Research & Evidence-Based Practice Flashcards

A school social worker reviews evidence and selects an intervention. According to the EBP process, after finding the best evidence the NEXT step is to:

Answer: Integrate evidence with clinical expertise and client values

The EBP process steps are: ask, search, appraise, then integrate evidence with clinical expertise and client/family values before applying the intervention.

Which type of reliability measures consistency of scores across different raters scoring the same observation?

Answer: Inter-rater reliability

Inter-rater reliability assesses the degree to which two or more raters give consistent scores when evaluating the same behavior or response.

A school social worker wants to study the long-term outcomes of students who received early intervention services. The BEST research design would be:

Answer: Longitudinal cohort study

A longitudinal cohort study follows the same participants over time, making it ideal for examining long-term outcomes of early intervention.

What is 'publication bias' and why is it important for school social workers reviewing evidence?

Answer: Journals tend to publish positive results, so the evidence base may overestimate intervention effectiveness

Publication bias occurs because journals favor positive results, meaning the literature may not reflect the full picture of an intervention's effectiveness including null findings.

When a school social worker uses the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess student functioning, this instrument demonstrates validity because it:

Answer: Has been shown to accurately measure what it claims to measure across diverse populations

Validity means the instrument accurately measures the construct it is intended to measure, supported by empirical evidence across populations.

A school social worker conducting participatory action research (PAR) would MOST likely:

Answer: Partner with community members and students as co-researchers

PAR is a collaborative approach where researchers and community members work as equal partners throughout the research process, from design to dissemination.

A school social worker notes that a study has high statistical significance but a very small effect size. The BEST interpretation is:

Answer: The study had a large sample where even trivial differences reach significance

Large samples can produce statistically significant results even for trivially small effects; statistical significance does not equal practical or clinical significance.