Program Overview

Unit of Study WEL92003 - Research for Social Work

Unit Snapshot

• Unit type: PG Project/Other Research Unit
• Credit points: 12
• AQF level: 9
• Level of learning: Advanced
• Former School/College: Former School of Arts and Social Sciences
• Pre-requisites:
  • WEL91002 - Social Policy and Law for Social Work
  • WEL91003 - Social Work Foundations for Practice
  • WEL91004 - Social Work Direct Practice I
  • WEL91005 - Social Work Direct Practice II
  • WEL91006 - Social Work Field Placement Ia
  • WEL91007 - Social Work Field Placement Ib

Unit Description

Develops students' research knowledge and skills so that they are able to read research reports and use research evidence to inform practice. Students learn to set up and conduct small-scale research projects involving both quantitative and qualitative methods. Examines the political, ethical and organisational contexts of research in social work.

Unit Content

1. Introduction to social work research
2. Reading research and critically evaluating research quality
3. Research design and research proposals
4. Using research to inform practice
5. Sampling and data collection
6. Data collection continued
7. Qualitative data analysis
8. Quantitative data analysis
9. Program evaluation and action research
10. Narrative research
11. Ethics applications, project implementation, and dissemination
12. Conclusion

Availabilities

Learning Outcomes and Graduate Attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes.

On Completion of This Unit, Students Should Be Able To:

1. Explain the political, ethical and organisational factors impacting on social work research.
   • GA1: Intellectual rigour
   • GA4: Knowledge of a discipline
2. Demonstrate skills in using research evidence to inform social work practice.
   • GA4: Knowledge of a discipline
3. Critically evaluate the usefulness of different methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative methodologies, for addressing different research questions.
   • GA1: Intellectual rigour
4. Set up and critically reflect on a research proposal on a relevant social work topic.
   • GA1: Intellectual rigour
   • GA4: Knowledge of a discipline

Prescribed Learning Resources

Session 1

• Prescribed Texts: No prescribed texts.
• Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.

Graduate Attributes

• GA1: Intellectual rigour - A commitment to excellence in all scholarly and intellectual activities, including critical judgement.
• GA2: Creativity - An ability to develop creative and effective responses to intellectual, professional and social challenges.
• GA3: Ethical practice - A commitment to sustainability and high ethical standards in social and professional practices.
• GA4: Knowledge of a discipline - Command of a discipline to enable a smooth transition and contribution to professional and community settings.
• GA5: Lifelong learning - The ability to be responsive to change, to be inquiring and reflective in practice, through information literacy and autonomous, self-managed learning.
• GA6: Communication and social skills - The ability to communicate and collaborate with individuals, and within teams, in professional and community settings.
• GA7: Cultural competence - An ability to engage with diverse cultural and Indigenous perspectives in both global and local settings.