Share the problem you are focusing on in your research.
PART ONE
From Problem to Research Question
At this point, you may have an idea of your general social work topic, but what specific problem does that point to and how can that problem be conveyed as a question to be explored? In order to conduct a successful research study, the research question must be clearly defined, well justified, and offer something new to the social work knowledge base. The research study can only be as good as the research question that guides it.
For this PART you articulate the problem you are focusing on and craft your research question to address that problem. You also consider the value of the identified problem by considering how it relates to social work practice.
To Prepare:
Review the Learning Resources on identifying research problems and developing research questions.
Consider the problem that you would like to study in your proposed research, the gap in knowledge that it addresses, and how it connects to social work practice.
QUESTION : BY DAY 3
Share the problem you are focusing on in your research. What would you like to know about this topic; that is, what is a gap in knowledge that your research on the topic could fill? Based on the identified problem, develop and share your research question here. How does this problem relate to practice?
PART TWO
Assignment: Methodological Approaches
Researchers can employ a quantitative or qualitative approach, or a combination of the two. In quantitative studies, you often see tables of numerical data or graphs in the Results section. Qualitative studies, on the other hand, use interviews, focus groups, and observations to understand the participants’ perceptions. 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. Here you might see portions of transcribed interviews in the Results section. A mixed-methods approach, as the name implies, uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to answer the research questions. It is important to understand the methodological approach in any given article so that you may evaluate whether the research study was conducted appropriately.
In this Assignment, you return to your six peer-reviewed research articles to identify the research question and the associated methodological approach in each.
To Prepare:
Review the Learning Resources on research methodologies, including the interactive media on qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods.
Revisit the six peer-reviewed articles you gathered on your topic in Weeks 2 and 3. Consider the research question and methodology the researchers have employed in each study.
By Day 7
Using the six peer-reviewed research articles that you gathered in Weeks 2 and 3:
Identify the research question in each and provide justification.
Identify the methodological approach in each (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods) and provide justification.
Use the Learning Resources to support your identification of the research question and methodology. Make sure to include appropriate APA citations and a reference list.
Answer preview to share the problem you are focusing on in your research.
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