Social pedagogical research in Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-89
Author(s):  
Pascal Bastian ◽  
Barbara Lochner
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Clear Picture ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
German Research ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Pedagogical Research

The number of empirical studies on German social work makes it difficult to gain a clear picture of them all. The increasing academisation of education and the expansion of study programs also reveal an increase in social work research in Germany. This article traces this development and discusses open questions. In addition, it demonstrates the importance of qualitative research, in particular for the development of professional casework. The paper proposes a systematization of German research in the field of social work and discusses this systematization based on the example of a study. Finally, the paper presents some further aspects and recent developments.

Qualitative research skills acquisition within social work doctoral education using project-based learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 864-881
Author(s):  
Fan Yang ◽  
Quentin R Maynard ◽  
Sarah R Young ◽  
Jennifer L Kenney ◽  
Brad Barber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Doctoral Education ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Skills Acquisition ◽  
Research Traditions ◽  
Social Work Research

The future of social work research relies on the intellect and competence of current doctoral students. These future scholars who receive doctoral education that values qualitative inquiry will create a system where qualitative research traditions receive the same privilege as quantitative research traditions. Project-based learning provides learning opportunities that can challenge assumptions about what academia considers “real” research. This descriptive qualitative study explored key attributes of using project-based learning within two consecutive social work doctoral courses to encourage qualitative research skill development. Students and instructors participated in ideawriting and focus groups to assess the usefulness of PBL within these courses. The findings suggested that PBL may be useful for deepening knowledge about qualitative inquiry and reducing epistemological unconsciousness.

Improving outcomes with Qualitative Data Analysis Software: A reflective journey

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin G Oswald
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Analysis Software ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Now more than ever, qualitative social work researchers are being called upon to conduct increasingly complex, multifaceted, and intersectional research. Given the heightened complexity of social work research, it is necessary that scholars learn strategies to streamline the research process and digital tools for qualitative research are a mechanism to do so. In this paper, I share insights gleaned from personal experience working with Qualitative Data Analysis Software, specifically MAXQDA 12, to support a larger study that explored the social lives of older gay men. This paper highlights the various functions of MAXQDA 12 and how qualitative social work researchers can use the program to improve the research process and outcomes. Despite the rapid growth in production of digital tools for qualitative research there remains a dearth in studies that explicitly address how digital tools are used in the extant literature on qualitative research. This paper sheds light on this noted gap in the literature by exploring the functionality of MAXQDA 12 and how it can be applied to improve qualitative social work research.

Qualitative Research in the Chinese Social Work Academy: Optimism and Invisible Disadvantages

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1296-1316
Author(s):  
Yanfeng Xu ◽  
Corey Shdaimah ◽  
Fang Zhao ◽  
Deborah Gioia
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Institutional Review Boards ◽  
Early Developmental Stage ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Social Work Faculty ◽  
Methodological Challenges ◽  
Institutional Review

Abstract There has been much discussion about the contributions of qualitative research to social work knowledge, but the experiences of social work faculty engaged in qualitative research are rarely discussed. Social work is at the early developmental stage in China, which makes the country a useful laboratory to examine this question. The current study aimed to understand experiences of Chinese qualitative social work faculty and how their methodological orientation affected their career trajectories. Nine semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed. Thematic data analysis revealed three major themes: suitability, methodological challenges and structural barriers. Findings indicate that qualitative social work research has an optimistic future in China, but methodological challenges and structural barriers create invisible disadvantages. This study highlights the need for rigorous qualitative research training, including apprenticeship; translation of more qualitative learning materials into Chinese; and support for the purchase, training and use of qualitative software packages. The results also point to the need for institutional review boards or other ethical oversight mechanisms. More importantly, there must be greater consensus regarding what constitutes scientific rigour, which projects should be funded, what are evaluative criteria for publication, and whom to hire and promote.

scholarly journals A note on ‘image’ methodology for social work qualitative research: Socially inclusive research methods for service users

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-127
Author(s):  
Sarah Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Power Imbalance ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Social Work Values ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
The Social

Abstract: This note offers an analysis of the issues of the social contextual impact of research methodology. Here the author discusses the potential of using ‘image based’ data collection and analysis methods in social work research and in particular focuses on one possible method, ‘rich pictures’. Interest in the use of using image based methods is growing. The author considers the literature which underpins this approach, focussing on the challenges this might bring at all stages of the research process and offers a critique of the ethical and practical dilemmas involved. It will be suggested that such methods have the potential to shift the often criticised power imbalance in all research, including social work research. The author will discuss if this supplementary methodology might increase the ability of service users to participate in research. In this respect, it empathizes with service users who might prefer a non-verbal approach to research inquiry, with more of a range of responsiveness to researchers’ question. This note will argue for moving beyond only words in open-ended interviews by social workers to further explore the experiences of service users. As such its use may also be more in accord with the social work values of social justice.

scholarly journals Qualitative Research for Social Workers or Social Work for Qualitative Researchers?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Wulff
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Wide Applicability ◽  
Research Context ◽  
Traditional Research

Deborah Padgett’s new edition of Qualitative Methods in Social Work Research significantly updates and expands her initial edition. This qualitative research text will be a welcomed addition to social work research courses. While becoming a more inclusive text with wide applicability for the research context today, the author only hints at some of the more contentious or evolving issues that continue to make the field of qualitative research challenging to traditional research approaches. Several places/issues of growth and evolution are suggested by this reviewer.

