Instructions 1. If you are familiar with an agency or program that is providing direct service, pro ...
Instructions 1. If you are familiar with an agency or program that is providing direct service, propose a plan to evaluate whether that service is helping clients reach their desired outcomes. 2. If you don't have experience in social work as yet, choose a social work–related issue or a topic that is of interest to you and propose a plan to survey your fellow social work students and/or students from other disciplines, or another group of participants (social workers, social work educators, general public, etc.), in regard to their knowledge or attitudes about the issue or topic. 3. If options 1 and 2 do not satisfy your intellectual curiosity, you may propose a different type of study, but be sure that it is a) quantitative; b) related to social work practice; and c) doable. Feel free to run your ideas by me prior to turning in the assignments. You may use another article or study as your model, but be sure to cite it, include other references or information sources, and modify it so that you are proposing a study that you could actually conduct. Remember, the purpose of this research proposal is to demonstrate competency in research methodology skills. Your work should showcase your ability to apply knowledge learned throughout the term in a meaningful way. Your Final Proposal is comprised of the following elements: 1. Introduction (1.5–2 pages, 30 pts) Description of the program or issue to be investigated: What is the problem you are addressing or the program you are evaluating? This section might contain statistics of prevalence or incidence. Statement and documentation of the significance of the program or issue and the rationale for studying it relative to social work: This part should describe why the problem is important or present evidence of the impact of the problem for society. Purpose of the proposed study—formal statement of research question(s): Your question should be “well-built.” It can’t be vague or unclear; it must tell the reader precisely what you would like to investigate. The question cannot be an answer to a fact (e.g., "What is the poverty rate in Kentucky compared to the poverty rate in the U.S.?") and cannot “discover” something that we already know from prior studies. You may have a research question and a hypothesis. When possible, utilize a directional hypothesis. 2. Literature review (1.5–2 pages, 40 pts; minimum of 6 research article references that should be attached to your paper) Summary and integration of related research and findings/identified gaps in the literature: You should summarize in your own words what you have learned about the topic and identify the gap(s) in our knowledge on the topic. (The discussion section of research articles is a good place to find these gaps.) The gaps you find in the literature should help you build your rationale for the study. Why is your study needed and what will it contribute to our knowledge base? Framework for the proposed study, including conceptual definitions of major concepts if needed: This part is to help define the parameters of your proposed study—its limits. Restatement of research question(s) as refined by the literature review: Conclude this section with your research question(s). 3. Methodology (2–3 pages, 40 pts): This section should describe a feasible/doable research project. Description of the proposed study design and strategy: research design, recruitment of subjects Sampling design, description of proposed sample/subjects Plan to protect human subjects Description of data-collection procedures and instruments/measures (operational definitions of variables, instrument reliability, and validity) Plan for analysis and use of data—should also address what you expect to find, what the significance of your findings will be for social work practice, and what the weaknesses/limitations of your design are and what you might do if you had more time and resources 4. References (20 pts): Use APA style; minimum of 6 references, which should be research articles from social work or social science journals. If you have changed your research articles from your draft, be sure to attach them. This is the absolute minimum number of required references; most of you will have more. 5. Professional Writing, Grammar, Mechanics, Style. (20 points) will be allocated to your ability to write in a professional and academic voice in a manner that is grammatically and mechanically correct, utilizes appropriate in text citations in APA format, adheres to APA style criteria, and conveys your ideas in a cogent and meaningful way.
