Discussion Post: Research Questions and Literature Reviews
In this video, you meet Eboni Logan, a teenager who reveals that she is pregnant. Eboni explains to her social worker that no one at her school talks about methods of birth control, as their only focus is on abstinence. Imagine that you are a social worker in Eboni's school and you begin to notice an increase in teen pregnancy. This causes you to wonder about the effectiveness of abstinence-only education. This curiosity propels you to investigate further, but you are not sure what you should do first-develop a research question or conduct a literature review.
For this Discussion, review the literature on abstinence education. View the Sessions episode on the Eboni Logan case.
Post your explanation about what should come first-the development of a research question or a thorough literature review. Justify your answer by adding your thoughts about which process you believe to be more realistic and/or appropriate, and why. Finally, describe potential consequences of deciding on a research question without conducting a review of the literature. Please use the resources to support your answer.
Logan Family Episode 1 Program Transcript
MS. WARRICK: Hi, Ebony. It's good to see you. I saw you at the track meet. Nice job on the 100 meter dash.
EBONY: Oh, thanks. Thanks for seeing me, Ms. Warrick.
MS. WARRICK: So what's on your mind?
EBONY: I'm pregnant.
MS. WARRICK: Are you sure?
EBONY: Two months.
MS. WARRICK: Oh, Ebony. Why? Did you want to get pregnant? Didn't you use protection?
EBONY: Nobody talks about birth control here. All they teach is abstinence. I made a mistake.
MS. WARRICK: Do you know who the father is?
EBONY: Darion, my boyfriend. We've been going together for about four months. MS. WARRICK: Have you told him?
EBONY: He told me to do whatever I want to do. I know what that means, though, but he won't say it. He thinks we're too young to have a baby.
MS. WARRICK: Have you told your family?
EBONY: My mom. She wants me to have an abortion. Says I'll ruin my life if I have a baby now. But not my dad. He says it's god's choice, not mine. I don't know what to think. I'm all mixed up. What do you think I should do?
Homework: Introduction to Research Proposals
Just because you thought of an interesting research question and have a desire to conduct research does not mean that your research will automatically be supported by faculty or funded by an organization. In order to gain stakeholder approval, you must submit a research proposal. Much like an outline of a paper or a treatment of a movie script, the research proposal contains several parts that begin with a research question and end with a literature review.
For this Homework, you compile a research proposal that includes a research problem, research question, and a literature review.
For this Homework, choose between the case studies entitled "Social Work Research: Couple Counseling" and "Social Work Research: Using Multiple Assessments." Consider how you might select among the issues presented to formulate a research proposal.
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
1. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
References:
1. Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L. (2018). Research methods for social workers (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
a. Review Chapter 4, "Conducting the Literature Review and Developing Research Hypothesis" (pp. 71-99)
2. Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
a. Social Work Research: Couples Counseling
b. Social Work Research: Couples Counseling Social Work Research: Using Multiple Assessments
3. Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., Brocksen S. (Eds.). (2014). Sessions: Case histories. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
a. The Logan Family.