Feminist social work research engaging with poststructural ideas

2008 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 599-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Wendt ◽  
Jane Boylan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Public Care ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Violence Conjugale ◽  
Travail Social ◽  
Services Sociaux

English This article draws on two empirical studies, one with women who had experienced domestic violence and the other with children and young people in public care. It presents reflections by two feminist social workers on how poststructuralism influenced their research practices in social work. French Cet article fait appel à deux études empiriques; la première auprès de femmes victimes de violence conjugale et la seconde auprès d'enfants et d'adolescents pris en charge par les services sociaux. Il présente les réflexions de deux travailleuses sociales féministes sur la façon dont le poststructuralisme a influencé leurs recherches en travail social. Spanish Este artículo llama la atención sobre dos estudios empíricos, uno con mujeres que tuvieron experiencias de violencia doméstica y el otro con niños y gente joven con cuidados públicos. Presenta reflexiones de dos trabajadoras sociales feministas, sobre cómo el post-estructuralismo ha influenciado sus prácticas de investigación en trabajo social.

Making space for the participant with complex communication (access) needs in social work research

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 827-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betty-Jean Dee-Price
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Disability Rights ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Inclusive Practice

Despite the advancement of disability rights and augmentative and alternative communication, people with complex communication access needs (CCAN) are often absent from social work, and other qualitative study cohorts. After exploring the underlying reasons for this, the purpose of the study was to investigate successful exceptions of prior research in the field and to bring these together with the findings from a group of 10 participants with CCAN who reveal what they believe is needed to include people with CCAN in qualitative research. These insights are applied specifically to the context of social work research so as to advance an alignment between the ethos of the profession and inclusive practice.

Experimental and Quasi- Experimental Design

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles L. Usher
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Experimental Research ◽  
Central Place ◽  
The Body ◽  
Experimental Designs ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Social Interventions ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Experimental and quasi-experimental research provides the foundation for all evidence-based practice systems that seek to identify and promote the use of social work practices of demonstrated effectiveness. This reflects the prevailing perspective that experimental research is the only definitive basis for claims that certain outcomes can be altered by the effects of a given intervention. At this point in the evolution of social work research, however, the body of work based on experimentation is not extensive. In response to the challenges of implementing experiments related to social interventions, researchers have developed new approaches, such as group randomized designs. Also, newly developed statistical methods may provide ways to control the selection bias inherent in quasi-experimental designs. This entry explores the central place of experimental and quasi-experimental designs in social work research, the challenges of using them, and recent developments that may expand their use.

‘Proud of what I do but often … I would be happier to say I drive trucks’: Ambiguity in social workers’ self-perception

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 530-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Beddoe ◽  
Barbara L Staniforth ◽  
Christa B Fouché
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Public ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Professional Registration

A public perception of social work research programme commenced 10 years after the introduction of limited professional registration of social workers in New Zealand. A first study explored public perceptions of social workers via a telephone survey. In a second study, social workers were asked, amongst other questions, how they thought the public would respond to the same questions about their profession that were asked in the first survey. An online survey accessed the views of 403 social workers and generated rich quantitative and qualitative responses, including to two very specific open questions (the focus of this article), first about social workers’ expression of pride and second, felt stigma as potentially encountered in their professional and personal domains. These two concepts, pride and stigma, constitute organising constructs in this article, along with aspects of professional identity expressed in participants’ imagining of the public view: ambivalence, hard work, difficult journeys, professional virtues, and being misunderstood. The complexity of a social work professional identity is further examined.

Reflections on the use of a psychoanalytically informed interview approach for a study exploring how children’s services professionals experience the suffering of parents

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip John Archard
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Free Association ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Mental Health Nursing ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Children’S Services ◽  
Health Nursing ◽  
Interviewing Technique

Hollway and Jefferson’s free association narrative interview method is an approach to qualitative research interviewing that draws on concepts and practices traditionally associated with psychoanalytic therapy. Owing to this “psychosocial” framework, the method is an attractive proposition to psychodynamically orientated practitioner-researchers and various studies by researchers in counselling and clinical psychology and the allied fieldsof social work and mental health nursing have made use of the method or aspects of it. In this article, I describe and reflect on the completion of one study informed by the method which sought to explore how professionals working in English local authority children’s services experience the suffering of parents. Specifically, I am concerned with some of the more practical issues involved in doing the research. The topics covered comprise gaining access to and interviewing a suitable sample of professionals; interviewing technique and the analysis of interview material; and the role of researcher reflexivity and the use of the researcher’s “countertransference” experience (with a specific concern for boredom).Overall, the article contributes to furthering thinking about this method as a tool of social work research and what it means to do qualitative research and research interviews with social work practitioners in a psychoanalytically informed way.

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