In order to make decisions about the value of any research study for practice, it is important to understand the general processes involved in analyzing research data. By now, you have examined enough research studies to be aware that there are some common ways that data are reported and summarized in research studies. For example, the sample is often described by numbers of participants and by certain characteristics of those participants that help us determine how representative the sample is of a population. The information about the sample is commonly reported in tables and graphs, making use of frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, and dispersion. Information about the variables (or concepts) of interest when quantified are also reported in similar manner.

Although the actual data analysis takes place after data have been collected, from the initial planning of a research study, the researcher needs to have an awareness of the types of questions that can be answered by particular data analysis techniques.

For this Discussion, review the case study entitled “Social Work Research: Measuring Group Success.” Consider the data analysis described in that case. Recall the information presented in the earlier chapters of your text about formulating research questions to inform a hypotheses or open-ended exploration of an issue.

Post an explanation of the types of descriptive and/or inferential statistics you might use to analyze the data gathered in the case study. Also, explain how the statistics you identify can guide you in evaluating the applicability of the study’s findings for your own practice as a social worker. Please use the resources to support your answer.

 

Week 10: Self-Reflection

Important Note: Please use the media player below to hear an audio course introduction that will give you more background information about the course topic. Also provided is a transcript for you to download and print out.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Self-reflection [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Note:  The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute.

 

Learning Resources

Note: To access this weeks required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Chapter 15, Evaluating Your Practice (pp. 172-184)

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Self-reflection [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Note: This audio introduction is located in the Introduction section. The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute.

Optional Resources

Assignment: Week 10 Blog

Refer to the topics covered in this weeks resources, and incorporate them into your blog.

By Day 3

Post a blog post that includes:

• An explanation of the social work practice skills you have gained by participating in your field education experience

By Day 4

Respond to the blog post of three colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

• Validate an idea in your colleagues post with your own experience.
• Share an insight from having read your colleagues posting.
• Expand on your colleagues post.

You will be assigned to author regular blog entries as well as make comments on each others blog postings.

 

 

Week 10: Interventions With Adults

One of the most exciting and interesting aspects of social work is that the work you will do with your clients will be incredibly varied. Each client presents with a different situation, concern, and personality. The work you will do with individual adults could address mental health concerns (i.e., depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar), physical concerns (i.e., recent stroke, paralysis, disability), or substance abuse (i.e., alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine). These are just a few examples of the presenting issues your clients could bring to their meeting with you. Each meeting with a client will introduce new information for you to assess. During these meetings, it is imperative to review your capabilities, including cultural competence, and determine if you are the most qualified to work with these individuals. In the NASW Code of Ethics (2017), under responsibility to professionals, there is an expectation that you will provide competent social work. This includes keeping abreast of current research and developments in the field; learning new skills and honing existing ones; and only practicing with individuals who you are competent to assist.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Demonstrate skills for explaining trauma to a client
• Evaluate EBP interventions for a specific population and problem
• Apply culturally competent intervention strategies to a population or presenting problem

Learning Resources

Note: To access this weeks required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014a). Sessions: case histories. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
The Levy Family (pp. 1516)

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013b). Levy family: Episode 3 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Accessible player –Downloads–Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload TranscriptCredit: Provided courtesy of the Laureate International Network of Universities.

Optional Resources

Discussion: Trauma

Trauma is ubiquitous. While trauma is most commonly associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, trauma can manifest in a myriad of different ways and not every client who experiences trauma will be diagnosed with PTSD. Social workers intervene directly with trauma when working in Veterans services, domestic violence/sexual assault response programs, and child protective services. Social workers also work with trauma indirectly when working in mental health, substance abuse services, schools, refugee resettlement, and other forms of social service. Whether or not you are directly treating a traumatic episode as the presenting problem, trauma will be present in the clinical space. 

In this Weeks Discussion, you will demonstrate your skills related to explaining trauma and intervention to a client. This will require you explain the concepts in a manner that is understandable to the developmental and educational level of the client. No need to solicit a volunteer to assist you. Position yourself as though the client is directly behind the camera lens. The goal is to show, not tell. In other words, you are expected to demonstrate rather than discuss your skills. You should role-play as if you were speaking directly to a client.

