Research Methods for Social Workers

The Sixth Edition of Research Methods for Social Workers is written in an accessible, reader-friendly style by authors who are social workers and educators and understand the realities of social work practice. The paperback format makes it less expensive than most texts on the market.

• Expanded coverage of evidence-based practice in Chapter 1, and throughout the book. Descriptions and illustrations of the contributions of quantitative and qualitative research methods to evidence-based practice presented as complementary and necessary for an understanding of human behavior and the problems that social workers must address.
• Emphasis on the importance of practice ethics, experience, and knowledge of the individual client (as well as research findings) for evidence-based practice.
• Expanded content on purposive sampling and introduction to the concept of sampling plans and multi-stage sampling.
• Greatly expanded discussion of validity (of all kinds) in research.
• The importance of valid measurement of all dependent and independent variables.
• New content on the importance of qualitative methods in all types of program evaluation, including summative evaluations.
• Major revision of single-system research (Chapter 14) in response to current thinking and issues relating to the validity of its assumptions.

What Your Colleagues Are Saying

Overall, this is a very solid introductory research text. It is appropriate in scope and depth.

John D. Clapp, San Diego State University

I like the organization of the book. The way the content is organized presents a
sequential flow that connects the whole process of research. It is easy to read and
it does explain content in terms of social work examples that students can easily
understand.

Freddie Avant, Stephen F. Austin State University