"This is an ambitious book. It aims at nothing less than a comprehensive account of the state of the art of social work research internationally and an intellectually original statement that will help to define and shape social work research. Those with a serious interest in social work research will agree that this is a major undertaking and one that should put social work research 'on the map'." -
Ian Sinclair, University of York, UK
"This terrific Handbook provides an essential map for navigating the complex currents of social work research today. It resists polemical and simplistic binaries to chart a course that emphasizes diversity, pluralism and sensitivity to political contexts in many featured exemplars. As key chapters note, inherent tensions at the heart of social work itself are mirrored in current debates about the purposes and methods of social work research. Rather than patch over differences, the volume invites us to understand historical roots of unresolvable tensions, and live with them. The international scope of the volume is unique--scholars from more than a dozen different countries were involved --and its broad scope counters the tendency toward parochialism of much North American literature. The Handbook should be essential reading for students and academics." -
Catherine Riessman, Boston University, USA
The SAGE Handbook of Social Work Research provides a comprehensive, internationally-focused account of leading social work research, offering an original and defining statement on contemporary theory and practice within the field. The groundbreaking Handbook engages critically with the nature and role of social work research and evaluation in contemporary societies around the globe, and asks four key questions:
- What is the role and purpose of social work research?
- What contexts shape the practice and purpose of social work research?
- How can we maximise the quality of the practice of social work research?
- How can the aims of social work in its varied domains be met through social work research?
Ranging over local, national and international issues, and exploring questions of theory and practice, this is a diverse and constructively organized overview of the field. It will quickly be recognized as a benchmark in the expanding field of social work research, setting the agenda for future work in the arena.
Table of Contents:
Mapping Social Work Research: Pasts, Presents and Futures - Ian Shaw, Katharine Briar-Lawson, Joan Orme, Roy Ruckdeschel
PART ONE: PURPOSES OF SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH
The Nature and Purposes of Social Work - f004 Nigel Parton and Stuart Kirk
Providing Objective, Impartial Evidence for Decision Making and Public Accountability - Annette Boaz and James Blewett
Theory and Knowledge about Social Problems to Enhance Policy Development - Joan Orme and Katharine Briar-Lawson
Improving Intervention and Practice - f004 Daniel Gredig and Jeanne C Marsh
Researching Our Own Domains: Research as Practice in ‘Learning Organizations’ - Susan White and Gerhard Riemann
Challenging the Dominant Paradigm: Social Work Research, Social Justice and Social Change - f004 Bob Pease
PART TWO: CONTEXTS FOR SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH
Research and Government - f004 Ian Shaw and Joan Zlotnik
Politics and Values in Social Work Research - Haluk Soydan
Social Work Research and Ethics - f004 Richard Hugman
From Social Work Practice to Social Work Research: An Emergent Approach to a Basic Problem - Steve Trevillion
Theory and Theorizing: Intellectual Contexts of Social Work Research - Mikko Mantysaari and Richard Weatherley
The Uses of Social Work Research - Roy Ruckdeschel and Adrienne Chambon
Places in Time: Contextualizing Social Work Research - f004 Ian Shaw
PART THREE: THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH
The Practice of Social Work Research - Jackie Powell and Blanca Ramos
Logics, Qualities and Quality of Social Work Research - Ian Shaw
Evidence and Practice: The Knowledge Challenge for Social Work - Geraldine Macdonald and Jennie Popay
Methods for Enhancing Theory and Knowledge About Problems, Policies, and Practice - Jane F Gilgun
Methods for Understanding, Learning and Social Justice - Carmen Lavoie, Judy MacDonald and Elizabeth Whitmore
Mixing Methods in Social Work Research - Jennifer C Greene, Peter Sommerfeld, and Wendy L Haight
Challenges and Directions in the Practice of Social Work Research - f004 Katharine Briar-Lawson, Robyn Munford and Jackie Sanders
PART FOUR: DOMAINS OF SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH
Nation - f004 Linda Briskman
Community - Karen Staller and Tracie Mafile′o
Children, Young People and Families - Mary Ruffalo, June Thoburn and Paula Allen-Meares
Health and Well-being - f004 Paul Bywaters and Michael Ungar
Disability - Sally French and John Swain
Mental Health - f004 Peter Huxley, Michael Sheppard and Martin Webber
Social Work Research and Aging - f004 Philip McCallion
Social Work in Criminal Justice - Fergus McNeill, Dennis Bracken and Alan Clarke
Challenges and Directions in Social Work Research and Social Work Practice - Joan Orme, Roy Ruckdeschel and Katharine Briar-Lawson