By Day 3

Submit a 4-5 minute video demonstrating your skills. In the role-play: 

• Ask one question that you would use to elicit information about a clients trauma experience. [Assume a response and move to the next part of the skill demonstration]
• Explain to the client the effects of trauma generally and how trauma may be affecting the client specifically.
• Explain to the client what intervention(s) you would recommend and why.
• Explain the role you would take in any intervention given your scope of practice and to whom you would refer the client for additional intervention.

Include a transcript and/or edit closed captioning on your video to ensure your video is accessible to differing abilities. 

By Day 5

Respond to at least two colleagues in one of the following ways:

• Reflect on your experience viewing the skill demonstration from the position of the client.
• Describe insights you gained from your peers demonstration that you will use to improve your own skills.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:
Week 10 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 5

To participate in this Discussion:
Week 10 Discussion

Final Project

Once you graduate and obtain your first job out of your Master of Social Work program, you may be asked to identify the gaps in services at your new agency. You may be asked to create a new group or help to identify a new evidence-based intervention that can be introduced to the clients. Understanding how to research the current literature, and then choose and evaluate an intervention, is an important component of being a successful social worker. For this course, you have researched new and interesting interventions that are currently being used with children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Further, you have explored the importance of connecting theory to practice.

For this Assignment, use will practice steps in Evidence-Based Practice. 1) You will think of a practice problem. 2) You then conduct a literature review on available research. 3) You will evaluate the evidence to determine which intervention to use. 4) You will consider client values and your clinical expertise. 5) You will think about what you hope the client gains from this intervention (i.e., decreased depression, increased quality of life, decreased PTSD symptoms) and consider how you might measure this change.

To prepare:

• Choose a population of interest to you.
  • Children
  • Adolescents
  • Adults
  • Elderly/Aging
• Choose a presenting problem (depression, family conflict, homelessness, etc.) related to the population of interest.
• Conduct a literature review focused on the presenting problem within the population of interest.

By Day 7

Submit an 8- to 10-page scholarly paper supported with a minimum of six peer-reviewed articles as references. In the paper, you should:

• Briefly describe the population and presenting problem you are focusing on for this assignment.
• Provide a review of the articles you reviewed from this project and explain what you learned from conducting this research.
• Briefly describe at least 2 evidence-based interventions currently used for your chosen population when addressing this particular problem. Provide supporting references when explaining the evidence behind the interventions.
• Explain which of these interventions you might choose to use and why.
  • Consider client values and your clinical expertise and how those might affect your decision of which intervention to use.
• Describe how you might apply the specific skills and techniques of the chosen intervention.
• Briefly explain how you could measure the outcomes of this intervention.
• Explain any cultural considerations that you need to take into account when working with this population or the particular presenting problem.
• Discuss how the Code of Ethics applies when working with this particular presenting problem and population.
• Explain how you would apply a trauma-informed lens when working with this population.

Support your Final Project with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

The Final Project will be evaluated according to the Final Project Rubric, located below and in the Course Information area.

 

Imagine you have been hired as a consultant for the United Nations. You have been asked to write an analysis of how global population growth has caused the following problem and how it affects climate change or population growth in a developing country of your choosing:

A growing global population that consumes natural resources is partially to blame for the release of greenhouse gases since human consumption patterns lead to deforestation, soil erosion, and farming (overturned dirt releases CO2). However, the critical issue is the burning of fossil fuels (hydrocarbons) such as coal, oil, and natural gas to produce energy that is used for things such as electricity production, and vehicle, heating, and cooking fuels.

The UN has asked that you choose a developing country from this list: .

The UN has also given you the following guidelines.

Content

The UN has asked that your paper contain three sections. It has asked that each section be one page (or approximately 300 words) in length and answer specific questions, identified in the outline below. The UN also asks that you use examples from your developing country when answering the questions.

Introduction

Provide an introduction (a half-page minimum) that addresses points a-e below.

1. Explains the problem the UN has asked you to address in your own words;
2. Identifies the three sections your paper will cover;
3. Identifies the developing country you will consider;
4. Tells the UN which causes of greenhouse gases you will explore; and
5. Provides a one-sentence statement of your solutions at the end of your introduction paragraph.

Section I. Background

1. What are greenhouse gases?
2. How do greenhouse gases contribute to global warming?

Section II. How Emissions Cause Problems for the Developing World

1. Which countries produce the most greenhouse gases?
2. What are the economic challenges of these emissions (include examples from your chosen country)?
3. What are the security challenges of these emissions (include examples from your chosen country)?
4. What are the political challenges of these emissions (include examples from your chosen country)?

