Sponsor
Portland State University. School of Social Work
First Advisor
Robert C. Holloway
Term of Graduation
Spring 1981
Date of Publication
6-1-1981
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Social Work (MSW)
Department
Social Work
Language
English
Subjects
Portland State University. School of Social Work -- Alumni and alumnae, Social work education -- Oregon -- Portland, Social workers -- Attitudes
DOI
10.15760/etd.5332
Physical Description
1 online resource (vi, 112 pages)
Abstract
The alumni survey conducted at Portland State University School of Social Work by second year students had two purposes. One purpose was to fulfill the research practicum requirements of a Masters of Social Work degree by providing experience in the area of applied survey research. The other was to provide a data base for future alumni research at the school.
Selltiz, et al., in their book, Research Methods in Social Relations, ask the question, "Why is it important to be familiar with the research process?" They answer with the following statements: "Research techniques are the tools of the trade... The student needs not only to develop skill in using them but also to understand the logic behind them." Further, "The positions for which social science students are likely to be preparing themselves...--community consultation, social work--increasingly call for the ability to evaluate and to use research results: to judge whether a study was carried out in such a way that one can have reasonable confidence in its findings and whether its findings are applicable to the specific situation at hand".
While published research may strongly suggest the existence of a prescribed sequence of procedures, each step presupposing the completion of the preceding one, Selltiz, et al. suggest the actual research process almost never follows the neat sequential pattern of activities suggested in the organization of research reports and the many additional activities rarely mentioned in the published studies (1976).
This survey, the process of its creation, the collection and interpretation of data and this group's ultimate findings, has provided the practical experience needed by the MSW student in the planning and implementation of a research project.
Because the needs of individuals and communities served by social workers are continually changing, and because these changes require a response on the part of social work educators, our survey has focused on the school's curriculum and its effectiveness in preparing the MSW graduates of P.S.U. School of Social Work in the last ten years. The findings of this survey will be presented formally to the school's curriculum committee, which has expressed considerable interest in the survey.
Rights
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19505
Recommended Citation
Fishack, Stephen R., "An Alumni Survey of the School of Social Work, Portland State University" (1981). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3448.
https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.5332
Comments
Other authors: Robert A. Forlenza, Susan D. Fredd, Gigi (Gail) Gandy, William P. Goldsmith, Thomas L. Grier, Sheila K. Lehto
A research practicum submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work.
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