question archive Discussion 1: Group Research Designs (Due on 6/30/21) There are several different types of research designs
Discussion 1: Group Research Designs (Due on 6/30/21) There are several different types of research designs
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Discussion 1: Group Research Designs
(Due on 6/30/21)
There are several different types of research designs. Each design is intended to respond to a particular type of research question. The type of research design depends on the type of research questions asked. For this Discussion, select one of the articles from the reading list and consider several classifications of group research designs.
Post your response to the following: Describe which groups are compared in the research. Then, classify the research design as follows:
1. By explaining whether the study is pre-experimental (cross-sectional, one-shot case study, and longitudinal), experimental (control group with pretest and posttest, posttest only, or four-group design), or quasi-experimental (comparing one group to itself at different times or comparing two different groups)
2. By indicating what the researchers report about limitations of the study
3. By explaining concerns you have regarding internal validity and the ability of the study to draw conclusions about causality
4. By explaining any concerns you have about the generalizability of the study (external validity) and what aspect of the research design might limit generalizability
TRANSCRIPT:
Hernandez Family Episode 5 Program Transcript
FEMALE SPEAKER: They've missed four of their parenting classes so far.
FEMALE SPEAKER: So they haven't completed their parenting group?
FEMALE SPEAKER: I have to call the ACS worker and let her know. They're probably going to have to take the classes over again, and that's going to be tough. The classes caused the father to miss overtime at work, and they really rely on that money to make ends meet.
FEMALE SPEAKER: But they have to finish the program. They're only allowed three missed classes. There's another problem. You know the agency's been conducting a study of our performance. Well, it lowers our completion numbers. Lower numbers put our funding at risk. Our bosses start questioning the credibility of what we're trying to do here.
FEMALE SPEAKER: But I can't give the Hernandez family the post test. They won't be able to complete it.
FEMALE SPEAKER: No, that's not why I brought this up. The agency needs data to determine how effective these parenting classes are. The more attrition we have when parents don't finish the program, there's no data. No data means no support for what we're teaching or how it might benefit other populations.
FEMALE SPEAKER: Maybe we should account for the attrition then. Maybe there's something we can learn from it?
Hernandez Family Episode 5 Additional Content Attribution
References:
Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L. (2018). Research methods for social workers (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
· Chapter 5, “Quantitative Research” (pp. 100-125)
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Sessions: Case histories. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
· The Hernandez Family
Discussion 2: Pretests/Posttests and Attrition
Due ( 7/1/21)
Post your explanation of what you think the social workers wanted to know when they designed the pre/posttest for evaluating the parenting classes. Be sure to address the concept of attrition and whether or not you believe they took that into account. Be sure to explain why. Then, analyze potential lessons learned from attrition. Finally, explain how you might design a study to gather data about the effectiveness of these parenting
classes. Use the following questions to focus your thinking:
Would you recommend a pre-experimental, experimental, or quasi-experimental design?
· Would the study involve measurement over time?
· Would there be a control group?
· In this group research design you imagine, what or who will be compared?
· What limitations in terms of generalizability and internal validity can you anticipate based on the research plan you envision?
· What can you tell the social worker about the issue of client drop out (also called attrition or experimental mortality)?
· If there is no control group, what type of research design could answer the question: Is this parent training class effective in reducing abusive parenting practices?
References
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Hernandez family (Episode 5) [Video file]. In Sessions. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu.
Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L. (2018). Research methods for social workers (8th ed.). New
York, NY: Pearson. Chapter 5, “Quantitative Research” (pp.1)
Assignment: Locating an Empirical Research Article
Empirical research articles document a study that is either quantitative, qualitative or a mixed methods research design. When authors write an empirical research article they typically follow a format that looks like this: Introduction/Background, Literature Review, Methodology, Findings, and Discussion. The authors recount literature on their specific research topic and describe in a systematic manner how the data was collected and then analyzed in order to answer the research question(s). Once the data is analyzed, they present the findings. Finally, they interpret the findings using past literature to help understand the findings.
What we broadly describe as a “quantitative study” includes numerical summaries that involve descriptive statistics (averages, standard deviations), correlations, and inferential statistics (such as T-tests, Chi Squares and other kinds of analyses). These kinds of studies can include certain elements such as per- and post-tests or survey results looking at correlations between variables.
Qualitative articles, on the other hand, use interviews, focus groups, observations, and written answers to questions. Rather than using statistics to summarize the study, these studies look at themes and present the material using words, phrases and often paragraphs to illustrate what they are representing.