Section III. Causes of Greenhouse Gases and Solutions to the Problems Greenhouse Gases Cause

1. Name two causes of greenhouse gases.
2. What are the potential solutions that address each of the causes you identified?
3. What is the relationship between population control and greenhouse gas emissions?

Conclusion

• Provide a conclusion (a half-page minimum) that includes a summary of your findings that the United Nations can use to inform future policy decisions.

Success Tips

• In answering each question, use examples from your developing country to illustrate your points.
• The UN needs facts and objective analysis on which to base future policy decisions; avoid personal opinion and make sure your answers are based on the information you find through research.

Formatting Requirements

• Make sure your paper consists of six pages (re: 1,200 words minimum, not including the cover page, reference page, and quoted material [if any]).
• Create headings for each section of your paper as follows:
  • Section I. Background
  • Section II. How Emissions Cause Problems for the Developing World
  • Section III. Causes of Greenhouse Gases and Solutions to the Problems Greenhouse Gases Cause
• Use and cite at least seven credible sources in your research. A list of potential resources is available below.
• Make sure your paper contains both in-text citations and a source list, per SWS guidelines: Refer to the document for reference.
• Include a cover page with your name, the country you selected, the date you submitted the paper, and your instructor’s name.

Potential Sources

1. George Gitlitz. June 19, 2018. Opinion: The Pernicious Climate Dictum-Don’t Mention Population
2. Gemma Tarlach. July 19, 2018. Mass Extinctions.
3. Larry LeDoux. 2018. Does Population Growth Impact Climate Change?
4. Bill McKibben. November 22, 2018. A Very Grim Forecast.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is as follows:

• Evaluate the impacts of population growth and its negative impacts on global societies while considering multiple perspectives.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic/organization of the paper, and language and writing skills.

In a minimum of 300 word/ APA format : Please respond

The text provides a significant amount of information on gender stratification, the messages conveyed to various genders and the impact they have on the individual.

Identify a commercial or ad online directed towards women. Discuss the “gender messages” being conveyed.

How do these messages align with basic feminist ideas? 

Choose one theory of gender to discuss your analysis. 

I have provided an example below. In no way do I expect your  thoughts to be as in-depth or academic. You are welcome to express your opinions regarding the feminist tenets as well as the stratification theory. This is merely an example for your consideration. Do your best and if I see a response that needs further thought or exploration I will be sure to provide suggestions. The main thing is that you are practicing using these terms and ideas. 

For Example:

This is a photo from Victoria Secret. This ad is clearly marketing to women, meant to attract women to buy their product through a play on words, not only are they trying to sell their products as “perfect” in terms of the women’s needs but also, subtly selling an idea that if they buy the product they will also have the “perfect body.” While there is some diversity in terms of race, there is little diversity in terms of body size or shape indicating that there is a clear definition of what “perfect” appears to be. I conducted a similar search for an underwear ad in which men were targeted with the idea of having a perfect “body” and while male underwear models are pretty unrealistic for the average guy, I wasn’t able to find any ads that were conveying a similar message. 

What would the basic feminist ideas have to say about this (pg 338-340)?

1- In view of equality, Feminists would argue that this ad puts women on display for the male gaze and that women, not men, are held to extreme physical standards by which they are daily judged. A women is expected to be thin and  youthful and is treated accordingly. Research shows it can affect their ability to obtain a job, marry or even receive privileged treatment.

(Here are some references if you are interested )

2-  In terms of expanding human choice, I dont know that the context of this ad applies to this basic tenant.

3- Feminist would definitely argue that media plays a very important role in disseminating and creating stratification towards women. This ad, without the verbiage, could be seen as “empowering” to women who are proud of their bodies but, because of the words used, it can be seen as playing into the idea that women are significantly judged by their outer beauty. Because of this, I would argue that feminists would be critical of this type of ad.

4- In terms of ending sexual violence, this ad could go one of two ways. On one hand, women have a right to express themselves physically without the fear of violence or being objectified but, on the other hand, this ad may lend itself to an industry that objectifies women for the purpose of profit.

5- In terms of sexual freedom, without the wording of this ad I believe they would view this picture as an expression of control of ones sexuality. 

This ad lends itself to a discussion of gender stratification from the social-conflict approach. Women are often deprived of power over their own bodies when society takes on the role of dictating which bodies are desirable and privileging some bodies over others. 

