Research Methods for Social Workers

by Bonnie L. Yegidis, Robert W. Weinbach

The authors are social work instructors who understand the realities of social work practice and have included many social work practice examples. The book is ideal for readers with little or no prior knowledge of research. This edition infuses content in three major areas. First, qualitative research methods are discussed and appropriate examples are offered throughout the book. Secondly, research to evaluate practice, while still the focus of the last two chapters, is discussed alongside research for building a professional knowledge base at many points throughout the book. Third, discussion of ethical issues appears throughout. It receives special emphasis in the discussions of program evaluations and single system research. For social workers who need an introduction to research methods.

Genres: Textbooks, Social Work, Read For School

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Miranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was assigned as required reading for my Master of Social Work coursework ("Generalist Social Work Research").

This book does a good job at breaking down social work research as a whole. This would not be a great guide for someone wishing to conduct their own research, but it does a good job at what it sets out to do: provide a general overview.

However, the organization of this book did not, at times, make sense. For example, evaluation is discussed in the middle of the book, before data collection. Additionally, this book did not find a good balance between over and underexplaining. Some parts contained so much technical jargon that they would be unreadable to someone with no research background. Other parts either entirely ignored or glazed over key parts of the research process.