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Instructor:
Email:
ec0676@wayne.edu
Day:
Phone/text:
248-790-1378
Location:
University Center
Office hours:
By appointment
Room:
TBD
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COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is a continuation of S W 3810. The course includes information on the integration of inferential statistics and components of quantitative and qualitative designs appropriate for evaluating service delivery and related policy.
This course builds on and expands knowledge and skills for social work research covered in SW 3810, including the application of data analysis and statistical techniques,
and the use the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).
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COURSE COMPETENCIES AND PRACTICE BEHAVIORS FOR THIS COURSE
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Competency 10: Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families,
groups, organizations, and communities
Practice Behaviors:
ASSESSMENT: A1. collect, organize and interpret client data
Required Text:
Rubin, A. (2013). Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice and Evaluation. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Required Software:
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is available to students for
FREE at the WSU Software clearinghouse:
https://commerce.wayne.edu/clearinghouse/customer/account/login/
For further assistance with installing SPSS, contact C&IT support at (313)
577-4778 or at
helpdesk@wayne.edu
Recommended Text:
Rubin, A. & Babbie, E. (2013). Essential research methods for social work. Independence, KY: Cengage Learning (You may utilize the earlier edition of Rubin
& Babbie that was purchased in previous semester)
INTRODUCTION:
Specific topics include:
1. An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics with particular emphasis placed on bivariate analyses.
2. Ethical and human diversity issues associated with analyzing and interpreting
data collected from culturally diverse, disenfranchised, and at-risk populations.
3. Specific emphasis will be given to the use of practice knowledge to inform social work research and the use of research findings to inform social work practice.
Performance Criteria:
Through written assignments, quizzes [or tests] and class participation, the students will be expected to achieve the competencies identified above.
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Grading and Assignments
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Assignment
Percentage
Points
Competencies
10%
100
3,6,10
Test #1
25%
100
3,6,10
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Test #2
25%
100
3,6,10
20%
250
3, 10
20%
250
6,10
Total
100%
800
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BENCHMARK ASSIGNMENTS
Measurement Assignment:
Students will demonstrate the ability to develop measurement tools and apply understanding of practice context and peer-reviewed literature as they relate to measurement. Students will convey understanding of the concepts of level of measurement
and show the ability to translate measurement instruments to SPSS data format.
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Grading Policy:
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Students may pass the course with a grade of D but must maintain a C average during
the junior and senior year. (See Undergraduate Bulletin, Wayne State University
http://www.bulletins.wayne.edu/ubk-output/index.html)
Grade distribution:
100-95 A
94.9-90 A-
89.9-87 B+
86.9-83 B
82.9-80 B-
79.9-77 C+
79.9-77 C+
76.9-73 C
72.9-70 C-
69.9-67 D+
66.9-63 D
62.9-60 D-
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ORGANIZATION OF THE COURSE
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2.
3.
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5.
6.
7.
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ROLE OF THE STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR
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See University Statement of Obligation of Students and Faculty Members of the teaching - learning process
http://www.bulletins.wayne.edu/fib/fib2d.html
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WSU STUDENT RESOURCES
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POLICIES FOR THIS COURSE
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The Universitys policy on attendance states, Students are expected to attend all sessions of courses for which they are registered and to notify the
instructor or his or her secretary prior to the class sessions, if possible,
when the student may be absent due to illness or similar emergency.
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In addition to attending all class sessions, students should arrive for class on
time. Students who arrive late miss important information and disturb their
classmates. Students are expected to complete assigned reading and come
prepared to participate in classroom discussions. Please note that attendance and participation are worth 10% of your grade.
6. Assignments and Grades
Scores earned for graded assignments and/or quizzes determine final course
grades. Handouts, distributed in class, specify the criteria used to assess
student performance on graded assignments.
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All assignments are due on the date specified by the instructor. Late assignments are penalized by 10% points off the points earned. Deadline for
submission of late assignments is no later than 24 hours before the next
class. Exceptions can be made in extreme circumstances. To avoid the late
penalty contact the instructor at least 48 hours before the assignment is
due and request an extension. Make-up examinations are available only under unusual and unavoidable circumstances.
