Master of Social Work
Program
SW
5050 - Social Work Research, Data Analysis (Spring, 2008)
Instructor: Dr.
Office: P110
(209) 667-3951
E-mail: stibrewal@csustan.edu
CATALOGUE
DESCRIPTION
This course is a study of descriptive and
inferential statistics with a focus on those most frequently used in social
work practice and research.
COURSE
OVERVIEW
This
course builds on the foundation established in the Social Work Research Methods
Course. In addition to reinforcing the research methods content established in
the previous course, this course moves the discussion to the role of data
analysis in the research process. Students will learn to understand the
significance of data that will enhance their effectiveness as social work
practitioners and enable them to contribute to the profession's body of
knowledge and to evaluate and utilize the knowledge generated by others. To do so, they learn those statistical
methods of data analysis that are most frequently used for data reduction and
for hypothesis testing, and they learn to conduct statistical analysis using computer-assisted
methods. Specifically, students learn to
use the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows) to
perform data analysis.
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
A
student who successfully completes the course should possess:
1. Knowledge of how descriptive statistics
are used to summarize data and how inferential statistics are used to rule out
chance explanation of an apparent relationship between variables.
2. Knowledge of how statistical analysis
can be used to provide feedback on the effectiveness of individual practice and
of social programs.
3. Skill in table and graph construction,
selection and use of statistical tests, computer methods for analysis of
research data, interpretation of statistical findings, and application of
findings to a practice-relevant problem or question.
4. Values which reflect a belief in the
ethical use of statistics and the accurate
interpretation
and reporting of research findings as methods for improving practice
accountability.
5. The ability to understand and apply
research methods to a defined practice problem.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS
Students
will be expected to complete all reading assignments by the indicated class
date, to attend class, and to participate in all class discussions and group
exercises. There will be various written
assignments and numerous lab activities.
METHOD
OF INSTRUCTION
The
course employs a lecture-discussion format, with various learning experiences
facilitated through laboratory exercises.
It will be possible to complete the vast majority of lab assignments in
class; however, students will occasionally be assigned lab work to be completed
outside of classroom time.
Grading
1)
Question of the Weeks (best 8 out of 10) 10%
2)
Lab Assignments (total of six) 35%
3)
Paper 1: Design and Sampling Plan 10%
4)
Paper 2: Design, Sampling,
Instrumentation/Data Collection 10%
5)
Final Paper: Design, Sampling, Data
Collection,
Plan for Data Analysis, & Protection of
Human Subjects 35%
Total: 100%
PARTICIPATION
Your
active participation in class is required.
Participation includes attendance, punctuality, and being prepared for
class by having completed the readings before the class session. If you miss a class session, you will miss
important information on assignments, as well as miss the lecture, discussion,
and/or class exercises, which are critical to the successful completion of the
course. Two absences will be
considered failure to participate and will result in a failing grade.
QUESTION
OF THE WEEK
Each
class session will begin with a “question” that is pertinent to the class
discussion or reading assignment from the previous week. You will be given approximately seven minutes
to address the question. Given the fact
that the question is based on material already covered, you will be expected to
answer the question without the aid of your notes or text. Given the breadth of content covered in this
course, there is an endless number of potential questions. Therefore, each week, students are asked to
assist the instructor in shaping the “question of the week” for the following
session. If you are tardy (or absent),
please respect your classmates and do not disrupt the class by asking the
instructor or a fellow classmate to repeat the question. No “question of the week” points will be
awarded to a student who is tardy to or absent from class.
LAB
ASSIGNMENTS
Computer
lab activities are assigned throughout the semester. These assignments are highly structured and
typically involve the analysis of data and the development of a summary of the
results. Each lab assignment will be
worth 20 points and will be graded based on the adherence to the assignment
requirements and the quality of the written product. All data sets for these
reports will be provided by the instructor.
