Abstract
Social workers are trained to be reflective in evaluating their practice. They routinely use a rich variety of information to make assessments and guide future actions. These skills in uniting multiple sources of ‘data’ to inform activity are well aligned with the skills used in undertaking mixed methods research. This chapter will illustrate how social workers may purposefully select and use multiple sources of data to better understand a practice problem in context or to evaluate a solution. Specifically, we will offer frameworks for how to approach four common research and evaluation tasks: (1) Needs analysis; (2) Developing measures and interventions; (3) Evaluation of services; and (4) Policy appraisal. For each of these, we will discuss how two or more complementary sources of data might be used to illuminate the issue at hand. Illustrative case examples will be provided from the substance use field. The chapter will conclude with reflections on how undertaking mixed methods research lends itself to interdisciplinary collaboration, mirroring inter-professional partnerships often required in social work practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Handbook of Research Methods in Social Work |
| Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd |
| Pages | 184-196 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781035310173 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781035310166 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2025 |
Keywords
- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Mixed methods
- Research design
- Social work