Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Group Projects

1. Assign students different newspapers and magazines of different political leanings. Have them read through policy and policy articles, identifying the claims the researcher and the reporter make based on the information given. Ask them to identify instances of reductionism and the ecological fallacy. Afterwards, make a meta-list on the board, combining examples from all magazines and newspapers. Emphasize the fact that poor research techniques and inaccurate use of research affects individuals on all portions of the political spectrum and is more representative of a lack of research competence than a politically motivated manipulation of data.
    
2. Split students into four groups and assign each a specific unit of analysis (individual, group, organization, artifact).  Select a general topic of interest (e.g., child abuse, problem drinking) and ask each to devise a hypothesis on that topic at the given unit of analysis.  You can repeat this several times, so that each group has the opportunity to try to create a hypothesis at each type of unit of analysis. 
    
3. Assign each group a different article in which a causal relationship has been studied.  It is helpful if you screen articles to locate ones that are strong in some criteria but weaker in others.  Ask each group to determine how well the five criteria for causality have been met.  Alternately, you could assign the same article to the entire class and have smaller groups discuss it.  Either exercise is particularly useful if you will be assigning mini-project #2 below for individual students.
                    
4. Have students break into teams. This project is to write a short paper where in the first third, they discuss why it is necessary for interventions and policies to be able to demonstrate causality. In the second two-thirds, attack this assertion, discussing both practical implications and theoretical ones. After all the teams have had time to discuss, write, and edit, bring the entire class back together. Divide the class into new teams, each representing a third of the short paper they wrote (pro-causality, con-causality-practical, con-causality-theoretical); have them argue these sides in class so that all students hear the variety of responses present in the class.

Mini Projects

1.  Causal Modeling 
Causal modeling allows you to think clearly about what is causing what. 

1. Select a topic of interest to you (preferably a term project).
2. Identify your dependent variable and a minimum of five independent variables.  The more exhaustive you are, the better.  Note:  Your dependent variable and the majority of your independent variables should be social work variables.  Your model should be primarily about your pre-conceived expectations.  Think of this model as a brainstorm of potential causes.
3. Make a graphic that visually depicts the relationship between your independent and dependent variable. Use this as a check to make sure that each of your independent variables is in fact independent of the others.
4. Write up a justification for your independent variables; additionally include a section detailing your expectations about which of these variables will more strongly dictate the outcome in the dependent variable.
5. Start reviewing the literature, keeping your model nearby. Note when your model correctly identifies or predicts an element present in the research; add additional elements to the model that seem particularly integral to the literature. Cite these attributes with relevant articles. Furthermore, note how your expected weights compared to the strength of the variables in the literature. Note at least two interesting or unexpected findings.

2.  Causality in the literature 
This exercise works best if you have modeled it in class using Group Project 4.   

1. Identify five or more research articles on a single topic of interest (such as those collected for a term paper).  Carefully record the full citation for each.
2. Identify the causal hypothesis in each.  What is/are the dependent variable(s)?  What is/are the independent variable(s)?   
3. You may model these articles in relation to one another, such as indicated in Mini-Project #1 above.  This can help you figure out how the articles fit together.
4. Indicate how each article attempts to establish all five criteria for causality.  Make sure to point out particular strengths and weaknesses.
5. Evaluate weaknesses in establishing causality in the set of articles as a whole. 
6. Based on your evaluation in Step 5, briefly propose one or two research projects that could eliminate these weaknesses.

3.  Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Data 
This project requires you to dedicate two hours over a week’s time to understand the potential strengths and weaknesses of cross-sectional and longitudinal data collection.

1. Select a location where you will be able to sit and watch people for an hour without creating a nuisance of yourself while you observe and take notes (a library reading room will work, as will a coffee shop or a park bench).
2. Come prepared to this location with a timer or stopwatch, a notepad, and a newspaper or something that will make you look busy.
3. On Day 1, plan to spend one hour at your location.  Set a specific time at which you will be able to return to the location every day during the next week for at least ten minutes.  During this hour, record information on every person you see at that location during the entire hour.  Note their age, gender, and any other characteristics that you find interesting.  Make sure, however, that you are as accurate as possible and that you take down the same sort of information for every individual.  After ten minutes have elapsed, draw a line in your notes to indicate the people observed within the first ten minutes and the people observed in the later fifty.  When you return from your field site, write a brief description of the type of people who come to your site. 
4. On Days 2-7, return to your field site at the same time of day and record the same information as on Day 1, but remain at the field site for only ten minutes.  Make note of anyone who is present on more than one day.
5. After observation on Day 7, write a brief description of the type of people who come to your site, based on the longitudinal data from Days 1-7.
6. Compare the description written on Day 1 to the description written on Day 7.  Did you find that the same type of people were at your site in both the cross-sectional and longitudinal studies? 
7. Based on this experience, write a brief statement about the advantages and disadvantages of cross-sectional and longitudinal data collection.

4.  Evidence-Based Practice Info-G raphic 
This exercise is designed to help students re-conceptualize and integrate their research back into the context of a practitioner.

You, as a social worker and research design aficionado, are tasked with creating an info-graphic to be distributed to all non-profits in your city or region. This info-graphic is supposed to help non-profits and public sector organizations understand how to interpret research findings based on the research design, allowing them to more easily engage in Evidence-Based Practice. In this info-graphic, you should include concise, easy to understand descriptions of what each research design looks like (how will it be worded in an academic journal article), what the significance of that research design is (how will it affect results, how should the results be interpreted), and what the practitioners next steps should be if he or she wishes to use the results of this research design in their non-profit (note generalizability of results, consult other sources). This info-graphic should be dynamic looking and take up no more than a page. Designs can be crafted using any software or system that the student is familiar and comfortable with. Even simple systems such as PowerPoint can prove very successful for this type of work.