For years, many working individuals in the United States have counted on Social Security as their primary retirement income. With the deductions from every paycheck to fund this future benefit, Americans looked forward to a comfortable retirement based on the assumption that these funds were being invested wisely. Is this a factual assumption, or is it another myth of the U.S. social welfare system?
Relying on Social Security as a sole means of support in retirement is uncommon. As society?s work habits and life expectancies change, Social Security has come to mean different things to different people. For those who are unable to save and/or invest on their own, it functions like a forced retirement program that provides a financial safety net for the future. For those who become unable to work, social security often is viewed by others as a public assistance program. For others who are financially secure and prepared for retirement, it is an entitlement program where individuals draw Social Security at retirement in an effort to recoup what they paid into the program by deductions from their wages. How might these perceptions of Social Security relate to the perceptions of public assistance programs that were discussed in last week?s resources?
For this Discussion, review this week?s resources. Then, consider how Social Security is different from public assistance programs. Finally, think about how these differences are important in terms of the general perception of Social Security benefits.
Post by Day 3 an explanation of how Social Security is different from public assistance programs. Then, explain how these differences are important, in terms of the general perception of Social Security benefits.
Day: April 24, 2018
In many societies certain groups possess more resources and hold more power than other groups. In some of these societies, racial discrimination and racial tension also exist. While members of the societies may openly acknowledge that unequal distribution of power and racism are present in their society, many fail to examine the complex relationships between privilege and racism. Social workers must understand this complex relationship so they can educate and empower their clients. Empowerment is the cornerstone of social work practice.
In the book Black Empowerment, the author,Barbara Solomon, writes, “Empowerment refers to a process whereby persons who belong to a stigmatized social category throughout their lives can be assisted to develop and increase skills in the exercise of interpersonal influence and the performance of valued social roles” (p. 6).
Empowerment practice is based on a collaborative relationship between worker and client, initiated to promote the client’s power through self-actualization, self-determination, and the fulfillment of personal goals (Gutierrez, Parsons, & Cox, 1998). Further, this process includes increasing your clients’ awareness of the structural oppression that exists and its impact on them. It is the role of social workers to empower clients and to bring about awareness of the inequalities that exist in society. This is done two fold?through work with clients on the micro and mezzo levels and on a macro level through work in organizations and communities.
Social workers cannot effectively empower clients without first understanding the mechanisms of oppression and how they impact their day-to-day work. Then social workers can recognize the impact on their clients’ lives and apply the appropriate skills.
To prepare: Review the case study “Working With Individuals: The Case of Mary.”
Post by Day 3 an explanation of the relationship between racism and privilege. Furthermore, explain how the concepts of racism and privilege relate to “Working With Individuals: The Case of Mary.” Explain the impact of racism and privilege on social work practice. Provide recommendations for how you as a social worker might use an empowerment perspective when responding to Mary. Be specific and provide examples from the case. Also, identify specific skills social workers might employ.
Correlational research describes relations among variables but cannot indicate that one variable causes something to occur to another variable. Rather, a statistically significant correlation coefficient simply indicates there is a relation among a predictor variable and an outcome variable.
In correlational research, if there is a statistically significant correlation coefficient between two variables, you want to know that the relation truly exists. This goal is challenging to achieve because other variables that you are not studying may complicate the study and the interpretation of the results.
You may find a spurious relation in which one common causal variable, sometimes referred to as a third variable, is responsible for the observed relation between the predictor variable and the outcome variable. Imagine seeing a news story reporting the findings of a study claiming that children under the age of 17 who viewed R-rated movies showed a greater likelihood of developing a smoking habit. A third variable that could explain both the predictor and outcome variables is permissive parenting. Permissive parents may allow children to view R-rated movies when they are under the age of 17. In addition, permissive parents may not attend to their children?s whereabouts enough to be aware of their smoking habit, or they may not discipline the children for smoking. Therefore, in effect, you cannot conclude that the movie viewing caused the smoking habit. The permissive parenting may have led to the children?s movie viewing habit and their smoking habit.
