SINGLE CASE RESEARCH STUDY

SOWK 625: SINGLE CASE RESEARCH STUDY

PLO 4:

EPAS 2015 This assignments fulfills mastery for Competency 4: Engage In Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice 


Advanced generalist social workers use quantitative and/or qualitative research methods to evaluate their practice and/or agency outcomes. They apply the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and culturally informed and ethical approaches to enhance social work practice. Advanced generalist social workers use evidence to inform practice. They are able to translate research findings into effective practice. Advanced generalist social workers: 


•         Use the evidence-based process to identify and apply effective advanced practice intervention for all clients.

•         Use research methods to evaluate practice effectiveness and/or agency outcomes.

INTRODUCTION

The Social Work Code of Ethics states that social workers’ primary responsibility to clients is to promote well-being. However, it is often difficult to assess if interventions are helpful, harmful or having no effect at all. Therefore, it will be necessary at times to conduct single-subject case studies in the field. This assignment will prepare students to conduct this type of research in the future.

Assignment Summary: Design and implement a single-subject research project. This assignment is intended to be completed by the student with the “client” being the student. It is necessary to carry out this study to complete this assignment, and requires you to complete a scale each week for data collection.

The paper should include all the sections described below. It should be written in APA format using paragraphs and citations. DO NOT simply answer the questions in bullet form. Make sure to USE THE HEADINGS LISTED IN BOLD BELOW.  Each section should be a minimum of one paragraph, except for the literature review which should be approximately 1-2 pages in length.

PAPER OUTLINE

Students will complete the “Research Competence Scale for Students” (RCSS) on a weekly basis starting in week two through week seven.  This instrument measures student perceptions and anxiety about research.

●       The research question used for this project is: “What can be done to reduce anxiety in social work students who take research courses?”

●       The research problem is: “student anxiety about taking social work research courses”

By the end of the term, students will complete a mixed methods, single subject design project using their own responses on the RCSS.  This will include analysis of data collected from the instrument.  Data analysis will include quantitative and qualitative methodologies and interpretation.  A written report on the results and findings will be the product of this project.  There are six (6) components to this project: problem description, literature review, method, results, discussion and conclusion.  APA style writing and formatting, cover page, and citations and references must be included.  An example paper, entitled, “The effects of a supported employment program on psychosocial indicators for persons with severe mental illness,” can be found at: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/sampaper.php

Problem Description

The first part of the paper should include a description of the issue with a brief discussion of the problem using supporting literature (2 peer-reviewed sources).  This section should also include a hypothesis based on the research question and problem stated above.

Literature Review

Students will provide evidence of the problem using scholarly literature and will make connections to social work practice.  A minimum of 4 articles from peer-reviewed journals published within the last 5 years must be used for the literature review.

Method

This section will describe the rationale for the application of the single subject design and describe the specific procedures (steps) for identifying, selecting and analyzing data collected to understand the research problem.  This section of the paper should address how data was collected and generated and how it was analyzed.  The following sub-headings should be used in this section:

Research Design – Mixed-Methods Single Subject Design using which type of design? (i.e. ABAB, AB, ABA, ABAC, etc.).  Describe in detail.

Sample – this is a description of the participant (you!)

Measure – Students will use the RCSS instrument.  Describe the instrument and any psychometric information about the instrument.  You will need to do some online research about psychometric properties in order to write about it.

Procedure – this is a description of the data collection method.  It should be a detailed, step-by-step description of the process.

Data Analysis – This is a description of how you will analyze your collected data.

Ethical Considerations – this is where you will discuss precautions taken to protect human subjects and discuss researcher bias.

Results

This section should describe what you found when you analyzed your results.  It should simply state the findings of the research arranged in a logical sequence without bias or interpretation.  There should be at least one table and one graph in this section.  Do not copy and paste the tables from the output screen in SPSS.  These tables are not formatted in APA format.  Follow APA format for tables and graphs.  Instructions for creating APA formatted tables and figures can be found in the course readings.

Discussion

The discussion section of the paper is where the results are interpreted and an explanation of the significance of your findings, in light of what you already know from the literature review, are described.  This is where you should explain new understanding or insights about the problem.  The discussion should connect the findings with the research question and problem.  It should explain how your study has moved the understanding of the research problem forward.

Conclusion

The conclusion is not just a summary of the main topics or restatement of the research problem.  This is where a synthesis of key points should appear, a link to social work practice can be made, and where recommendations for future research should be stated.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

Here are some resources that might be helpful:

●       Outcome-informed evidence-based practice Text website: https://ormebook.com/