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Content
Reading
Unit 1
Rubin: Chapter
1
Unit 2
Rubin: Chapter
2
Chapter
3
Chapter
5
Unit 3
Unit 4
Rubin: Chapter 7
Chapter
11
Chapter
12
Unit 5
Rubin: Chapter
10
Unit 6
Rubin: Chapter
4
Chapter
6
Chapter
8
Chapter
9
Unit 7
Rubin: Chapter
16
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Unit 8
T-Tests
Rubin: Chapter
14
Unit 9
Correlation
Rubin: Chapter
13
Chapter
17
Unit 10
Rubin: Chapter
15
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Assignment
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Due for review
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Final Due date
September 3
Part 2: Survey
September 17
Part 3: Codebook
September 24
September 24
October 1
October 8
October 15 - October 29
Part 3: Report
December 3
October 22 November 19
Exams
Mid-term
Final
October 8
December 10
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Articles
Throughout the semester, you will each bring in two articles to present to the class.
The first is a peer reviewed article and you will briefly present the tips and
tails to the class.
The second is a research related article from the news or other media. You
will briefly present the article and its relevance to research and whether or
not it is valid research.
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This is part of your participation and attendance.
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Assignment #1
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Part 1. Paper: Approximately 2-3 page paper that provides a justification or rationale
for why you are recommending use of this survey tool. Your justification should include:
A. Description of the agency setting, services provided in the program and
client population and brief discussion of how this impacts measurement,
B. Conceptual definition of the outcomes assessed and discussion of why they
are selected,
C. At least one peer-reviewed article that speaks to some element of measurement. That article should be attached to your assignment.
Part 2. Survey: A survey instrument measuring the desired client outcome(s) (approximately one page)
A. It should be formatted as if you were going to administer the survey to a
client
B. Response options and instructions on how to complete the survey should be
included.
Question #15 in the survey: How satisfied are you with your job?
Variable label: Q15JobSat
Variable description: Satisfaction with Job
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Part 4. Data set Setup: Create a SPSS data set. Your SPSS data set should include:
A. The name of the variable. The name of the variable should be directly linked
to the question as indicated in the codebook. The name of the variable in the
codebook and the SPSS file should be the same.
B. A label for the variable that is appropriate for the variable.
C. The values for that variable
D. Values to be entered for missing data
E. The appropriate level of measurement (nominal, ordinal, scale).
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Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to assess students ability to compute and interpret
descriptive and inferential statistical analyses using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Ultimately, this assignment is designed to strengthen students
practice evaluation skills by enhancing their overall data analysis and interpretation
skills and competencies.
General Information
Review the variables in the dataset provided by the instructor.
Explore the variables in the dataset and choose several that may be of interest to you
for the assignment. Ultimately, you will be testing hypotheses that relate two (or
more) variables. With this in mind, you will need to select variables that have the appropriate level of measurement for the three statistical tests outlined below.
You may work in pairs or groups for this assignment. However, keep in mind that your
write-up should be original and reflect your own work!
Assignment Requirements
Part I Pose three research questions concerning the relationship between variables
in the data set. The requirements for each type of question are described below.
You will need to provide a planning table for each of your analyses (see example
on next page).
Question #1. One question must examine the relationship between two variables
that are nominal or ordinal-level. (Chi Square)
Question #2. One question must test for statistically significant correlations between interval or ratio-level variables. (Correlation)
Question #3. One question must test for statistically significant differences between the means of two groups. (T-test)
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Question #4. One question must test for statistically significant differences between the means of three or more groups (ANOVA).
Part I Example:
Data Presentation Assignment, Part I
Research Questions, null and alternative hypotheses
1. Pearson r
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Statistical Test
Example of
Independent
Variable (level of
measurement)
Pearson r
(correlation)
Years of education
(ratio)
Number of TV hours
(ratio)
Chi-Square
Gender (nominal)
Religious affiliation
(nominal)
ANOVA
Number of TV Hours
(ratio)
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Part 2. Submit the Output file based on your research questions and planning table
submitted for part I. Your instructor will review and grade your output file and give
feedback on your analysis prior to completion of part III.
n (%)
Gender
Male
44 (50%)
Female
44 (50%)
Race
Black
22 (25%)
White
44 (50%)
Other
22 (25%)
Mean
SD
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2.
