SSW Research & Evidence-Based Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school social worker wants to evaluate whether a new anti-bullying program is effective. Which research design provides the strongest evidence of causality?
- Case study with detailed narrative
- Randomized controlled trial with control group (Correct answer)
- Cross-sectional survey of student attitudes
- Retrospective record review
Correct answer: Randomized controlled trial with control group
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for establishing causality because random assignment controls for confounding variables.
Question 2: When reviewing a research article, a school social worker notices the p-value is 0.03. What does this indicate?
- The effect size is large
- There is a 3% probability the results occurred by chance (Correct answer)
- The study is clinically significant
- The sample size is adequate
Correct answer: There is a 3% probability the results occurred by chance
A p-value of 0.03 means there is a 3% probability that the observed results occurred by chance if the null hypothesis were true.
Question 3: A school social worker uses motivational interviewing with students. This approach is best described as which type of evidence-based practice?
- Emerging practice with limited evidence
- Well-supported treatment with multiple RCTs (Correct answer)
- Promising practice pending replication
- Consensus-based practice from expert opinion
Correct answer: Well-supported treatment with multiple RCTs
Motivational interviewing has been supported by numerous randomized controlled trials across diverse populations, classifying it as a well-supported treatment.
Question 4: Which sampling method would best ensure a representative sample of all students in a large urban school district for a needs assessment?
- Convenience sampling from one school
- Snowball sampling through peer referrals
- Stratified random sampling by school and grade (Correct answer)
- Purposive sampling of at-risk students
Correct answer: Stratified random sampling by school and grade
Stratified random sampling ensures proportional representation across key subgroups (schools, grades), maximizing generalizability to the full district.
Question 5: A school social worker is conducting a focus group with parents about mental health services. This is an example of what type of data collection?
- Quantitative primary data collection
- Qualitative primary data collection (Correct answer)
- Quantitative secondary data collection
- Qualitative secondary data collection
Correct answer: Qualitative primary data collection
Focus groups collect rich narrative data directly from participants (primary) in a qualitative format, exploring perspectives and experiences in depth.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a literature review in school social work research?
- To collect new data from participants
- To synthesize existing knowledge and identify gaps (Correct answer)
- To establish the statistical significance of findings
- To obtain IRB approval for a study
Correct answer: To synthesize existing knowledge and identify gaps
A literature review synthesizes what is already known about a topic and identifies gaps in knowledge that justify new research.
Question 7: A school social worker finds a study showing that therapy dogs reduce student anxiety with a Cohen's d of 0.80. How should this effect size be interpreted?
- Small effect with limited practical significance
- Medium effect with moderate significance
- Large effect with substantial practical significance (Correct answer)
- The effect size indicates statistical significance only
Correct answer: Large effect with substantial practical significance
By Cohen's conventions, d = 0.80 is a large effect size, indicating a substantial and practically meaningful difference between groups.
SSW Research & Evidence-Based Practice 2
A school social worker wants to evaluate whether a new anti-bullying program is effective.
Which research design provides the strongest evidence of causality?