Social Work Research Experiment Ideas

[TLC]

I am taking a undergraduate psychology course in research design and analysis and I cant think of a creative hypothesis to test. I will embark on my graduate studies this fall in Social Work and would like that major to be the crux of my research. I am interested in children (in and out of DCFS), mental health, LGBT issues, homelessness, veterans, CDCR (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation [ arguably the lack of rehabilitation] )... the list goes on. Can anybody think of a research topic/experiment that embodies any of the aforementioned issues? Thank you very much for your time.

[fuzzylogician]

So you want us to do your homework for you?

[TLC]

I have to expound on an idea, conduct the research, and analyze the results, and prepare the paper. I did not ask for anyone to do my homework. I asked for a topic/experiment idea. 

[TLC]

I have ideas but I am having a hard time developing them... For example, I would like to explore my idea that California is lacking in the rehabilitation of their correctional program. I feel inmates are released without guidance and are almost set up for failure. I would imagine I could interview recent parolees in half-way houses and ask them their objective or subjective opinions about the rehabilitation process of the CDCR... I really don't have fluid idea... 

Another rabbit hole that I went down was to explore DCFS and the poor emancipation process for  foster youth at the age of eighteen...

[fuzzylogician]

I have to expound on an idea, conduct the research, and analyze the results, and prepare the paper. I did not ask for anyone to do my homework. I asked for a topic/experiment idea. 

 

Maybe you should have a chat with some grad students and professors about the value of a good idea. You can't do all those other things you listed, nor get funded to even get started, without a good research idea.

 

 

I have ideas but I am having a hard time developing them... For example, I would like to explore my idea that California is lacking in the rehabilitation of their correctional program. I feel inmates are released without guidance and are almost set up for failure. I would imagine I could interview recent parolees in half-way houses and ask them their objective or subjective opinions about the rehabilitation process of the CDCR... I really don't have fluid idea... 

Another rabbit hole that I went down was to explore DCFS and the poor emancipation process for  foster youth at the age of eighteen...

 

OK, now we're getting somewhere, but you're still aiming way too high and broad. What are the requirements for this course? Do you have to actually implement the study and get analyzable results before the end of the semester? If so then interviewing inmates is completely off the table, you might not even get your IRB approved before the semester ends, let alone collect enough data. For that time frame a questionnaire is much more feasible. If all you need is to propose an experiment then I go back to asking how us giving you an idea isn't doing your homework for you. If you can come up with a clearly defined idea, the design will often be dictated by the idea. 

[TLC]

I have to implement a study and get analyzable results before the end of the semester. You are right, interviews are not feasible and questionnaires are much better. I am waiting on a correctional facility to get back in contact with me regarding providing me access to their residents....

 

The requirements are

1- Develop a hypothesis

2- Choose an appropriate method to test the specific hypothesis

3- Design a psychological study using various research methods

[Dal PhDer]

Hi there,

 

Here are some of what I tell my students who are taking a research methods class and must develop a proposal.

 

1) Think of a topic/area of research that interests you. 

 

I have ideas but I am having a hard time developing them... For example, I would like to explore my idea that California is lacking in the rehabilitation of their correctional program. I feel inmates are released without guidance and are almost set up for failure. I would imagine I could interview recent parolees in half-way houses and ask them their objective or subjective opinions about the rehabilitation process of the CDCR... I really don't have fluid idea... 

Another rabbit hole that I went down was to explore DCFS and the poor emancipation process for  foster youth at the age of eighteen...

 

You seem to have an idea! That's great.

 

2) Do some preliminary literature searches to find out what has been done, and what hasn't. I suggest looking at the limitations and future direction sections of articles to see what the research is calling for for future work. This will give you a good starting point about gaps in your area, and how you might want to address them. It will also help you narrow down your question. 

 

2b) Are you thinking about deductive or inductive reasoning? This will inform how you phrase your question.

 

3) Clearly state and define your variables and population of interest. In my class, I recommend students to only look at an x - y relationship. Adding variables can make it too difficult and confusing to frame your lit search and research design. Mind you, in graduate school you're expected to expand on this relationship- but for the sake of an ug project, just stick to:

What is your independent variable? (think about how you will define it, and how your definition will impact your methods/data; review the literature to see how others have defined it)

What is your dependent variable? (same points as above)

What is your population of interest? (I like to suggest to students to be specific...if you start out being specific, you can always broaden it if there's not a lot done...but starting off too broad can sometimes be very overwhelming)

 

4)Your research question will define how you design your study. Think about your variables and population. What are the limitations/advantages of the different study designs and how could these influence your data.

 

5) PICK A TOPIC YOU'RE INTERESTED IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Your tasks (2 and 3) are interrelated in my opinion. a psychological study lends itself to more of a quasi- or experimental design...which inevitably influences your methods.

 

In the end, your first step should be developing a clear, concise and realistic research question!