Agent-Based Modeling: Value Added to Social Work Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-311
Author(s):  
Emily S. Ihara ◽  
JoAnn S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Computational Method ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Rigorous Research ◽  
The Social

Social workers have taken large strides in adopting rigorous research methods, yet there have been computational advances that could enhance the social work knowledge base. This article introduces a computational method, agent-based modeling, which can facilitate theoretical and methodological innovations by strengthening the alignment of our research methods with common social work theories. We review three theories, identify how current methods do not allow for the full exploration of the social phenomena under investigation, and provide justification for using agent-based modeling.

Statistics Used in Current Social Work Literature: Curricular Needs of Undergraduate Students

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-90
Author(s):  
Bushra Sabri ◽  
Mercedes Bern Klug
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Curricular Needs

This study sought to identify the most commonly reported statistical methods in a section of the social work literature and demonstrate the need for including them in the statistical curricula for social work undergraduates. The authors reviewed 417 articles from Health & Social Work, Social Work, Social Work Research, and Children & Schools in 64 issues published from January 2005 to December 2008. The quantitative empirical research articles (47.9%; n=200) were then selected to ascertain the most frequently reported statistical methods, which were found to be correlation, regression, and chi procedures. This study's results may contribute to the knowledge of statistics usage in the social work literature and help to define vital emphases for undergraduate research courses in social work.

scholarly journals Paths to Polarization: How Extreme Views, Miscommunication, and Random Chance Drive Opinion Dynamics

Complexity ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Turner ◽  
Paul E. Smaldino
Keyword(s):  
Opinion Dynamics ◽  
Initial Distribution ◽  
Polarization Measurement ◽  
Cultural Complexity ◽  
Stochastic Variation ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Apparent Reduction ◽  
Path Dependent

Understanding the social conditions that tend to increase or decrease polarization is important for many reasons. We study a network-structured agent-based model of opinion dynamics, extending a model previously introduced by Flache and Macy (2011), who found that polarization appeared to increase with the introduction of long-range ties but decrease with the number of salient opinions, which they called the population’s “cultural complexity.” We find the following. First, polarization is strongly path dependent and sensitive to stochastic variation. Second, polarization depends strongly on the initial distribution of opinions in the population. In the absence of extremists, polarization may be mitigated. Third, noisy communication can drive a population toward more extreme opinions and even cause acute polarization. Finally, the apparent reduction in polarization under increased “cultural complexity” arises via a particular property of the polarization measurement, under which a population containing a wider diversity of extreme views is deemed less polarized. This work has implications for understanding the population dynamics of beliefs, opinions, and polarization as well as broader implications for the analysis of agent-based models of social phenomena.

scholarly journals Researching home in social work

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 1095-1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Zufferey ◽  
Nilan Yu ◽  
Tammy Hand
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Supportive Family ◽  
Cultural Self ◽  
Sense Of Home

Home and belonging are emerging areas of social work research. Very few studies in the social work discipline critically examine how home is broadly experienced or understood. Whilst the notion of home is contested, social work researchers can explore meanings of home in their quest to understand how social workers can contribute to developing a sense of community and belonging. This article presents the findings of an intersectional qualitative study that explored meanings of home in a capital city of Australia, drawing implications for social work. A thematic analysis of 13 semi-structured interviews found that home was experienced as both a material and emotional place. Home was associated with (1) the material security of housing, including homeownership and the safety of suburbs and neighbourhoods; (2) a connection to multiple homes and the making of home in migration, such as when re-settling in a new country; (3) belonging to a family, including emotional connections to lost family members or acknowledging a supportive family and (4) religious, ethnic and cultural self-expression. This paper argues that researching meanings of home is relevant to social work as a discipline that espouses human rights and social justice because a sense of home is central to the politics of belonging to a safe community and society.

scholarly journals Evidence-based practice in social work: Who are the critics?

2020 ◽  
pp. 146801732095513
Author(s):  
Joakim Finne
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Social Sector ◽  
The Social

Summary The aim of this study is to analyse attitudes towards and the utilisation of evidence-based practice among social workers in Norway. The data were collected in 2014–2015 from social workers in four Norwegian counties. The sample consists of 2060 social workers registered as members of the Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers. Findings The main findings in this study indicate that social workers in child welfare are generally less critical of evidence-based practice than those within social welfare. Higher education and knowledge about evidence-based practice are seen as predictors for less critical attitudes towards the concept. The findings further suggest that social workers who use manuals and standardised procedures are less critical of evidence-based practice. Applications Understanding social workers’ attitudes towards evidence-based practice is important in order to facilitate the best possible practices. This study emphasises the importance of increasing knowledge of evidence-based practice in the social sector, and the need to further investigate how research methods and evidence-based practice concepts are translated into practice.

Rethinking Social Justice: A Contemporary Challenge for Social Good

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia Levin
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
International Institutions ◽  
Special Relationship ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Social

Social justice’s special relationship with the social work profession has recently been confirmed by new definitions of social good that identify the promotion of social justice as a primary goal of social work research and practice. This contemporary use of the ideas and ideals of social justice creates an opportunity to reexamine it in the context of modern societies and postmodern knowledge. This article presents four steps for reassessing existing definitions of social justice, as reflected by three cases documented by international institutions that define themselves as promoters of social justice. Through this reassessment, this article seeks to contribute to the regeneration and advancement of interdisciplinary debate over the contents and nature of social justice, under the presumption that any effort toward social good aimed at enhancing social justice should first identify or discuss to what sort of social justice it aspires.

ANALYZING THE AGENT-BASED MODEL AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

2003 ◽  
Vol 06 (03) ◽  
pp. 331-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUTAKA I. LEON SUEMATSU ◽  
KEIKI TAKADAMA ◽  
NORBERTO E. NAWA ◽  
KATSUNORI SHIMOHARA ◽  
OSAMU KATAI
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual

Agent-based models (ABMs) have been attracting the attention of researchers in the social sciences, becoming a prominent paradigm in the study of complex social systems. Although a great number of models have been proposed for studying a variety of social phenomena, no general agent design methodology is available. Moreover, it is difficult to validate the accuracy of these models. For this reason, we believe that some guidelines for ABMs design must be devised; therefore, this paper is a first attempt to analyze the levels of ABMs, identify and classify several aspects that should be considered when designing ABMs. Through our analysis, the following implications have been found: (1) there are two levels in designing ABMs: the individual level, related to the design of the agents' internal structure, and the collective level, which concerns the design of the agent society or macro-dynamics of the model; and (2) the mechanisms of these levels strongly affect the outcomes of the models.

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