About the Book

Experimental research is of great value to social work. Well-designed studies help social workers understand which approaches are most effective, with implications for both practice with individual clients and social policy more broadly. Many social work practitioners conduct studies that randomly assign clients to specific interventions and various control groups in order to assess policy outcomes. However, social work programs often do not teach experimental methods. Critics continue to assert that true experiments are impractical, unethical, or simply too blunt a tool to evaluate the effects of social work practices and policies.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of experimental research in the field of social work. Bruce A. Thyer describes the logic and design of experimental methods, helping readers understand the basics and then exploring increasingly complex and sophisticated research. He illustrates key principles through examples of how social workers have evaluated real-world practice approaches. The book considers recruitment and representation of marginalized groups, the ethical issues involved in the design and conduct of experiments, and how social work researchers can ensure that all participants in an experimental study benefit from effective care. An appendix contains a chronological listing of published studies authored by social workers who conducted experimental research. Accessible to social work undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students alike and valuable for professionals from clinical workers to policy analysts, this book demonstrates the utility of experimental research across the entire spectrum of social work practice.

Contents

Why Does Social Work Need Experimental Designs?

What Are Experiments?

The Philosophy of the Science of Experimental Designs

The Purpose of Experimental Designs

Posttest-Only Experimental Designs

Pretest–Posttest Experimental Designs

Refinements in Experimental Designs

Recruiting Participants from Diverse and Underrepresented Groups

Alternatives to Group-Randomized Designs for Making Causal Inferences

Ethical Considerations for the Use of Experimental Designs

About the Author / Editor

Bruce A. Thyer is a distinguished research professor and former dean at the College of Social Work at Florida State University as well as an extraordinary professor with the Optentia Research Unit, North-West University, South Africa. He is the editor of the journal Research on Social Work Practice and coeditor of the Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal.