Social Work Research Methods Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

Social Work Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Topic 3: What is the role of social work theory? Find out how theoretical terms are defined: http: //carbon. cudenver. edu/~mryder/itc/ defs. html • This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

Topic 3: What is the role of Social Work Theory? • • What is theory? How is theory similar to ideology? How is theory different from ideology? What are the parts of theory? How do facts differ from theory? What are the major theories in social work? How does theory relate to research? What is the role of diversity in theory? Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

What is Theory? • Theory is a system of interconnected abstractions or ideas that condense and organize knowledge about the social world. • Theories should be parsimonious (simple), internally consistent, and have clear criteria for their refutation. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

How is theory similar to ideology? • Both theory and ideology contain basic assumptions. • Both explain matters social work, and how and/or why it changes. • They both offer a system of concepts. • Both tell what circumstance causes what outcome. • Both of them provide an interconnected system of ideas. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

How is theory different from ideology? • Ideologies are absolute while theories are conditional. • Ideologies have all the answers, but theories are incomplete. • Ideologies are fixed, closed, and finished; theories are growing, open, and able to expand. • Ideologies avoid tests while theories welcome tests. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

How is theory different from ideology? Continued… • Ideologies ignore opposing evidence, and theories change because of opposing evidence. • Ideologies involve moral beliefs while theories are detached from personal beliefs. • Ideologies are highly partial, but theories are neutral. • Ideologies are inconsistent and theories seek congruity. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

What are the parts of theory? • Concepts are ideas expressed as symbols or in words having two parts: a word or a term and a definition of that word or term. • Concepts vary from concrete to abstract. • Concepts cluster together, forming a web of meaning for a theory, such as Weber’s theory of bureaucracy. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

Theory continued… • Theories specify how concepts are related to one another and why these relationships exist. • Sometimes theories specify a causal relationship, telling us why and how one thing or event causes another, i. e. increases in the size of social welfare organizations leads to increases in centralization. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

How do facts differ from theory? • An empiricist view sees theories as soft mental images involving values and beliefs while facts are hard, settled and observable. • A relativist view is the idea that the powerful influence of our thoughts often dictates what we observe as facts. We only know the world through our consciousness, and it is colored by our language and subcultures. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

What are the major theories in social work? • Psychodynamic-functional theory regards personality development and insights through conflicts. • Behaviorist-cognitive theories observe stimulus and response reactions, and conditioning. • Crisis Intervention-task centered theory states that occasional disruptions require pragmatic action. • Systems-ecological theory systems interact within bounded entities involving feedback and adaptation. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

Major theories in social work continued… • Humanist-existentialist-strengths theories state that individuals can transcend, grow, and move toward meaning. • Social justice-feminist-radical theory is a category of theories involving the control of scarce resources, and how that controls favors dominant groups, forcing disempowered groups to seek to gain hegemony by radical action. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

How does Theory relate to Research? • Theory frames how we look and think about a topic. • Theory provides background assumptions. • Theory is open to revision by new data. • Theory suggests ways to connect a single study to a broad class of explanations. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003

What is the role of Diversity and Social Work Theory? • New international perspectives suggest social work needs to update it’s theory to accommodate several issues. • There may not be one universal knowledge base for social work practice that will work globally. • Western conceptual frameworks favor “Androcentered” thinking, but broader assumptions are needed. Copyright @ Allyn & Bacon 2003