88
34.4
5.3
Years of Education
84
12.5
7.7
Other Important
Demographic Variable
88
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C. Write a brief one-paragraph summary of the data presented in the descriptive statistics table. The summary should not simply restate the statistics presented in the table. Instead, the summary should direct the reader to the most important statistics while summarizing the statistics for all
variables presented in the table.
D. Discuss the degree to which this sample could be considered representative.
E. Discuss how the sample characteristics might impact generalizability.
Bivariate Analysis
A. State the research question.
B. Describe the statistical techniques you used to answer the research
question.
C. Conduct appropriate analyses for each of the three research questions and report the findings in APA format. Present appropriate tables or charts to illustrate the results of your analysis. Consult the
APA manual for guidance. Please note that simply copying and pasting SPSS output is not appropriate APA format!
D. Write a brief one-paragraph summary of the meaning of the results.
Briefly summarize the meaning of the data in terms of statistical and
practical significance. What were the significant differences or relationships? Are they meaningful? Consider the strength and direction of relationships, the amount of variance explained and the meaning of differences.
Note: Bivariate Analysis Section. For each bivariate analysis (item 2C), you
should do the following:
Step 1. State a null and alternative hypothesis for each statistical test, and
the significance level you are establishing for rejecting the null hypothesis.
Please state the independent and dependent variables for each of your hypotheses.
Step 2. Describe the statistical techniques you used to answer the research
question.
Step 3. Present appropriate results of your analysis (see additional notes,
next page).
(Dont just copy the examples that the instructor has presented in class. Come up
with your own research inquiries that YOU find interesting!)
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3. Implications
Discuss the real world significance of the results of your analyses.
How can these findings inform further research on the topics that
you explored in your analysis? What additional relationships should
be examined?
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Assignment #1 Grading Rubric
Measurement in Social Work Research
Your assignment will be graded based on the assignment requirements and grading
criteria.
General Criteria:
1. Thoroughness of the paper.
2. The appropriateness of the outcome measure for your practice context and
population.
3. Quality of the paper with regard to writing. Your paper should be succinct and
clearly written. You should proof read your paper carefully.
Part 1. Provide a justification or rationale for why you are recommending use of this
survey tool. Your justification should include:
A. Description of the agency setting, services provided in the program and client population and brief discussion of how this impacts measurement.
Did the student do a good job telling me about the agency setting, client population, and the impact of the measurement?
B. Conceptual definition of the outcomes assessed and discussion of why they are selected.
After reading the paper do I understand what outcomes the student is looking
for and why they thought these outcomes were important?
C. At least one peer-reviewed article that speaks to some element of measurement.
That article should be attached to your assignment.
Did the student pick a strong peer-reviewed article that addresses the outcome they have chosen to measure?
Did the student incorporate information from the article into their own measure?
Part 2. A survey instrument measuring the desired client outcome(s) (approximately
one page)
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Do the questions appear to be asked in a manner that is clear and easy for
client to understand (no double barreled questions)?
B. Response options and instructions on how to complete the survey should be included
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Are their instructions included at the beginning of the survey and are they
clear and understandable?
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Part 3: SPSS codebook
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A. Include the variable name associated with each question on the survey.
Does the variable have a name and is it easy to understand? 3 points
B. Include question numbers for the response categories for individual questions, include variable name, label, description, value, and level of measurement.
Did the student include the variable name, label, description, value,
and level of measurement
C. The idea is that any person even someone unfamiliar with your survey
could look at your SPSS data set and understand how the variables in the data
set link to the questions in the survey. The codebook provides that link.
Is the codebook understandable and well-organized? Are questions in
the same order on the survey and the codebook?
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Assignment #2 Grading Rubric
Data Presentation Assignment
Part I. Pose four research questions concerning the relationship between variables
in the data set. Present the planning table with variables and appropriate levels of
analysis. The requirements for each question are described below.
