Research For Social Work Practice

Article 1: Johnson H, Carson-Apstein E, Banderob S, Macaulay-Rettino X. " You kind of have to listen to me": Researching discrimination through poetry. InForum: Qualitative Social Research 2017 Sep 1 (Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 1-27). FQS.

In this article, two qualitative research methodology is used which are thematic analysis and collaborative poetics. The collaborative poetics is referred to the research methodology which is developed by drawing principles and practices from the autoethnography and poetic inquiry. The method has taken the use of poetry in the form of research tool from the poetic inquiry method and has taken the focus executed on personal experiences that are able to transform and describe the world as the vision of the research from the autoethnography method (Johnson et al. 2017). The collaborative poetics research methodology is effective for the study because the collaboration executed between different fields helps the study to craft out and develop knowledge in forming high-quality creative pieces required for proper researching related to discrimination through poetry.

The collaborative poetics research brings methodological expertise from the humanities and arts to the social sciences by combining and comparing different methods of work with the same community to which the co-researchers belong from with the same research focus (Runchman and Walker, 2019). Thus, the methodology is effective for the study because it would lead the researchers as well as participants to gain proper sense of authority; understanding and knowledge from various fields regarding the same topic from the research outputs. This is would ensure better insight into the topic as well as be able to appeal to wider audiences. It is evident as in the study it is been concluded that the use of collaborative poetics research method helped the researchers to harness productive, creative as well as engaging texts that have the potential to inform the facts to wider audiences (Johnson et al. 2018).

The thematic analysis is qualitative research methodology that is used to identify patterned meaning across a given dataset (Braun et al. 2019). The use of thematic analysis was effective for this study because it is flexible and easily accessible in nature which allows the researchers to properly show the way pervasive or elusive or unintentional discrimination arises through poetry. The thematic analysis allows systematic interpretation of data in the study where multiple researchers are involved (Martimianakis et al. 2015). In this study, multiple researchers are involved which makes it effective method to be used for getting research outcomes. However, low participant involvement in using the standard thematic analysis in the study was not beneficial. This is because low involvement of the participants created hindrance for developing enriched data for the study by using thematic analysis (Johnson et al. 2017). The use of thematic analysis leads to create reliability concerns as wide variety of data interpretations can be formed from multiple researchers involved in the study (Martimianakis et al. 2015). Thus, the use of thematic analysis in this aspect was not good for the study as it may have created reliability issues while conducting the study. However, it cannot be made certain as there is no information regarding the reliability and validity of the study in the paper. In future, the collaborative poetics is better to be used in comparison to thematic analysis because it enables joint actions of participants, academics and others to challenge any insidious or persuasive messages to create controversies which are equally powerful and poignant in explaining the theory of discrimination in poetics.

The paper is seen to have executed the study by maintaining ethical principles. It is evident as the participants' consent to involve in the study or not was taken before and after the interview conducted in executing the study (Johnson et al. 2017). This act is good about the paper because ethical research helps the researchers to promote the research outcomes in a truthful manner by avoiding error in the study. Moreover, the ethical principles abided in the study was good for the paper because it ensured effective cooperation as well as coordination of the participants from different institutions in gathering data to execute the study in an enriched manner. The pilot study in the paper was executed in a two way which was not effective in nature. This is because a three-way PCL pilot would have provided wider collection of experiences from various other fields of audience to resolve the raised questions in the studies.

Article 2: Salter L. Research as resistance and solidarity:‘spinning transformative yarns’‐a narrative inquiry with women going on from abuse and oppression. Journal of Family Therapy. 2017 Aug;39(3):366-85.

In this study, narrative inquiry is used as the research method which is form of qualitative research method. The narrative inquiry is referred to the process in which data is gathered for the research purpose through storytelling (Clandinin, 2016). The use of narrative inquiry is good for the study because it is a form of highly flexible framework where it accepts that all the individuals are subscribed to a criss-cross network of something that is conflicting with their narrative in turn allowing the researcher to have possibility of identifying inconsistencies that are in the translated texts (Wang and Geale, 2015). The use of narrative theory is also effective for the study as it allows looking at the interpreters and translators as real-life people instead of theoretical abstraction in collecting information for the study (Clandinin, 2016). Thus, the use of narrative inquiry helps in focusing on specific as well as real-life situations of the women which allow the researcher to explain different choices made by women in relation to social and political context to let them go on from oppression and abuse. Moreover, the use of narrative inquiry is beneficial in the studies because it allows the researchers to stand out from their personal narrative which ensures them to be recognised as researchers in subjective form (Wang and Geale, 2015). This is effective for the study to avoid error in data due to the influence of the personal narrative of the researchers, in turn, ensuring the validity of the study.

The research mentioned that in executing the study the person was influenced to use autoethnography (Adams et al. 2017). This was an effective step for the study as it helped the researcher to explore as well as portray the cultures from which the women belong that leads them to face abuse and oppression. It is evident as the researcher by exploring the cultures portrayed that the rape culture is one of the vital cultural markers that leads women to face abuse and oppression. However, the auto-ethnography research method is referred to be difficult as well as unknown tool for novice researchers (Adams et al. 2017). Thus, in my study, the auto-ethnography tool would not be used since I am a novice researcher which if used cannot be effectively put into practice that may hinder the validity and reliability of the research outcomes. In the study, it is seen that the researcher while executing the narrative inquiry has fully informed to the participants regarding his dual role as a researcher as well as practitioners. Moreover, he has taken the prior consent of the participant by disclosing the way the data is to be used (LeCompte and Schensul, 2015). This is a significant aspect of the article which mentions that the study was executed by abiding with ethical considerations. It is evident as no information regarding the narrative account of the participants was shared without their acceptance.

