Quantitative Methods in Social Work

by Gillespie, David F.; Glisson, Charles

• ISBN13: 9781560242758
• ISBN10: 1560242752
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-08-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Representing some of the best research efforts currently found among social workers, Quantitative Methods in Social Work serves as both a guide and a challenge to social work researchers interested in the application of quantitative methods to social work problem solving. This application of research methods has not been described or discussed adequately in any formal way until now. In a comprehensive manner, this book documents the most advanced quantitative methodologies currently applied by social work researchers and describes issues and techniques that accompany specific applications. It increases social workers'understanding of state-of-the-art applied statistical analysis, enabling them to become more competent and competitive in research and the teaching of research strategies.Quantitative Methods in Social Work addresses three types of methodological issues: measurement, the incorporation of nonquantitative variables in quantitative data analysis, and the use of quantitative analytic techniques to model and assess complex social phenomena. Chapters cover the use of computers for content analysis, structural equation modeling in measurement, logistic regression, loglinear analysis, event history analysis, social network analysis, and discussions of moderator variables and interaction effects in multiple regression. Social work faculty and doctoral students, along with other human service professionals who want to increase their understanding of applied statistical analysis in social and behavioral research, will find the information they need in this informative book.

Table of Contents

Toward the Development of Quantitative Methods in Social Work Research	p. 1
A Comparison of Classical, Item Response, and Generalizability Theories of Measurement	p. 11
Using the Computer for Content Analysis	p. 41
A Preliminary Examination of the Knowledge of Normative Infant Development (KNID) Inventory Using Structural Equation Modeling	p. 59
The Use of Logistic Regression in Social Work Research	p. 87
Loglinear Analysis in Social Work Research	p. 105
Event History Analysis: A Proportional Hazards Perspective on Modeling Outcomes in Intensive Family Preservation Services	p. 123
Moderator Variables in Social Work Research	p. 159
Interaction Effects in Multiple Regression	p. 179
Social Network Analysis	p. 201
Index	p. 223
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