You may also identify extraneous variables that might influence the outcome variable but, unlike the spurious correlation described above, these variables do not relate to or influence the predictor variable. For example, consider a reported correlation that the number of books in a person?s home (predictor variable) is related to their college GPA (outcome). An extraneous variable could be, for example, a person?s IQ (intelligence quotient) score. The higher IQ might be related to higher college GPA but not necessarily related to the number of books found in a person?s home. There are additional examples of spurious relations and extraneous variables on pages 174?176 of your course text.
In this Discussion, you focus primarily on spurious relations and extraneous variables. After reviewing examples in the course text, you will find your own examples in the media and explain how they might affect the relations between the variables under consideration.
To prepare:
Review popular online newspapers and/or online magazines to look for articles on research studies. Look for examples of statements and claims that might reflect a spurious correlation or an extraneous variable.
Note: This is not a library assignment, nor should you look for articles that already have reported a spurious relation or extraneous variable. You need to make this connection yourself. For instance, you might see a headline in a news magazine that states something like ?Fast-Paced Children?s Television Programming Linked to ADHD.? Look for examples like this.
Identify one popular media example of a correlation that could be argued to be a spurious correlation or that illustrates a correlation that may have an extraneous variable.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 3:
Briefly explain the example and the claim that has been made.
Identify the predictor variable and the outcome variable.
Identify the correlation. Is it a positive or negative correlation? How did you determine this to be the case?
Identify your proposed spurious (third) variable or extraneous variable.
Explain the connection you made among the spurious/extraneous variable and the outcome and predictor variables.
Post the URLs for the media example at the end of your posting.
In Weeks 1?4, you observed and created field notes for each of the Walden Scholars of Change videos. Now that you have completed your observations, next you will select one of the Scholars of Change videos to begin the coding process of not only your field notes but also the transcript of the video you downloaded.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the chapters in the Salda?a text found in this week?s Learning Resources.
Review the Introduction to Coding and From Content to Coding media programs in the Learning Resources.
Refer back to your observational field notes from the Scholars of Change Videos from Weeks 1?4.
Choose one of the four Scholars of Change videos and refer to your field notes from your observation.
Access the transcript you downloaded for the media program of the Scholars of Change video you selected for this Discussion.
Begin to code the transcript and the observational field notes of the Scholar of Change Video you chose. (Note: You will only need one or two codes for this Discussion, although more are acceptable.)
By Day 3
Post a brief description of the video you chose. Next, include an example of one or two codes and provide quotes from your notes or transcript to support your example. Finally, explain your reasoning for this coding.
Be sure to support your main post and response post with reference to the week?s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA style.
Must USE THESE HEADINGS!!!!
Here are the required headings for discussion 1:
Video name
Code words (list each code and the phrase or sentence it describes)
Discuss (discuss your coding process and how you arrived at your codes. Be sure to include the transcript source and your field notes source in this description)
Reflection/Questions (discuss any insights or ask questions regarding this process)
Assignment 3: Policy identification
According to the Counsel on Social Work Education, Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice:
Social workers understand that human rights and social justice, as well as social welfare and services, are mediated by policy and its implementation at the federal, state, and local levels. Social workers understand the history and current structures of social policies and services, the role of policy in service delivery, and the role of practice in policy development. Social workers understand their role in policy development and implementation within their practice settings at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels and they actively engage in policy practice to effect change within those settings. Social workers recognize and understand the historical, social, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global influences that affect social policy. They are also knowledgeable about policy formulation, analysis, implementation, and evaluation. Social workers:
o Identify social policy at the local, state, and federal level that impacts well-being, service delivery, and access to social services;
o Assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of and access to social services;
o Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
This assignment is intended to help students demonstrate the behavioral components of this competency in their field education.
To prepare: Working with your field instructor, identify, evaluate, and discuss policies established by the local, state, and federal government (within the last five years) that affect the day to day operations of the field placement agency.