FINAL
METHODOLOGY PAPER
The
final assignment for this class calls for you to develop a methodology section
inclusive
of five interrelated components: design, sampling plan, instrumentation/data
collection strategies, a plan for data analysis, and protection of human
subjects. This paper will be completed
in sections in order to keep you on a structured time-line and so that I may
provide you with written feedback regarding the conceptualization of your
method section. Specifically, you will
submit your paper in three sections.
Section One will include your design and sampling plan. In Section Two of the assignment, you will add
your instrumentation/plan for data collection to your design and sampling
plan. In Section Three, you will add
a plan for data analysis and protection of human subjects to your previous work
to produce a fully edited proposal (the final paper). It is imperative that you adhere to the
time-lines for the development of this paper, so that I am in the position to
provide you with feedback and so that you are in a position to develop a well
conceptualized, well written document.
The first two sections of the paper will each be worth 20 points. Half of the points will be based on the
adherence to the required time line. The
remainder of the points will be based on the quality of the work. Phase Three (the final paper) will be worth
60 points and will be graded on the quality of the written work and the
adherence to the specifications of the assignment. The final paper will NOT
be accepted after the due date unless you have received prior approval from the
instructor. Any other assignment that is
received after the due date will result in an automatic 10% grade reduction
unless you have received prior approval from the instructor.
REQUIRED TEXTS
**Rubin,
A., & Babbie, E. (2005). Research
Methods for Social Work (5th ed.),
Weinbach,
R. W., & Grinnell, R. M. (2004). Statistics for Social Workers (6th
ed.). Allyn and Bacon:
RECOMMENDED TEXT
Gonick,
L., & Smith, W. (1993). The cartoon
guide to statistics. HarperCollins Publishers:
COURSE CONTENT/SCHEDULE
UNIT
ONE—Preparing for data analysis: Connecting method and analysis, creating,
organizing, and managing data sets.
Week
1 Classroom
Discussion: Overview of
course and syllabus.
2/19 Review of the research process.
Review of Research Design.
Week 2 Classroom Discussion: Introduction to Sampling.
2/26
Paper # 1: Design and Sampling
(Assignment Overview)
Computer
Application: Becoming
familiar with Census Data
Rubin
& Babbie. (2005). Research Methods
for Social Work.
Chapter 8:
Sampling.
Week 3 Classroom Discussion: Review of Sampling and Intro to Measurement
3/4 Levels
of Measurement
Reliability
and Validity
Computer Application: More
strategies for using Census Data:
Lab begins Assignment #1
Week 4 Classroom Discussion: Measurement Continues…
3/11
Computer Application: Census Data continues…Lab #1 Assignment Completed
Rubin
& Babbie. (2005). Research Methods
for Social Work.
Chapter 6: Measurement.
Weinbach,
R. W., & Grinnell, R. M. (2004). Statistics
for Social Workers (6th ed.).
Chapter 1: Introduction to Statistical Analysis.
Week 5 Classroom Discussion: Setting a foundation for Statistical Analysis
3/18 Computer Application: Becoming familiar with SPSS for
Windows
Moving
around in SPSS
Preparation
for data entry
Developing
a codebook
(Lab Assignment #2 – Codebook)
Method Assignment #1 Due: Design/Sampling Plan
Rubin
& Babbie. (2005). Research Methods
for Social Work.
Chapter 7: Constructing Measurement Instruments.
Chapter 18: Quantitative Data Analysis: pages 551-557.
Chapter 17: Qualitative Data Analysis.
SPRING BREAK: 3/26
Week 6 Classroom Discussion: Data
Management Issues:
4/1 Data
Entry and Data Manipulation;
Selecting Cases
Introduction to descriptive statistics:
Frequency distributions and measures of central tendencies.
Computer Application: Generating Frequencies
Distributions in SPSS.
Weinbach,
R. W., & Grinnell, R. M. (2004). Statistics
for Social Workers (6th ed.).
Chapter 2: Frequency Distributions & Graphs.
