Reflections on the use of a psychoanalytically informed interview approach for a study exploring how children’s services professionals experience the suffering of parents

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip John Archard
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Free Association ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Mental Health Nursing ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Children’S Services ◽  
Health Nursing ◽  
Interviewing Technique

Hollway and Jefferson’s free association narrative interview method is an approach to qualitative research interviewing that draws on concepts and practices traditionally associated with psychoanalytic therapy. Owing to this “psychosocial” framework, the method is an attractive proposition to psychodynamically orientated practitioner-researchers and various studies by researchers in counselling and clinical psychology and the allied fieldsof social work and mental health nursing have made use of the method or aspects of it. In this article, I describe and reflect on the completion of one study informed by the method which sought to explore how professionals working in English local authority children’s services experience the suffering of parents. Specifically, I am concerned with some of the more practical issues involved in doing the research. The topics covered comprise gaining access to and interviewing a suitable sample of professionals; interviewing technique and the analysis of interview material; and the role of researcher reflexivity and the use of the researcher’s “countertransference” experience (with a specific concern for boredom).Overall, the article contributes to furthering thinking about this method as a tool of social work research and what it means to do qualitative research and research interviews with social work practitioners in a psychoanalytically informed way.

Qualitative research skills acquisition within social work doctoral education using project-based learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 864-881
Author(s):  
Fan Yang ◽  
Quentin R Maynard ◽  
Sarah R Young ◽  
Jennifer L Kenney ◽  
Brad Barber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Doctoral Education ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Skills Acquisition ◽  
Research Traditions ◽  
Social Work Research

The future of social work research relies on the intellect and competence of current doctoral students. These future scholars who receive doctoral education that values qualitative inquiry will create a system where qualitative research traditions receive the same privilege as quantitative research traditions. Project-based learning provides learning opportunities that can challenge assumptions about what academia considers “real” research. This descriptive qualitative study explored key attributes of using project-based learning within two consecutive social work doctoral courses to encourage qualitative research skill development. Students and instructors participated in ideawriting and focus groups to assess the usefulness of PBL within these courses. The findings suggested that PBL may be useful for deepening knowledge about qualitative inquiry and reducing epistemological unconsciousness.

Improving outcomes with Qualitative Data Analysis Software: A reflective journey

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin G Oswald
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Analysis Software ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Now more than ever, qualitative social work researchers are being called upon to conduct increasingly complex, multifaceted, and intersectional research. Given the heightened complexity of social work research, it is necessary that scholars learn strategies to streamline the research process and digital tools for qualitative research are a mechanism to do so. In this paper, I share insights gleaned from personal experience working with Qualitative Data Analysis Software, specifically MAXQDA 12, to support a larger study that explored the social lives of older gay men. This paper highlights the various functions of MAXQDA 12 and how qualitative social work researchers can use the program to improve the research process and outcomes. Despite the rapid growth in production of digital tools for qualitative research there remains a dearth in studies that explicitly address how digital tools are used in the extant literature on qualitative research. This paper sheds light on this noted gap in the literature by exploring the functionality of MAXQDA 12 and how it can be applied to improve qualitative social work research.

scholarly journals Evaluating Qualitative Research for Social Work Practitioners

10.18060/589 ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia A. Lietz ◽  
Luis E. Zayas
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Qualitative Research Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Work Knowledge

The field of social work expects practitioners remain well informed regarding research advances in their respective areas. Research studies conducted through the lens of qualitative inquiry provide important contributions to the social work knowledge base. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide practitioners some orientation regarding qualitative research methods and to highlight potential strategies researchers may use to enhance the trustworthiness and quality of their research. Specifically, the concept of trustworthiness is defined in the context of qualitative inquiry and questions social work practitioners can ask when evaluating the quality and applicability of a qualitative research study are provided.

Hidden and ignored: Older sexual and gender minorities in New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-109
Author(s):  
David Betts ◽  
Jane Maidment ◽  
Nikki Evans
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Work ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minorities ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Gender Minorities ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Mainstream Society ◽  
And Gender

This article explores the experiences of a frequently ignored and underrepresented population in social work research – older sexual and gender minorities. Reporting on findings from a larger research project with older LGBTQ+ people in New Zealand, thirty-one participants between the ages of 60 and 80 were interviewed about their experiences of social connectedness, stigma, and discrimination. Findings highlight that older sexual and gender minorities were twice made invisible. They felt excluded by mainstream society based on their age, as well as their sexual and gender identities. Implications include a need to incorporate intersectional perspectives when working with both older adults and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Social work practitioners also need to consider the multifaceted and compounding identities of their clients with diverse experiences.Keywords: sexual and gender minorities; older adults; New Zealand; invisibility; social work

What creates the public’s impression of social work and how can we improve it?

2021 ◽  
pp. 147332502199210
Author(s):  
Barbara Staniforth ◽  
Slade C Dellow ◽  
Catherine Scheffer
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Social Work Practitioners

This paper presents results from a study in Aotearoa New Zealand 1 which explored the ideas of social work practitioners on public perceptions of social work and how to improve them. This qualitative research was part of a Master’s project for two of the authors and followed on from two previous quantitative studies on this topic in Aotearoa. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 social work practitioners. Thematic analysis was used to create themes concerning what the perceived public perception was, what contributed to it, and how to improve it. The findings have implications for being better able to understand factors that contribute to the public perception of social work so that it may be improved, for increasing the public’s understanding of social work, and for recruitment of students into the profession.

Social pedagogical research in Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-89
Author(s):  
Pascal Bastian ◽  
Barbara Lochner
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Clear Picture ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
German Research ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Pedagogical Research

The number of empirical studies on German social work makes it difficult to gain a clear picture of them all. The increasing academisation of education and the expansion of study programs also reveal an increase in social work research in Germany. This article traces this development and discusses open questions. In addition, it demonstrates the importance of qualitative research, in particular for the development of professional casework. The paper proposes a systematization of German research in the field of social work and discusses this systematization based on the example of a study. Finally, the paper presents some further aspects and recent developments.

Qualitative Research in the Chinese Social Work Academy: Optimism and Invisible Disadvantages

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1296-1316
Author(s):  
Yanfeng Xu ◽  
Corey Shdaimah ◽  
Fang Zhao ◽  
Deborah Gioia
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Institutional Review Boards ◽  
Early Developmental Stage ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Social Work Faculty ◽  
Methodological Challenges ◽  
Institutional Review

Abstract There has been much discussion about the contributions of qualitative research to social work knowledge, but the experiences of social work faculty engaged in qualitative research are rarely discussed. Social work is at the early developmental stage in China, which makes the country a useful laboratory to examine this question. The current study aimed to understand experiences of Chinese qualitative social work faculty and how their methodological orientation affected their career trajectories. Nine semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed. Thematic data analysis revealed three major themes: suitability, methodological challenges and structural barriers. Findings indicate that qualitative social work research has an optimistic future in China, but methodological challenges and structural barriers create invisible disadvantages. This study highlights the need for rigorous qualitative research training, including apprenticeship; translation of more qualitative learning materials into Chinese; and support for the purchase, training and use of qualitative software packages. The results also point to the need for institutional review boards or other ethical oversight mechanisms. More importantly, there must be greater consensus regarding what constitutes scientific rigour, which projects should be funded, what are evaluative criteria for publication, and whom to hire and promote.

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