Practice of Research in Social Work

Social work research provides valuable information to decision-makers in a variety of settings as well as supporting academic and theoretical work. Engel (U. of Pittsburgh) and Schutt (U. of Massachusetts) introduce students to both quantitative and qualitative methods of research. They cover the processes and problems, concepts, measurement, experiments, surveys, qualitative methods such as observing and participating, evaluation research, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, content analysis and reporting. Appendices include summaries of frequently cited research articles, tips on reading research, ways of finding information, and a list of web sites. The accompanying CD-ROM includes interactive exercises, an introduction to SPSS, data sets, survey links, and a link to the online study site. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Rafael J. Engel, Ph.D, is Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh. He has authored journal articles on such topics as poverty in later life, welfare benefits, and depressive symptomatology and he has written a variety of monographs reporting agency-based evaluations. His research experience includes funded research studies on faith-based organizations and employment in late life as well as funded evaluation research studies on welfare to work programs and drug and alcohol prevention programs.