Contemplating Your Future

Discussion 2: Contemplating Your Future.

3 References and Citations

 

Week 11: Applying Knowledge of Research in Program Evaluation

While there is benefit to acquiring knowledge for its own sake, social work research and program evaluations are not merely academic exercises. Both social work research and the various types of program evaluations you have studied throughout this course should be used to directly improve day-to-day practice and service to clients. Social workers have the responsibility not only to conduct program evaluations and research but also share the knowledge they possess for the benefit of others. Modern technologies have given social workers the ability to quickly and easily share the results of their research and evaluation to improve social work practice on a large scale.

This week you analyze the process of sharing evaluation results with others. You also analyze the applicability of what you have learned in this course to your future as a social work student and working professional.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze the process of presenting evaluation results to others
• Evaluate strategies for presenting evaluation results to others
• Analyze the applicability of social work research and program evaluation to future goals

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Hendricks, G., & Barkley, W. (2012). Necessary, But Not Sufficient: The McKinney-Vento Act and Academic Achievement in North Carolina. Children & Schools, 34(3), 179-185.

 

Law, B., & Shek, D. (2011). Process Evaluation of a Positive Youth Development Program: Project P.A.T.H.S. Research on Social Work Practice, 21(5), 539-548.

 

Mallett, C. A. (2012). The school success program: improving maltreated children’s academic and school-related outcomes. Children & Schools, 34(1), 13-26.

 

Reupert, A., Foster, K., Maybery, D., Eddy, K., & Fudge, E. (2011). ‘Keeping families and children in mind’: An evaluation of a web-based workforce resource. Child & Family Social Work, 16(2), 192–200

 

 

Discussion 2: Contemplating Your Future

The NASW Code of Ethics makes a number of statements about social workers’ responsibility to study, use, and engage in research and evaluation. In the past, many social workers had difficulty thinking of themselves as knowledgeable and capable in research, despite completing the required research course in school. Think of yourself as a part of a new breed of social workers. You are completing your education at a point in time that places great emphasis on both research and evaluation. You also have greater access to published research than ever before. Research knowledge and skills are like muscles—if you do not use them, they will atrophy. You have an ethical obligation as a social worker to exercise and flex your research muscle. Consider how the NASW Code of Ethics guides your professional research.

 

Provide a 300-Word Discussion Post:

• an analysis of how you can apply new knowledge and skills related to research and evaluation, acquired in this course to your future career.
• Identify specific knowledge and strategies and how you intend to apply them.
• Identify those skills that you believe will be most applicable to achieving your future goals.