This course is the first of two research courses introducing students to research methodology as applied to systematic inquiry of social work problems. This course covers quantitative research methods and examines the scientific method from the development of a researchable hypothesis to the point of data collection. It focuses on social work problem formulation and provides an introduction to methodology. The course content and material cover the following areas: understanding theory development, stating a tenable research problem, developing a researchable question; the values, ethical, political, and social effects involved in developing the question; narrowing and specifying the question; sampling; design; data collection; and measurement techniques. Each topic is addressed through readings, lecture material, real-life experiences.
Students will demonstrate their learning competencies in the development of a research proposal.