Week 6, Unit 1 Applied Social Research

8/22/2019 Week 6, Unit 1 Applied Social Research

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Applied Social Research

Chapter 14


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Introduction

All social research is designed to increaseour understanding of human behavior andcan be useful to individuals, groups, or the

whole society, but some work is moreimmediatelyuseful than other research.


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Introduction

Applied research

Research intended to be useful in theimmediate future and to suggest action or

increase effectiveness in some area.


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Basic and Applied Research

Basic research

Research designed to add to our fundamentalunderstanding and knowledge of the socialworld regardless of practical or immediateimplications.

Practical application can usually be derivedfrom basic research, although these projectsare designed to provide greater understanding

of our social world and to develop or testtheories


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Basic and Applied Research

In applied research, theory is usedinstrumentally to identify concepts andvariables that will produce practical results

Applied research is designed to provideorganizations such as schools, legislatures,communities, social service agencies, healthcare institutions, etc. with practical

information


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Social Problems and Social

Solutions

Awareness of social problems and solutionsdirected toward them have becomeincreasingly common

Problems which have received widespreadattention include housing, education, poverty,income disparities, crime, and drug use


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Social Problems and Social

Solutions

Applied research attempts to answer thesequestions

Are the programs effective?

Should they be continued? Modified or eliminated entirely?


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Evaluation Research

Evaluation research

Research specifically designed to assess theimpact of a specific program, policy, or legal

change Often the focus of an evaluation is whether the

program, policy, or law has succeeded ineffecting intentional or planned change.

Evaluation research is research with a specificpurpose


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Outcome Evaluation

Outcome evaluation

Research that is designed to sum up the effects of a

program, policy, or law in accomplishing the goal or intent ofthe program, policy, or law.

Most common type of evaluation research

Outcome evaluations typically begin with a question or ahypothesis

Example

Does the program accomplish its goals?


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Cost-Benefit Analysis

A cost-benefit analysis

Research that compares a programs costs to

its benefits

A cost-benefit analysis is designed to weighall the expenses of a program against themonetary estimates of the programs

benefits


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Cost-Benefit Analysis

Cost effectiveness analysis

Compares the program costs in deliveringdesired benefits based on the assumption that

the outcome is desirable It estimates the approach that will deliver a

desired benefit most effectively (at the lowestcost) without considering the outcome in

economic terms


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Cost Benefit Analysis

Typical questions asked

How effective is the program?

How expensive is it?

Is it worth doing?

How does this program compare withalternative programs?


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Needs Assessments and Other Kinds

of Evaluations

The tasks an evaluation sets out toaccomplish are determined by the stage ofthe program and the needs and interests of

the stakeholders Stakeholders

People or groups that participate in or areaffected by a program or its evaluation, such

as funding agencies, policy makers, sponsors,program staff, and program participants


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of Evaluations

In some instances, before a program orproject is designed, a needs assessment isconducted to determine the needs for various

forms of service.


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of Evaluations

Needs assessment

An analysis of whether a problem exists, itsseverity, and an estimate of essential services.


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Focal Research

A Needs Assessment of Incarcerated Women

in Ecuadorby Jill Harrison and MaureenNorton-Hawk

Conducted a needs assessment on theconditions in womens prison


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Focal Research

Ethics While prisons in the United States have their own

internal review boards to protect inmates againstethical violations, no such review boards exist inEcuador. For this reason, the researchers sought and

received IRB approval from Suffolk University, Norton-Hawks home institution. Of special concern to the IRBwas that the gift the researchers intended to give eachinmate could be construed as coercive in nature if thegift was too large to refuse and would make the inmatefeel obligated to participate. The researchers satisfied

the IRB concern by giving a small bag of necessitiesvalued at under $3.00 as a token of appreciation forparticipation.


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of Evaluations

If a new program is funded and there is timein the early stages of design orimplementation to make improvements,

program staff and developers can benefitfrom a formative analysis

Formative analysis

Evaluation research focused on the design or

early implementation stages of a program orpolicy


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of Evaluations

Formative analysis

Example

A high school principal seeks assistance with a newanti-bullying program. A formative analysis wouldcarefully review the programs goals and its current

instructional materials and collect date on the ongoingprogram. After analysis of the data the evaluatorshould be able to offer suggestions such as staff

development and modifying the materials.