Gonick,
L., & Smith, W. (1993). The cartoon
guide to statistics.
Chapter 1: What is Statistics?
UNIT
TWO: Univariate Analysis: Understanding and applying descriptive statistics,
presentation of descriptive data.
Week
7 Classroom Discussion : Descriptive statistics
continue—measures of
4/8 central
tendencies & measures of dispersion.
Level
of measurement and descriptive
statistics.
Computer Application: Lab
Assignment #3: Generating and reporting descriptive
statistics: Overview of Sample
Rubin
& Babbie. (2005). Research Methods
for Social Work.
Chapter 18: Quantitative Data Analysis: pages 557-574.
Weinbach,
R. W., & Grinnell, R. M. (2004). Statistics
for Social Workers (6th ed.).
Chapter 3: Central Tendency & Variability.
Gonick,
L., & Smith, W. (1993). The cartoon
guide to statistics.
Chapter 2: Data Description.
Week 8 Classroom
Discussion: Descriptive statistics continues: Interpreting
4/15 output. Dispersion and normal distributions.
The usefulness of
Z-scores.
Computer Application: BEGIN Lab
Assignment #4:
Generating
Descriptive Statistics—Measures of central
tendencies, graphs, and tables.
Weinbach,
R. W., & Grinnell, R. M. (2004). Statistics for Social Workers (6th
ed.).
Chapter 4: Normal Distributions.
UNIT
THREE: Bivariate Analysis: Using a decision tree, nonparametric vs. parametric statistical tests, tests of
differences, and tests of association.
Week 9 Classroom Discussion: Introduction to bivariate statistical tests.
4/22 Parametric
vs. nonparametric tests.
Tests
of differences vs. tests of association.
Choosing your test. Probability
Theory.
Final
Methodology Paper (Assignment Overview)
Computer Application: Complete Lab Assignment #4
Method Assignment #2 Due: Design, Sampling,
Instrumentation/Data Collection
Weinbach,
R. W., & Grinnell, R. M. (2004). Statistics for Social Workers (6th
ed.).
Chapter 5: Introduction to
Hypothesis Testing.
Chapter 7: Selecting Statistical Tests.
Gonick,
L., & Smith, W. (1993). The cartoon
guide to statistics.
Chapter 3: Probability.
Chapter 5: A tale of two distributions.
Week 10 Classroom Discussion: Correlational
Analysis –
4/29 Pearson’s
R and Spearman’s
Computer Application: Lab # 5:
Correlational Analysis - Pearson’s R and
Spearman’s
Weinbach,
R. W., & Grinnell, R. M. (2004). Statistics
for Social Workers (6th ed.).
Chapter 8: Correlation.
Week 11 Classroom
Activity: Lab Assignment #6: Peer Review of Methods Chapter
5/6
Computer Application: Finish All Previous Lab Assignments.
Gonick,
L., & Smith, W. (1993). The cartoon
guide to statistics.
Chapter 10: Experimental Design.
Week
12 Classroom Discussion: Bivariate Statistical Tests—Tests of
5/13 Differences: Independent Samples T-test and
Mann
Whitney U.
Computer Application: Lab Assignment #6 Begins:
Distinguishing Bivariate Tests -
Generating and Interpreting T-tests.
Weinbach,
R. W., & Grinnell, R. M. (2004). Statistics
for Social Workers (6th ed.).
Chapter 10: Cross-Tabulation.
Chapter 11: T-tests and Analysis of Variance.
Gonick,
L., & Smith, W. (1993). The cartoon
guide to statistics.
Chapter 7: Confidence Intervals.
Chapter 8: Hypothesis Testing.
Week 13 Classroom
Activity: Wrap-up of
content - SPSS / Statistical test review.
5/20 Course
evaluations.
Computer Application: All Lab Assignments Completed
Final Methodology Paper
Due: Design, Sampling, Data Collection,
Plan for Data Analysis, and Protection of Human Subjects