scholarly journals Australian Social Work Research: An Empirical Study of Engagement and Impact

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Tilbury ◽  
Christine Bigby ◽  
Mike Fisher ◽  
Mark Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
End Users ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Academic Impact ◽  
Social Work Research

Abstract Internationally, non-academic research impact is assessed by governments as part of evaluating the quality of publicly funded research. A case study method was used to investigate the non-academic impact of Australian social work research. Interviews were conducted with fifteen leading researchers about outputs (research products, such as publications and reports), engagement (interaction between researchers and end-users outside academia to transfer knowledge, methods or resources) and impact (social or economic contributions of research). Twelve case studies were prepared using a standardised template. Content analysis highlighted examples of impact, and theoretical and in vivo coding uncovered processes of engagement and impact. Different types of engagements with research end-users influenced impact in three areas: legislation and policy; practices and service delivery; and quality of life of community members. Engagement and impact were intertwined as research altered policy discourses and illuminated hidden social issues, preparing ground for subsequent, more direct impact. Likewise, academic and non-academic impacts were intertwined as research rigour and academic credibility were perceived to leverage influence. There was no evidence of achieving impact simply through the trickle-down effect of scholarly publication. The findings broaden understandings of how research influences policy and practice and iterative and indirect relationships between engagement and impact.

Research End-User Perspectives about Using Social Work Research in Policy and Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Tilbury ◽  
Mark Hughes ◽  
Christine Bigby ◽  
Mike Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
End Users ◽  
Research Translation ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Research Engagement ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
User Perspectives

Abstract Research funding and assessment initiatives that foster engagement between researchers and research end-users have been adopted by governments in many countries. They aim to orient research towards achieving measurable impacts that improve economic and social well-being beyond academia. This has long been regarded as important in social work research, as it has in many fields of applied research. This study examined research engagement and impact from the perspective of research end-users working in human services. In-person or telephone interviews were conducted with forty-three research end-users about how they used research and interacted with researchers. Content analysis was undertaken to identify engagement strategies and thematic coding was employed to examine underpinning ideas about research translation into practice. Participants were involved in many types of formal and informal research engagements. They viewed research translation as a mutual responsibility but indicated that researchers should do more to improve the utility of their research for industry. The findings highlight the iterative nature of engagement and impact and raise questions about the infrastructure for scaling up impact beyond relationships between individual researchers and their industry partners.

How Twitter is changing the meaning of scholarly impact and engagement: Implications for qualitative social work research

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria F Burns ◽  
Anne Blumenthal ◽  
Kathleen C Sitter
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Public Realm ◽  
Knowledge Mobilization ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Scholarly Impact ◽  
Perspective Drawing

Social media technologies continue to change the academic landscape. Twitter has become particularly popular in research arenas including social work and is being used for fieldwork, knowledge mobilization activities, advocacy, and professional networking. Although there has been some consideration of the benefits and risks of using social media in academia, little has been written from a qualitative social work perspective. Drawing on the example of Twitter, this article redresses this gap in the literature, by exploring how social media is changing the way research is conducted and promoted in relation to (1) measuring scholarly impact via altmetrics; (2) engaging with research participants; (3) networking and making collegial connections; and (4) advocating for social issues in the public realm. As we highlight tensions in each of these four areas, a key concern is how and for whom social media is contributing to the changing meaning of scholarly impact and engagement in research communities. We draw specific attention to how the inequalities that exist in academia writ large may be amplified on social media thus affecting overall engagement and perceived impact for researchers from marginalized social locations (e.g. gender, race, sexual orientation). We conclude by discussing specific implications of using social media in qualitative social work research and provide suggestions for future areas of inquiry.

scholarly journals Data science for social work practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 205979911881439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Cariceo ◽  
Murali Nair ◽  
Jay Lytton
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Data Driven Decisions ◽  
Social Work Interventions ◽  
Key Terms

Data science is merging of several techniques that include statistics, computer programming, hacking skills, and a solid expertise in specific fields, among others. This approach represents opportunities for social work research and intervention. Thus, practitioners can take advantage of data science methods and reach new standards for quality performances at different practice levels. This article addresses key terms of data science as a new set of methodologies, tools, and technologies, and discusses machine learning techniques in order to identify new skills and methodologies to support social work interventions and evidence-based practice. The challenge related to data sciences application on social work practice is the shift on the focus of interventions. Data science supports data-driven decisions to predict social issues, rather than providing an understanding of reasons for social problems. This can be both a limitation and an opportunity depending on context and needs of users and professionals.

Trabajo Social en Vivienda: Investigación sobre calidad de vida percibida [Housing Social Work: Research on perceived quality of life]

Portularia ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Barranco ◽  
María Candelaria Delgado-Toledo ◽  
Carlos Melin-Marchal ◽  
Rubén Quintana-Martín
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Perceived Quality ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Calidad De Vida ◽  
Perceived Quality Of Life ◽  
Trabajo Social

Evaluating Social Work: Progress and Prospects

1997 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Cheetham
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Evaluative Research ◽  
Evidence Of Impact

Within the past decade, evaluative research has achieved an established and well-regarded place within the repertoire of social work inquiry. Although increasingly wide-ranging and methodologically sophisticated, social work evaluation still has to contend with important challenges. These include taking greater account of the several audiences of research, namely, service users, practitioners, and policy makers; developing, through a variety of research methods, the range and quality of evidence of impact; and drawing research, policy, and practice into closer union. To reach its full potential, social work research must focus both on individuals and their social worlds and must therefore be firmly rooted in the social sciences.

