Introduction to Social Work Research: SSW 4396

Open textbook. It provides an introduction to social work students to help evaluate research for evidence-based practice and design social work research projects. It can be used with its companion, A Guidebook for Social Work Literature Reviews. Chapter One: Introduction to research -- Chapter Two: Linking methods with theory -- Chapter Three: Ethics in social work research -- Chapter Four: Design and causality -- Chapter Five: Defining and measuring concepts -- Chapter Six: Sampling -- Chapter Seven: Survey research -- Chapter Eight: Experimental design -- Chapter Nine: Unique features of qualitative research -- Chapter Ten: Unobtrusive research -- Chapter Eleven: Real-world research -- Chapter Twelve: Reporting researc

This open textbook guides students through the process of creating a research project. Students will learn how to discover a researchable topic that is interesting to them, examine scholarly literature, formulate a proper research question, design a quantitative or qualitative study to answer their question, carry out the design, interpret quantitative or qualitative results, and disseminate their findings to a variety of audiences.

Research Methods for Social Workers introduces students to the basic concepts of research and its various components so that they can effectively apply them in a professional setting.From the basics of research to data analysis, Research Methods for Social Workers connects methods with practical applications in a way that emphasizes the value of research in becoming an effective social services practitioner. This text is designed to bring complex concepts down to a level that can be grasped by beginners, making it an invaluable resource for social work students and anyone who wishes to have a comprehensive introduction to research methods.

This book marries social work and artificial intelligence to provide an introductory guide for using AI for social good. Following an introductory chapter laying out approaches and ethical principles of using AI for social work interventions, the book describes in detail an intervention to increase the spread of HIV information by using algorithms to determine the key individuals in a social network of homeless youth. Other chapters present interdisciplinary collaborations between AI and social work students, including a chatbot for sexual health information and algorithms to determine who is at higher stress among persons with Type 2 Diabetes.

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China journal of social work, 2022-09, Vol.15 (3), p.221-232

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