The researcher has mentioned that witnessing in the study was not just a dynamic act of observation but also involved a keen act of hearing (Salter, 2017). This is effective for the study to collect potential and valid information to be presented as the stories of the women are heard with focus on their feelings to identify the major issues and facts out of many data that led the women to face oppression and abuse. The use of five stage process analysis method by the researcher in the study was a potential step in avoiding error in results. This is because the researcher followed effective sequence in sorting data so that they can be presented in a systematic and clarified manner without duplication or deletion of any vital information. The other good thing about the study is that the researcher discussed his choice of keeping certain information private with others to avoid his role of being autocratic in nature. This is effective for the study as it avoided disclosure of any vital information which would have harmed the participants and interfered with ethical consideration in the study.

Article 3: Gillingham P, Humphreys C. Child protection practitioners and decision-making tools: Observations and reflections from the front line. British Journal of Social Work. 2009 Dec 23;40(8):2598-616.

The research methodology used in the study is ethnographic research method. As mentioned by Fusch and Ness (2015), ethnographic research is a nature of qualitative research method in which the researchers interact or observe the study participants in real-life conditions. This helps the researchers to identify the way individuals work according to the cultures in resolving the raised condition. In this respect, the research method is effective for the study because it helped the researchers to realise the way the SDM tool was used specifically by the child protection practitioners in Queensland. However, the drawback of the study was that no comparison cultures are shown in highlighting any different ways in which the same tool is used for child protection in other countries or within Queensland.

The advantage of using ethnographic research method is that it helps the researchers to learn about actual behaviour of the participants (Alcadipani et al. 2017). This is evident as by using the research method the researcher learned that the aims of the SDM tool were not achieved as the child protection practitioners in Queensland did not assist decision-making or promote consistency in the application of the tool who are in grave need of service. Thus, the use of this method was effective for this research as it helped to reveal the behaviour of the child protection practitioners in Queensland. The use of ethnographic study is effective for this research because it helped the researcher to understand the cause of human behaviour that results the child protection practitioners to fail in meeting the aims of the SDM tool in Queensland.

The weakness of the study was that the data was collected by investigation in restricted manner with particular set of tool being used in one jurisdiction. Thus, the study failed to explore information regarding the way other tools are used by child protection practitioners in Queensland in different jurisdiction in controlling child protection. Moreover, it was seen that in the study the data is summarised by including comments made by one of the participants regarding the death of the baby related to child protection scenario which is related to use of different assessment tool under different jurisdiction where the study has not been conducted (Gillingham and Humphreys, 2009). Thus, the researchers have developed error in the study by including irrelevant data in reaching research outcomes.

The study is executed ethical which is evident as the researchers have mentioned that they received ethical clearance from the University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Committee in order to execute the study (Gillingham and Humphreys, 2009). The ethical approval of the study is important because it avoids falsifying or fabrication of the data. Thus, this helps to promote the pursuit of truth and knowledge related to the study which is essential for this research to ensure validity and reliability. The study is seen to use interview method in collecting data. It is significant for this research because it allows the researchers to put of immediate questions for better understanding regarding a response which is required in presenting facts in the study. Thus, it helped to avoid confusion of the researchers to execute proper analysis of the facts collected for the study, in turn, ensuring the validity of results by avoiding manipulation. Moreover, the presentation of the quotes of the participants is effective method for informing data collected in the research. This is because it allows the researchers of the study to ensure the readers to have the opportunity to understand on what basis the data is analysed. Moreover, the study has highlighted the way it can be developed in future which is effective to let future researchers understand the way of expanding the research with the available data for presenting better and enriched study.

References

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• Clandinin DJ. Engaging in narrative inquiry. London: Routledge; 2016 Jun 16.
• Fusch PI, Ness LR. Are we there yet? Data saturation in qualitative research. The qualitative report. 2015;20(9):1408-16.
• Johnson H, Macaulay-Rettino X, Banderob S, Lalani I, Carson-Apstein E, Blacher E. A rose by any other name? Developing a method of collaborative poetics. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 2018 Mar 9:1-21.
• LeCompte MD, Schensul JJ. Ethics in ethnography: A mixed methods approach. AltaMira Press; 2015 Mar 1.
• Martimianakis MA, Michalec B, Lam J, Cartmill C, Taylor JS, Hafferty FW. Humanism, the hidden curriculum, and educational reform: A scoping review and thematic analysis. Academic Medicine. 2015 Nov 1;90(11):S5-13.
• Runchman A, Walker T. Introduction: Modernism's Collaborative Poetics. Modernist Cultures. 2019 Feb;14(1):1-6.
• Wang CC, Geale SK. The power of story: Narrative inquiry as a methodology in nursing research. International Journal of Nursing Sciences. 2015 Jun 1;2(2):195-8.