Course

Research Methods in Social Work

Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Department
Social Work
Course code
SOWK 4160
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course prepares students to conduct, evaluate and apply research to improve social work practice, policy and service provision. Students will examine how qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research contribute to knowledge and understanding the limits of knowledge. Students will develop a research question and apply knowledge of research design to that question, addressing ethical issues, recruitment, sampling, data collection, data analysis, and knowledge mobilization.
Course content

Course content will be guided by research, empirical knowledge and best practice. The following values and principles, consistent with professional standards, inform course content:

  • Best practices in social work include the integration of research into practice and the ongoing creation and review of new knowledge about issues relevant to service users.
  • Social workers must be able to critically evaluate the quality of research design and demonstrate discernment when integrating research into practice.
  • A wide range of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research methods are applicable to social work settings.
  • Research has ethical implications, and methods employed by social workers must be congruent with social work values.
  • Social workers need to be able to communicate research goals, methods and findings to a broad range of participants and community partners.
Learning activities
Lectures
Group work
Experiential classroom activities
Presentations

                                                                                                                                                     

Means of assessment

Written papers
Presentations
Research proposal
Examinations
Participation
Attendance

Evaluations will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College Evaluation Policy and will include both formative and summative components. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Describe the role of research in social work practice, policy development and service provision.
  2. Formulate an effective research question.
  3. Conduct a literature review to establish the scientific relevance of a research question.
  4. Describe the purpose and nature of a variety of qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods data collection and analysis methods.
  5. Make ethical choices in the design of a research project, paying particular attention to the needs of equity-seeking groups.
  6. Critique a variety of research products, including research posters and published research articles.
  7. Create and communicate a research proposal that follows principles of good research design.
Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example texts may include:

Engel, R. & Schutt, R. (2012). The practice of research in social work (current ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Brown, L. A., & Strega, S. (2015). Research as resistance, 2e: Revisiting critical, Indigenous, and anti-oppressive approaches. Canadian Scholars’ Press.

Wilson, S. (2020). Research is ceremony: Indigenous research methods. Fernwood Publishing.

Requisites

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for SOWK 4160
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU SOCI 2260 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) No credit

Course Offerings

Fall 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. B
Room
B2340
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
10:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. C
Room
C1005
Times:
Start Time
10:30
-
End Time
12:20
Section notes

SOWK 4160 001 is restricted to BSW students.