The Assignment (1-2 pages):
? Describe the policies and their impact on the field agency (military now offers transgender member service policy).
Propose specific recommendations regarding how you, as a social work intern, and the agency (military mental health clinic) can advocate for policies pertaining to advancing social justice for the agency and the clients it serves.
Correlational research, which you explored in this week?s Discussion, is useful in identifying relations between two variables, but does not make assumptions regarding cause and effect among the variables because researchers did not control for outside factors. To demonstrate possible causal relations among variables, researchers will need to manipulate variables in an experimental research design.
The variable that the researcher manipulates in an experimental research design is termed the independent variable. As a researcher, one important determination you need to make is the number of independent variables involved in the study. If you manipulate one independent variable, the study would be termed a one-way experimental design.
Researchers also need to determine dependent variables. In an experimental design, the dependent variable is the measure of the effect of the independent variable. If the dependent measure reveals an effect made by an independent variable, a researcher may be able to determine cause.
Consider a study that hypothesizes that 8-year-olds who play educational computer games score higher on intelligence tests than those who do not play educational computer games. Consider how many aspects you would need to address if you were conducting the study. First, you would need to understand that the independent variable is the game-playing, whereas the dependent variable is the scores on the intelligence test.
Next, you would need to determine the levels of the independent variable. In this scenario, suppose there are three levels of play: no play, some play (4 hours a week), and frequent play (8 or more hours a week).
Additionally, you would need to determine whether the study is a between-participants design or a within-participants design (also known as a repeated-measures design). A between-participants design uses different groups for each level. A within-participants design uses the same group, and that one group repeats the experiment for each level.
In this Assignment you apply key concepts related to experimental design to a research study and analyze and interpret the outcome.
To prepare:
Read the assigned pages from Chapter 10 in your course text.
Read the following study scenario:
Researchers are interested in the effectiveness of a particular treatment for insomnia. They contact 50 insomnia sufferers who responded to a newspaper advertisement to participate in the study. Each participant is given a pill with instructions to take it before going to sleep that night. The pill actually contains milk powder (a placebo). The participants are randomly assigned to receive one of two sets of instructions about the pill. One half of the participants are told that the pill will make them feel ?sleepy,? and the other half are told that the pill will make them feel ?awake and alert.? The next day the participants return to the lab and are asked to indicate how long it took them to fall asleep after taking the pill. The individuals who were told that the pill would make them feel sleepy reported that they fell asleep faster than the participants who were told the pill would make them feel alert.
Think about the concepts you read about this week about one-way experimental designs and analysis of variance (ANOVA), and how they apply to the above study.
The Assignment (1?2 pages):
With the study scenario in mind, complete the following:
Identify the independent variable and dependent variable. Indicate the number of levels in the independent variable and describe each level.
Indicate whether the research used a between-participants or a within-participants research design and how you determined this to be the case.
Presume a third condition was added to the study. In this condition, the participants are not given any information about the effects of the (placebo) pill. Next, suppose an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted. Briefly interpret, in your own words, what it would mean if the F was significant as applied to this study.
Review Chapter 6 and the Levitt article, focusing on the different types of counseling microskills; how active listening can enhance the other microskills, such as paraphrasing; and how each microskill could be used within a counseling session.
Review the ?Vignettes: Counseling Microskills Discussion? document in the Learning Resources and select one to use for this Discussion.
Think about how you could use an open-ended question, paraphrasing, and reflection of what the client is feeling for the vignette you selected
? A brief summary of the case study you chose (one paragraph maximum)
? One example of each of the following skills as you might say them to the client in the case study:
? one open-ended question
? one paraphrase of one of the client?s statements
? one reflection of what the client is feeling.
? Finally, explain how much of your interaction with this client is an ?art? or a ?science? and why.
