DOING SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH

Book Details

• Author: Roger Smith

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: 1st Edition

• ISBN: 9788131605899

• Pages: 224

• Cover: Hardcover

• Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches

About the Book

This accessible book is based on the author’s extensive practical experience of conducting and teaching research in the field of social work. It shows that social work research is not only a distinctive academic enterprise but also a task that can be accomplished effectively in line with the ethical principles and values central to the discipline. Doing Social Work Research helps researchers connect ‘methodology’ with ‘method,’ enabling them to make informed decisions about how to translate initial research questions into valid and feasible investigative strategies.

The book introduces and evaluates a wide range of approaches across the spectrum of social work research. It provides detailed guidance on organizing the research task and focuses on the practical aspects of planning, preparation, implementation, and management of investigations. The book also features illustrative examples from the author's personal experience of research practice.

This comprehensive resource is valuable for social work students and practitioners conducting research projects, as well as for practicing researchers and research educators in the field of social work.

Contents

• Introduction: A Challenging Task?

• Drivers, Demands, and Constraints in Social Work Research

• 'What Works': Evidence for Practice?

• Critical Perspectives: The View from Outside

• Leading the Way? Social Work Research and Service Users

• From Methodology to Method: Quantity and Evidence

• Critical and Interpretive Approaches: What’s Going On Here?

• Committed Research: Models and Methods

• Making It Happen

• Putting It All Together

• The Value of Social Work Research

About the Author

Roger Smith teaches and researches in social work at De Montfort University, UK. He has an extensive background in residential care and began his career as a social worker in 1980. Afterward, he worked with the Probation Service, mainly with young offenders, and later held a policy development role at a national children’s organization.