  

Respond to two classmates discussion on sociology perspective. Responses should be at least 150 words each (put the word count in all responses). Replies should take the conversation further by adding questions or your own ideas in your replies. In addition, you can point out both strengths and areas of improvement on your peers’ submission. Strong posts will demonstrate understanding and connection to course materials.

Classmate#1: Marc A Robosa

1. I think what is meant by sociological imagination is being a very open minded person who looks at sociological interactions and what influences it.  A person who is able to look at a situation, and pull away from what they know and look at it at a different lens. A benefit of developing a sociological eye is that it will look at problem in different ways and come up with with different solutions. Some other benefits is that it gives an individual more knowledge and insight for a community, a society and as a whole.

2. I think what Mills was trying to say in this quote is that Society turns women into a “slave” for men. Men are described as “Chief Providers”(McIntyre pg16).  Women are dependent on the men after they get married, and that in a marriage, no satisfactory solution can be made unless a 3rd party is at part. Basically saying that society is the reason why marriage is not satisfied for couples. Coontz would agree with this because society standards cause arguments in relationships. It says in her article that “Social differences limit how fair or equal a personal relationship between two individuals from the different groups…”(Coontz 12). Saying that two individuals in a relationhip will always be affected since they come from various groups in society. Another thing she was saying was that “various groups… have unequal access to economic resources, political power, social status”.  These differences causes problems in marriages, just like what Mills was saying in his quote. Saying that Marriages are affected by a 3rd party, or affected by something else like inequality, and differences. 

3. A person with an individualistic view looks at what a person does as an individual. They would examine what drives a person to commit crimes, and fix it from what they are driven from. However the sociologist view is a little different. It talks about how an individual learns from society, and influences them to commit crimes.  Saying people who are criminals learn it from other people around them. Sociologist would try to reduce crimes by creating a better environment to where people are not influenced negatively.

4. Out of the three theoretical perspectives described from McIntyre, I thought the Functionalist perspective was the most interesting one. It talks about how a society works together in order to function. We pay tax to the state, and then the state funds school, where kids go to school. This perspective basically says that our society works as a circle, trying to reach equilibrium. I thought this was interesting because I always thought society as a competition like the conflict perspectives. We compete with other people to get into college and we compete people for jobs. So I thought this was a really interesting and different perspective of society 

5.  I quote I want to talk about is on the Coontz reading where she says “although they continue to be unequal, they are now asked to put aside the psychological defenses they have constructed against that inequality, including a certain amount of self-protective guardedness”(McIntyre pg12).  I thought this was very interesting because it was describing the relations of what happens when a a person with higher social power asked someone that is a lower power to disagree with them and express their minds.

McIntyre, L. J., (2014). The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology. Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

McIntyre, L. J., (2014). The Practical Skeptic: Readings in Sociology. Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Classmate#2: Cheyen Venigas-Mcveigh

1. The sociological imagination in my own personal opinion is being able to turn on and observe anything with an open mind and questioning why society behaves in the ways it does. Observing how people act in any given sociological setting

2. This quote is first discussing that in societal view when a couple is married the women become subservient caretakers to the men and the men are the only providers making them the ruler over the house. This makes the women feel hopeless and powerless, under the mans authority. The couple has different levels of power which will lead to unsatisfied marriage. It is difficult to be happy in a marriage without a 3rd party being involved or the married couple will worry about how this reflects in society. I believe Coontz would agree strongly will Mills view. Coontz states These social differences limit how fair and equal a personal relationship between two individuals from different groups can really be(McIntyre Readings, pg.12). Coontz goes on to give examples of different incidences of people with lower levels of power not feeling able to speak up because of the intimidation they feel from the social standpoint of the person above them.

3. An Individualistic approach would be reviewing and going over what might have to lead the person to do the crimes they committed. Looking more at the persons history and taking that into consideration. A sociologist approach would be to take environmental factors into consideration and looking at data collected for the crimes. A Sociologist would try to reduce crimes like this by changing environmental factors found to be correlated with such crimes. 

4. I think the most appealing theoretical perspective McIntyre goes over is the Functionalism perspective. I think it makes the most since that society works in a continuous cycle. Like we received from the community and we give back to the community. This is also very beneficial for a community because it ends up balancing out in the end.

5. Male often complains that feminists ignore male insecurities and burdens, and they have a point (McIntyre pg.15). I thought this quote was interesting because as a feminist I havent given a lot of thought as maybe I should to the males perspective in society. I mean, feminism’s main idea is equality. I have thought about it a little, but not much. It should be important to see male insecurities because we then can have a better view of society as a whole.