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Needs Assessments and Other Kinds of

Evaluations

Process evaluation

Research that monitors a program or policy todetermine if it is implemented as designed.

Also called an implementation study The goal is to try to pinpoint how something works

and what aspects of the program contribute to theeffect.


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Evaluation Research

Designing Evaluation Research

The evaluation researcher needs to select aresearch strategy

A researcher will make specific choices forstudy design, measurement, data analysis,and the like depending on the specificevaluation, including intended audiences,

resources available, ethical concerns, and theprojects time frame.


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Evaluation Research

Designing Evaluation Research When evaluating a program, policy, or law, the

following must be decided What is the desired outcome?

Is the outcome to be short-or long-term? Are attitudinal changes sufficient, or is it also

essential to study behavioral changes? How should change be determined? Should all aspects of the program be studied or

only certain parts? Should all the targets of an intervention be studied

or only some of them?


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Evaluation Research

Designing Evaluation Research Evaluation researchers almost always have an explanatory

purpose and typically test a causal hypothesis about the effect ofan independent variable such as a program law, or policy on a

desired outcome. Causal hypothesis

A testable expectation about an independent variables effect on

a dependent variable


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Evaluation Research


Experimental designs with control andexperimental groups lend themselves help

address the issues of internal validity Internal validity is the agreement between a

studys conclusions about causal connections and

what is actually true


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Evaluation Research


Not all experiments lend themselves to thetrue experimental model

Outside a laboratory the evaluator might notbe able to control all aspects of design

Practical concerns of time or money can limitdesign choices

Evaluation research can take five or moreyears from design to the final report


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Participatory Action Research

Explicit goals

Participatory action research (PAR)

Research done by community members and

researchers working as co-participants, mosttypically within a social justice framework toempower people and improve their lives.


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Explicit goals

The social purpose driving PAR is to empowerlow status people in the organization or

community to make decisions and take actionsthat were previously foreclosed to them.


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Participation and the researchers role

Doing participatory research means working inpartnership with those in the community beingstudied to obtain and use the knowledge that

is generated to empower the community In PAR, the researcher must be involved

intimately in the life of a community and itsproblems and be in dialogue with other

researcher collaborators


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Final Considerations

A middle ground

Groups might be willing to work incollaboration with researchers to obtain

information about effectiveness of programsfor their own internal use or to use in seekingrecognition or funding for future projects


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Stop and Think

Applied research is usually field research.

What do you think are some of theconsequence of the real world setting for the

research and its outcome?


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Politics and applied research

In evaluation research, the specific choice ofresearch project is affected not only by

societal values and the priorities of fundingagencies, but also the perspectives of variousconstituencies and program stakeholders


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Beyond our control

Organizations are not neutral territory and in

most cases, the researcher is an outsider, working

in someone elses sphere The results of any assessment will have the

potential to affect the organization and theindividuals under study

A special challenge in evaluation research can beobtaining the cooperation of program staff oraccess to data.


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Having an Impact

Conventional evaluation faces the challenge ofimplementing change after the research is completed.

Ideological and political interests can sometimes have

more influence on decisions about the future of socialinterventions than evaluative feedback.

Even is a program is shown to be ineffective it might bekept if it fits with prevailing values, satisfies votes, or

pays off political debts


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QuizQuestion 1

Doing participatory research means

a. getting permission from authorities first.

b. projects that are done with the community

not to the community.c. projects that are heavy top-down from

academia and less community based.

d. A and b

e. None of the above


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QuizQuestion 2

Formative analysis usually occurs

a. when the program is completed.

b. whenever the evaluation team is called in to

perform an evaluation.c. in the early stages of program development

and design.

d. after the program has been denied funding.

e. None of the above


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QuizQuestion 3

Typically, evaluation research is intended to

a. provide information about the history of a program orpolicy.

b. inform program participants about the goals of a

program or policy.c. create knowledge that is of general interest to

scientists studying social policy.

d. assess the impact of a specific program or policy.

e. evaluate the expenses the program incurred.

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Week 6, Unit 1 Applied Social Research

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