Social workers understand quantitative and qualitative research methods and their respective roles in advancing a science of social work and in evaluating their practice. Social workers know the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and culturally informed and ethical approaches to building knowledge. Social workers understand that evidence that informs practice derives from multi-disciplinary sources and multiple ways of knowing. They also understand the processes for translating research findings into effective practice.

Social workers:

• use practice experience and theory to inform scientific inquiry and research.
• apply critical thinking to engage in analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods and research findings.
• use and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy, and service delivery.
• use strategies that reduce gaps between science and social work practice including the translation of research findings into social work practice and policy.

This competency explains how research is crucial for evidence-based practice in social work. Doing our own research and connecting with other service providers can enhance our abilities in assisting our clients with intervention methods that are scientifically proven to be successful. With research, social workers can support policy changes, continuum of care, and client outcomes. Research has challenged me in many ways throughout my social work education. It requires intensive reading and critical thinking. I have been troubled by the lack of research for specific populations and their social problems. I have been addressing this by asking other professionals for their findings and what they have seen to be effective. For example, I am currently interning at the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition. Their focus population are people who are homeless so their data is more generalized rather than an agency who specializes in the latino/hispanic community. I have learned to network with other professionals and share our findings to help our clients. I will continue to practice this by recording client outcomes and the effectiveness of the interventions given. This is important to do this at any position I am in so I can provide the best service to my clients and their situation.

Academic Evidence:

1. In my Junior year, I took a class called Human Behavior and Social Environment II with Dr. Rusu. In this course, I completed a literature review on domestic violence in Bangladesh. You can find this assignment in the link below. In the literature review, I connected how education, economic status, and policy may foster intimate personal violence within couples in Bangladesh. As a social worker, it is important to familiarize ourselves with cultures other than our own. This allows us to have background knowledge on how other cultures behave and act on social disruptions.

Domestic Violence in Bangladesh Literature Review

 

2. In the beginning of my Senior year I took the course called Research Methods by Dr. Nelson. This course introduced me to various types of research designs and techniques to conduct a study. I collaborated with three other classmates to complete this assignment. This paper shows how we were able to work together in addressing each section of the paper. The focus of this assignment was the relationship between religiosity, suicidality, and mental health on faith-based campuses in the U.S. This required data collection and critical thinking to fully grasp the concepts of this research. In this research study, we were able to state our biases before gathering data.  As college students we noted how our own experiences may affect our research. Noting our own experiences in the beginning helped up identify various strengths and limitations of this study. Based on our research we made a few suggestions towards the end of this paper. These suggestions were intended to improve services in Universities that cater to mental health, religiosity, and suicidality.

Relationship Between Religiosity, Suicidality, and Mental Health on Faith-Based Campuses in the US

 

Field Evidence:

3. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SAMSHA released an article titled Intimate Partner Violence and Child Abuse Considerations During COVID-19. This article highlighted how intimate partner violence along with child abuse and neglect was on the rise due to quarantine. This issue targeted the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition by receiving high volume calls from victims fleeing domestic violence which led to them being either at-risk of homelessness or literally homeless. As an intervention method, I was asked to research and connect with agencies/ churches in the area to update our knowledge of services that specifically cater to this population. Below you will find a link to a brief list of the agencies contacted.

Domestic Violence Services in COC Region