References

McIntyre, L. J., (2014). The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology. Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

McIntyre, L. J., (2014). The Practical Skeptic: Readings in Sociology. Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

1. Describe, in your own words, what is meant by the sociological imagination (also called the ‘sociological eye’). What are the benefits of developing a sociological imagination? 

2. Mills had this to say about the family: Insofar as the family as an institution turns women into slaves and men into their chief providers and unweaned dependents, the problem of a satisfactory marriage remains incapable of purely private solution. Briefly explain what Mills meant by this statement. Then, discuss the extent to which you think Coontz would agree with Mills assertion. Cite specific evidence from Coontzs article to support your answer.

3. How would a person who takes an individualistic (or non-sociological) approach try to reduce crimes such as those committed by Hernando Washington? How would a sociologist try to reduce such crimes?  

4. Of the three theoretical perspectives described by McIntyre (functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism), which seems the most appealing to you? Why? 

5. Select a quote from one of the readings that you find interesting, confusing, or otherwise worthy of further discussion. Explain why you chose this particular quote. 

NOTE:

Remember, there will be ten discussion opportunities during the quarter. You must participate in at least FIVE. You decide which five. I will drop your five lowest scores. Each post is worth 20 points. Extra posts do not equal extra credit. Strong posts will demonstrate understanding and connection to course materials and include citations/references (see grading rubric for details).

You also must respond to two peers’ responses to the prompt for the discussions in which you choose to participate. Responses are due by midnight on Wednesday. Responses should be at least 150 words each (put the word count in all responses). Replies should take the conversation further by adding questions or your own ideas in your replies. In addition, you can point out both strengths and areas of improvement on your peers’ submission. Strong posts will demonstrate understanding and connection to course materials. Each reply is worth 5 points, for a total of 10. 

You have the opportunity to earn extra credit points by responding to your peers’ replies to your own thread (100 minimum word count, worth up to 2 points each).  These are due on the same day as your other replies to peers. In order to ‘entice’ others to respond to you, and thus be able to take advantage of this extra credit opportunity, you will have to craft a strong original post that is engaging enough to others that they are interested in replying to it. Posting early in the discussion also helps 😉 

 

Agents of Socialization

Of the many agents of socialization (family, school, peer group, etc.), the mass media is gaining in importance at a rate faster than any other. Television, in particular, has become a critical force of socialization of children, often rivaling the family. According to Patricia McDonough (2009) of The Nielsen Company, children ages 2-5 watch more than 32 hours of TV a week and children ages 6-11 watch approximately 28 hours of TV a week. McDonough argues that older children watch fewer hours of TV because they are more likely to be attending school for longer hours.

In this week’s Discussion, you will consider a specific issue in socialization that is affected or reinforced by the increasing amount of time children watch television.

McDonough, P. (2009). TV viewing among kids at an eight-year high. The Nielsen Company. Retrieved from http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2009/tv-viewing-among-kids-at-an-eight-year-high.html

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review Interactive Unit 2: Individuals in Society, paying particular attention to the sections on socialization.
• Reflect on the idea that the media’s functions are to entertain, socialize, and enforce social norms.
• Consider how a childs age might affect his or her understanding of what is real on television.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 3 a description of potential implications for socialization that stem from discrepancies between television characters and reality. For example, you might want to conduct research to determine whether the ratio of male to female prime-time television characters is higher or lower than the actual ratio in the U.S. population, and then discuss why this might be important.

Be sure to support your ideas by connecting them to the week’s required readings.

Part 1: Case Studies

Pick four stages to illustrate early childhood development. Pick two from Ericksons Stage Theory and two from Piagets theory of development. Create one case study for each of the chosen stages, which is a total of four case studies.Label each case study with the theorist/stages relevant to it.Each case study should be a minimum of 250 words.For each case study, include how you as a therapist would plan to work with someone at the identified stage.

Part 2: Summary

Include a 250word summary that explains the similarities and differences between Piagets and Ericksons theories. 

APA style is not required, but solid academic writing and a title page is expected.

Single-parent households and an increase in women in the workforce have both contributed to a significant increase in alternative care giving situations like day care or nursery school. Based on your understanding of attachment theory, how does this affect children?  Now, discuss ethical and cultural strategies for promoting resilience, development, and wellness in early childhood. Just need 135 words (ASAP)!