RE: SOCW6301 Discussion Response to 1 Student (WK4)
Respond to a colleague’s post by suggesting two ways of avoiding the consequences he or she described. Please use the Learning Resources to support your post.
Response to Kristie:
Explanation about what should come first—the development of a research question or a thorough literature review, and justification of which process is more realistic and/or appropriate, and why.
These processes are not independent tasks they interwoven in focusing the researcher. One must have some interest in the topic and has recognized gaps in knowledge to know where to look for answers. This can be a broad identification of a problem that guides the sequence of inquiry and the research design. Therefore, posing a question should come first. Beginning with literature review is time-consuming and is not realistic to address specific questions. Furthermore, reviews without a framework could result in mislead interventions. Literature reviews are a “series of connected arguments in support of the research question” (Yedgis, et al., 2018).
Description of the potential consequences of deciding on a research question without conducting a review of the literature.
Posing questions can lead to missing pertinent information related to a social work problem. Focusing on data to answer a specific question can mislead the researcher and halt further explorations. Eboni states that “they only teach abstinence” at the school and sites this as a reason she did not use protection (Laureate Education, 2013). If the social worker based her actions on specific questions such as: what education is being taught? Alternatively, how effective is abstinence education in preventing teen pregnancy?…she would miss other variables that might have contributed to Eboni’s pregnancy. These could include family history, religious beliefs, age, and individual deficits as factors, not the educational curriculum. Another consequence of asking detailed questions first is relating them to a singular focus of exploration. The social worker is missing known information that education is not occurring at the right adolescent stage and should be ongoing using a variety of teachings (Trenholm, et al., 2008). Young & Denny, assert that there is no easy solution for preventing teen pregnancy it is a multifaceted problem (2007).
References
Laureate Education Producer. (2013). Logan family (Episode 1) [Video file]. In Sessions. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Trenholm, C., Devaney, B., Fortson, K., Clark, M., Bridgespan, L. Q., & Wheeler, J. (2008). Impacts of abstinence education on teen sexual activity, risk of pregnancy, and risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 27(2), 255-276. doi:10.1002/pam.20324
Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L. (2018). Research methods for social workers (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
Young, M., & Denny, G. (2007), An evaluation of an abstinence-only sex education curriculum; an 18-month follow-up. Presentation at the 2007 Abstinence Education Evaluation Conference: Strengthening Programs Through Scientific Evaluation, Baltimore, MD. Retrieved March 18, 2018, from http://www,ent-s-t,com/ESTOPA/slides,htm