Capturing/captured by stories of marginalized young people: Direct scribing and dialogic narrative analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kennedy Saldanha ◽  
Lynn Nybell
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Young People ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Youth Voice ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Practice Experience ◽  
Significant Movement ◽  
The Social ◽  
Seminal Article

Examining the results of the “narrative turn” in social work in their seminal article for Qualitative Research in 2005, Riessman and Quinney found themselves disappointed with the size and quality of the research corpus they reviewed. However, they also identified three exemplars of promising work, including the research of Faye Martin (Martin, 1998). Riessman and Quinney highlighted Martin’s narrative-gathering strategy, devised on the basis of her practice experience and dubbed “direct scribing.” The direct scribing method of narrative data collection disciplines the work of the researcher, who becomes the “scribe,” and elaborates the roles of the interviewees as authors of the narratives that they create. This article on capturing (and being captured by) the narratives of marginalized young people is situated in an increasingly significant movement in the social work literature that promotes giving voice to young people, so that they may have their views taken into account. We highlight the benefits of direct scribing as a means of narrative-gathering in social work and then address the challenge of interpreting these narratives, drawing on examples from our research. We suggest connections between direct scribing and the interpretive approach of dialogic narrative analysis as a method of interpretation that requires “letting stories breathe.” (Frank, 2010). The aim of this contribution is to describe specific ways in which linking direct scribing and dialogical narrative analysis may contribute to the advancement of narrative research in social work, and, in particular, to the enhancement of efforts to amplify “youth voice” in social work policy and practice.

Professional Collaboration Networks as a Social Work Research Practice Innovation: Preparing DSW Students for Knowledge Dissemination Roles in a Digital Society

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-52
Author(s):  
Melanie Sage ◽  
Laurel Iverson Hitchcock ◽  
Louanne Bakk ◽  
Jimmy Young ◽  
Dorlee Michaeli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Professional Collaboration ◽  
Collaboration Networks ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Problems And Solutions

In professional disciplines, gaps often exist between research and practice. This occurs because of a lack of information exchange between stakeholders about various knowledge of problems and solutions. Implementation science offers systematic strategies for addressing gaps. One potential way to close gaps is by using professional collaboration networks (PCNs), which are technology-mediated, user-centered relationship constellations designed to enhance connections and professional opportunities. These participatory networks are goal-specific, extending across disciplinary and international borders. PCN users can keep current on empirical developments, disseminate knowledge, connect to others for collaboration and mentoring, and expand in-person networks. They allow social workers to contribute their unique knowledge of social systems across interdisciplinary contexts and contribute to conversations about social. This article explores the development of PCNs as a tool for social work researchers, practitioners, and students. PCNs in social work education are explored, including relevance to lifelong professional learning and enhancing research impact.

Social Work Research in Chile: Tensions and Challenges under the ‘Knowledge Economy’ and Managerialist Research Agendas

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianinna Muñoz-Arce ◽  
Gabriela Rubilar-Donoso
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
International Literature ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Context Specific

Abstract Research has been a contested dimension of Chilean social work. An important turn occurred in 2008 when Chilean national research policies—highly influenced by managerialist approaches—increased opportunities for social workers to conduct research. Several efforts have been made by academics and professional social work organisations to encourage research as a means of gaining recognition as a discipline. Drawing upon a thematic literature review from a Chilean-based study on social workers’ research trajectories, this article contends that, despite the value of such efforts, there are some tensions related to the acritical adoption of such a managerialist approach on social work research that need further attention: (i) research does not have the same value for all social work sectors; (ii) social work research is mainly understood as ‘academic’ research; and (iii) social workers’ research does not necessarily have a ‘social work focus’. These findings are discussed in light of the historical background of Chilean social work and the insights provided by the international literature, from which we conclude that the creation of more inclusive and collaborative ways of conducting research is an urgent challenge. Findings are context-specific, yet, offer considerations for social work research seeking to counteract managerial approaches of knowledge production.

scholarly journals The Current Status of Social Work Science and Research: A Review of the Literature and Its Implications for Post-Soviet Countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Shorena Sadzaglishvili
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Science And Research ◽  
Modern Status

This paper offers a review of the major literature about the modern status of social work as a science within the American and European contexts and its implications for post-Soviet countries where social work is an emerging profession. It identifies the most appropriate types of social work research (e.g. translational research) that can be used for bridging the science and service communities to directly affect the provision of services across different social work sectors. It also provides historical analysis of the various organizations within European and American social work to show their pivotal role in improving the scope and quality of social work research and consequently, social work as a science. And finally it suggests ways of increasing visibility of social work as science in post-Soviet countries through development of sound social work doctoral programs.

Enriching social work research through architectural multisensory methods: Strategies for connecting the built environment and human experience

2020 ◽  
pp. 147332502092445
Author(s):  
Alison L Grittner ◽  
Victoria F Burns
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Spatial Justice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Relationship

Scholars have called for greater emphasis on the physical environment to expand social work research, policy, and practice; however, there has been little focus on the role of the built environment. Redressing this gap in the literature, this methodological paper explicates how four multisensory research methods commonly used in architecture—sketch walks, photography, spatial visualization, and mapping—can be used in social work research to create a greater understanding of the complex, interconnected, and multidimensional nature of built environments in relationship to human experience. The methods explored in this paper provide social work researchers with a methodological conduit to explore the relationship between the built environment and vulnerable populations, understand and advocate for spatial justice, and participate knowledgeably in interdisciplinary policy realms involving the built environment and marginalized populations.

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