Question #1. Is this a good question that can be analyzed using a chi square test?
Question #2. Is this a good question that can be analyzed using a correlation?
Question #3. Is this a good question that can be analyzed using a t-test?
Question #4. Is this a good question that can be analyzed using an ANOVA?
Part II. Submit the Output file based on your research questions and planning table
submitted for part I. Your instructor will review and grade your output file and give
feedback on your analysis prior to completion of part III.
Question
Question
Question
Question
#1.
#2.
#3.
#4.
Was
Was
Was
Was
1. Sample
A. Describe how each of the variables used in the analysis where measured.
Does the student tell me how each of the variables are measured?
B. Conduct appropriate descriptive analyses of the variables in the data set and
present the results of your analyses and your interpretation of the data, using
both tables and text. Consult the APA manual for instructions concerning the
presentation of empirical data in research reports.
Are tables with descriptive statistics included in the paper? Are tables presented appropriately for the level of measurement? Are they in appropriate APA format?
C. Write a brief one paragraph summary of the data presented in the descriptive
statistics table. The summary should not simply restate the statistics presented in the table. Instead, the summary should direct the reader to the most
important statistics while summarizing the statistics for all variables presented
in the table.
Is the one paragraph a good summary of the descriptive statistics? Does the student
bring attention to at least one important variable?
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Does the student address if their sample can be representative of the greater population?
2. Bivariate Analysis
A. State the research question.
Did the student state a research question?
B. Describe the statistical techniques you used to answer the research question.
Did the student tell me what statistical technique they used?
C. Conduct appropriate analyses for each of the three research questions and
report the findings in APA format. Present appropriate tables or charts to
illustrate the results of your analysis. Consult the APA manual for guidance.
Is the analysis appropriate for each of the three research questions? Are the
findings in APA format?
Did the student include a brief one- paragraph summary of the meaning of the results?
3. Implications
Is the real world significance of the results of your analyses discussed? Do you
explain how these findings can inform further research on the topics that you
explored in your analysis? Do you discuss additional relationships that should be
examined?
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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American Psychological Association (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Babbie, E. (2005). The basics of social research. Belmont, CA; Thomson/Wadsworth.
Blanksby, P.E., & Barber, J.G. (2006). SPSS/PASW for social workers: An introductory
workbook. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Gilgun, J.F., & Abrams, L. S. (2002). The nature and usefulness of qualitative social
work research. Qualitative Social Work, 1(1), 39-55.
Healey, J. F. (2005). Statistics: A tool for social research (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Thomson Wadsworth.
Holosko, M.J. (2006). Primer for critiquing social research: A student guide. Belmont,
CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Kirkpatrick, L.A., & Feeney, B.C. (2003). A simple guide to SPSS/PASW for Windows:
For versions 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, & 11.0. (Revised Edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/
Thomson Learning.
Mertler, C.A. & Vannatta, R.A. (2005). Advanced and multivariate statistical methods:
Practical application and interpretation (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Pyrczak Publishing.
Royse, D. (2010). Research methods in social work (6th ed.). Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.
Orcher, L.T. (2005). Conducting research: Social and behavioral science methods.
Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
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Patten, M.L. (2002). Understanding research methods (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Pyrczak
Publishing.
Patten, M.L. (2005). Proposing empirical research. (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: Pyrczak
Publishing.
Powell, J. (2002). The changing conditions of social work research. British Journal of
Social Work, 32(1), 17-33.
Pyrczak, F., & Bruce, R.R. (2005). Writing empirical research reports (3rd ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
Scott, D. (2002). Adding meaning to measurement: The value of qualitative methods
in practice research. British Journal of Social Work, 32(7), 923-930.
Shaw, I. F. (2003). Cutting edge issues in social work research. British Journal of Social Work, 33(1), 107-116.
Stringer, E., & Dwyer, R. (2006). Action research in human services. Columbus, OH:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Weinbach, R.W. (2005). Evaluating social work services and programs. Boston: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Westerfelt, A., & Dietz, T.J. (2005). Planning and conducting agency-based research
(3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
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