2015 SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!

Week 9 Group Consultation March 16, 2015 Update on all projects, review of sample posters (Class will meet) Week 10 Individual meetings March 23, 2015 Data analysis and poster preparation

Week 11 Group Consultation March 30, 2015 Data analysis and poster preparation, finalize content fore

7 (Class will meet) research symposium. Week 12 Individual Meetings April 6, 2015 Final preparation for Research Symposium, prepare posters Week 13 Individual Meetings April 13, 2015 Individual Meetings, final report writing.

Week 14 Project presentations April 20, 2015 Final report writing, discussion of presentations within the (Class will meet) agency Week 15 Project presentations April 27, 2015 Final report writing and wrap-up, discussion of presentations (class will meet) within the agency

8 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READINGS

Case-Level Evaluation

Barrett, M. D., & Wolfer, T. A. (2001). Reducing anxiety through a structured writing intervention: A single-system evaluation. Families in Society, 82 (4), 355-362.

Raines, J. C. (2004). Evidence-based practice in school social work: A process in perspective. Children & Schools, 26 (2), 71-85.

Rosen, A. (2003). Evidence-based social work practice: Challenges and promise. Social Work Research, 27 (4), 197-208.

Spath, R., & Pine, B. (2004). Using the case study approach for improved program evaluations. Child and Family Social Work, 9 (1), 57-63.

Thyer, B. A., Artelt, T. A., & Shek, D. T. L. (2003). Using single-system research designs to evaluate practice: Potential applications for social work in Chinese contexts. International Social Work, 46 (2), 163-176.

Collecting Existing Data

Krysik, J. L. (2005). Secondary analysis. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 291-301). New York: Oxford University Press.

Sieppert, J. D., McMurtry, S. L., & McClelland, R. W. (2005). Utilizing existing statistics. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 315-328). New York: Oxford University Press.

Stark, R., & Roberts, L. (2005). Content analysis. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 303-313). New York: Oxford University Press.

Stuart, P. H. (2005). Historical research. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 329-338). New York: Oxford University Press.

Critiquing Research

Corcoran, J. (2000). Family interventions with child physical abuse: A critical review. Children and Youth Services Review, 22 (7), 563-591.

Fischer, J. (2001). Evaluating quantitative research reports. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau

9 (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 385-400). New York: Oxford University Press. Savin-Williams, R. C. (2001). A critique of research on sexual-minority youths. Journal of Adolescence, 24 (1), 5-13.

Data Collection

Anastas, J. W. (2005). Observation. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 213-230). New York: Oxford University Press.

Epstein, I. (2001). Using available clinical information in practice-based research: Mining for silver while dreaming of gold. Social Work in Health Care, 33 (3/4), 15- 32.

Gochros, H. L. (2005). Interviewing. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 245-269). New York: Oxford University Press.

LaSala, M. C. (2003). When interviewing “family”: Maximizing the insider advantage in the qualitative study of lesbians and gay men. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 15 (1/2), 15-30.

Rogers, G., & Bouey, E. (2005). Participant Observation. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 231- 244). New York: Oxford University Press.

Sullivan, G., & Losberg, W. (2003). A study of sampling in research in the field of lesbian and gay studies. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 15 (1/2), 147-162.

Waldfogel, J. (2000). Child welfare research: How adequate are the data? Children and Youth Services Review, 22 (9/10), 705-741.

Diversity Issues

Gellis, Z. D. (2001). Using a participatory research approach to mobilize immigrant minority family caregivers. Journal of Social Work Research and Evaluation, 2 (2), 267-282.

Kanuha, V. K. (2000). “Being” native versus “going native”: Conducting social work research as an insider. Social Work, 45 (5), 439-447.

Mercier, L. R., & Harold, R. D. (2003). A feminist approach to exploring the intersec- tions of individuals, families, and communities: An illustration focusing on lesbian mother research. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 7

10 (3/4), 79-95.

Mutran, E. J., & Sudha, S. (2000). Ethnic and racial groups, similar or different, and how do we measure? Research on Aging, 22 (6), 589-598.

Rodgers-Farmer, A. Y., & Potocky-Tripodi, M. (2005). Gender, ethnicity, and race matters. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 89-94). New York: Oxford University Press.

Sobeck, J. L., Chapleski, E. E., & Fisher, C. (2003). Conducting research with American Indians: A case study of motives, methods, and results. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 12 (1), 69-84.

Young, L., Johnson, K. W., & Bryant, D. (2002). Conducting a therapeutic community training experiment in Peru: Research design and implementation. Journal of Social Work Research and Evaluation, 3 (1), 89-102.

Ethics

Durham, A. (2002). Developing a sensitive practitioner research methodology for studying the impact of child sexual abuse. British Journal of Social Work, 32 (4), 429-442.

Pletsch, P. K., Doerr, B., & Irwin, D. (2001). Focus group interviews: A method for creating partnerships with African-American women in the design of research informed consent. Journal of the National Black Nurses Association, 12 (1), 42-47.

Reamer, F. G. (2005). Research ethics. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 33-43). New York: Oxford University Press.

Measurement

Bostwick, G. J., & Kyte, N. S. (2005). Measurement. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 97- 111). New York: Oxford University Press.

Dempster, M., & Donnelly, M. (2002). Outcome measurement and service evaluation A note on research design. British Journal of Social Work, 32 (3), 375-378.

Fischer, J., & Corcoran, K. (Eds.). (2000). Measures for clinical practice: A source book, Volume 1: Children and families. New York: Free Press.

Fischer, J., & Corcoran, K. (Eds.). (2000). Measures for clinical practice: A source book, Volume 2: Adults. New York: Free Press.

11 Jordan, C., Franklin, C., & Corcoran, K. (2005). Measuring instruments. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 113-131). New York: Oxford University Press.

Mindel, C. H. (2005). Designing measuring instruments. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 133-147). New York: Oxford University Press.

Raines, J. C. (2003). Rating the rating scales: Ten criteria to use. School Social Work Journal, 27 (2), 1-17.

Scott, D. (2002). Adding meaning to measurement: The value of qualitative methods in practice research. British Journal of Social Work, 32 (7), 923-930.

Program-Level Evaluation

Jonson-Reid, M. (2000). Evaluating empowerment in a community-based child abuse prevention program: Lessons learned. Journal of Community Practice, 7 (4), 57- 76.

Neuman, K. (2002). From practice evaluation to agency evaluation: Demonstrating outcomes to the United Way. Social Work in Mental Health, 1 (2), 1-14.

Neuman, K. M. (2003). Developing a comprehensive outcomes management program: A ten step process. Administration in Social Work, 27 (1), 5-24.

Shadish, W.R., Cook, T. D., & Leviton, L.C. (1991). Foundations of program evaluation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Qualitative Data Analysis

Coleman, H., & Unrau, Y. A. (2005). Analyzing qualitative data. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 403-420). New York: Oxford University Press.

Gehart, D. R., Ratliff, D. A., & Lyle, R. R. (2001). Qualitative research in family therapy: A substantive and methodological review. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27 (2), 261-274.

LaPelle, N. (2004). Simplifying qualitative data analysis using general purpose software tools. Field Methods, 16 (1), 85-108.

Lister, P. G. (2003). Feminist dilemmas in data analysis. Qualitative Social Work, 2 (1),

12 45-59.

Ryan, G. W. (2004). Using a word processor to tag and retrieve blocks of text. Field Methods, 16 (1), 109-130.

Shamai, M. (2003). Therapeutic effects of qualitative research: Reconstructing the experience of treatment as a by-product of qualitative evaluation. Social Service Review, 77 (3), 455-467.

Ungar, M. (2003). Qualitative contributions to resilience research. Qualitative Social Work, 2 (1), 85-102.

Wehrmann, K. C. (2005). An exploratory study on child welfare reform in post-revolutionary Romania. Journal of Social Work Research and Evaluation, 6 (1), 87-99.

Quantitative Data Analysis

Patterson, D. A., & Basham, R. E. (2006). Data analysis with spreadsheets. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Weinbach, R.W., & Grinnell, R.M., Jr. (2007). Statistics for social workers (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Williams, M., Tutty, L., & Grinnell, R.M., Jr. (2005). Analyzing quantitative data. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 353-370). New York: Oxford University Press.

Writing Research Reports

Williams, M., Tutty, L., & Grinnell, Jr., R. M. (2005). Writing quantitative proposals and reports. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 371-383). New York: Oxford University Press.

Williams, M., Unrau, Y. A., & Grinnell, Jr., R. M. (2005). Writing qualitative proposals and reports. In R.M. Grinnell, Jr. & Y. A. Unrau (Eds.), Social work research and evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (7th ed., pp. 421-435). New York: Oxford University Press.