Read the ?Pr?cis Explanation and Overview? before beginning this assignment. Write a 800-1,200-word essay on the topic of Narrative Christian Ethics. The paper will consist of two parts. Part I is the pr?cis (pronounced “preh-si”); Part II is the critical analysis.
Part I: Precis
Summarize Chapter 9, beginning with the section titled ?Christian Ethics as Narrative Ethics,? through the end of the chapter of Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics. Be sure to read the whole chapter for broader content and contextual understanding, even though your actual pr?cis and critical analysis will focus on ?Christian Ethics as Narrative Ethics? through the end of Chapter 9. Refrain from or severely limit utilizing quotations.
In 600 to 800 words, briefly describe the author?s thesis, key concepts/ideas, key terms, the method/approach used by the author, and the evident purpose of (reason for) the author?s piece. The pr?cis should consist of about two-thirds of the total word count for the essay.
Use your own words to state what the author studied (or discussed).
How was it accomplished (or the procedure/focus)?
What was learned (or what were the results)?
What does it means (or why it is important)?
Part II: Critical Analysis
In 200 to 400 words, write a critical analysis. Be sure to review the ?Precis Explanation and Overview.? Include the word count at the end of Part II. Be sure to stay within the given word count range to avoid penalties for not meeting or exceeding the word-count range. The critical analysis should consist of about a third of the total word count for the essay.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
Examine the ways that cultural expressions influence your daily life. You are welcome to use images in this Assignment, however, the written content needs to be at least 750 words.
Share three items of cultural expression that influence your life. Consider the cases in the Reading for ideas. You may also include the item of cultural expression that you introduced in your Discussion for this unit. You may want to write about recipes, art, music, sports, films, photography, religious traditions, or narratives about your family history. You are welcome to go beyond this list. These three cultural expressions should communicate something about your beliefs, customs, and way of life.
I. Give an introduction to the paper. Include a preview of your main points and a thesis that establishes what you will demonstrate in the Assignment.
II. Introduce the expressions one at a time. Tell the reader about the item. You may want to explain the who, what, where, when and why about this item. For example, what is it? Where did it come from and when? Who has decided to keep it? Why is it worth keeping?
III. After you have introduced and explained all of the expressions, consider the three expressions as a group and answer these questions.
How do these cultural expressions help define who you are, what you believe, or how you act?
If someone saw only this list of cultural expressions, what might they conclude about you? What might be an incorrect assumption that someone could make? What do you think might be accurate?
IV. Conclude the paper with a substantive conclusion.
Your final assignment for this course is a Final Paper that will focus on evaluating research studies and reports to analyze a specific topic within a Health and Human Services research area. You will select a topic area in Week Three of this course that will be used for the Final Paper. Examples of possible topic areas include:
Program effectiveness of community-based mental health treatment facilities.
Perceptions of ethical competence among human service professionals working in long- term care.
Treatment intervention outcomes for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Characteristics of successful job placement programs for special needs adults.
Trends in health care legislation and impacts on health and human service delivery.
For your Final Paper, you will elaborate on each section of your Final Paper Outline from Week Three. You must utilize at least eight peer-reviewed sources that were published within the last 10 years; these will be the same sources that you identified in your Week Three assignment. Your sources must present actual research studies that correspond to the problem or background of your selected topic area. Your Final Paper must address the following:
Describe your selected topic area. Your description of the problem or background of your topic area should include more detail than the overview you provided in Week Three.
Summarize the components, attributes, and/or various segments of the topic area you have selected. For example:
What is the research problem or issue?
Who or what is affected by this problem or issue?
What are some specific examples of research studies, evaluations, reports, literature reviews, etc. that address it?
What are the findings of these sources, and what are their implications on the health and human services field?
Evaluate the research reports and/or theories from the studies presented in your minimum of eight peer-reviewed resources. This analysis should add to the exploration of the problem or background of your selected topic area.
Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:
Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student?s name
Course name and number
Instructor?s name
Date submitted
Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
Must use at least eight peer-reviewed sources from the Ashford University Library.
Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
