Understanding Sampling and Recruitment in Social Work Dissertation Research

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18060/21167

Keywords:

Dissertation, social work education, recruitment, sampling, empirical research

Abstract

The field of social work has increasingly focused on improving the quantity and rigor of its research. For many social work doctoral students, their first independent research experience begins with their dissertation, and yet, little is known about the factors that facilitate students’ success during this process. Sample recruitment is one step where significant and unexpected challenges can occur. As social justice is the central value of the profession, social work doctoral students may focus on research with vulnerable or marginalized populations; however, little research has been done that focuses on social work dissertations, samples used, and the process of recruitment. In this study, 215 doctoral-level social work graduates who completed their degree within the past ten years were surveyed about their dissertation research, with a focus on the sampling strategy and recruitment processes. Findings show that students have a wide diversity of experiences with the dissertation process. While 64.6% anticipant challenges around recruitment and sampling, only 54.9% encounter challenges. Less than half (44.7%) of study participants received guidance during this process and most (80.5%) felt the dissertation experience impacted subsequent research, both positively (40.5%) and negatively (9.8%). Based on these findings, doctoral programs are encouraged to increase supports available to dissertating students, particularly those recruiting study participants from vulnerable and marginalized populations. These supports include community connections, skills for obtaining gatekeeper buy-in, and both relational support and advice from dissertation committees and other colleagues. 

Author Biographies

Rebecca G. Mirick, Salem State University School of Social Work

Rebecca G. Mirick is an Assistant Professor at Salem State University School of Social Work in Salem, MA.

Ashley Davis, Wheelock College

Ashley Davis is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Wheelock College in Boston, MA.

Stephanie P. Wladkowski, Eastern Michigan University

Stephanie P. Wladkowski is an assistant professor of social work at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI.

References

Abrams, L. S. (2010). Sampling ‘hard to reach’ populations in qualitative research: The case of incarcerated youth. Qualitative Social Work, 9(4), 536-550. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325010367821

Amador, T., Travis, S., McAuley, W., Bernard, M., & McCutcheon, M. (2006). Recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse long-term family caregivers for research, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 47(3-4), 139-152. doi: https://doi.org/10.1300/J083v47n03_09

Anastas, J. W. (2012). Doctoral education in social work. New York: Oxford University Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195378061.001.0001

Anastas, J., & Videka, L. (2012). Does social work need a “practice doctorate”? Clinical Social Work Journal, 40(2), 268-276. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-012-0392-3

Axford, N., Lehtonen, M., Kaoukji, D., Tobin, K., & Berry, V. (2012). Engaging parents in parenting programs: Lessons from research and practice. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(10), 2061-2071. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.06.011

Berzoff, J., & Drisko, J. (2015). What clinical social workers need to know: Bio-psycho-social knowledge and skills for the twenty-first century. Clinical Social Work Journal, 43(3), 263-273. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-015-0544-3

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. doi: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Casado, B. L., Negi, N. J., & Hong, M. (2012). Culturally competent social work research: Methodological considerations for research with language minorities. Social Work, 57(1), 1-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swr002

Curtis, K., Roberts, H., Copperman, J., Downie, A., & Liabo, K. (2004). ‘How come I don’t get asked no questions?’ Researching ‘hard to reach’ children and teenagers. Child & Family Social Work, 9(2), 167-175. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2004.00304.x

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2011). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Descartes, L., Asencio, M., & Blank, T. O. (2011). Paying project participants: Dilemmas in research with poor, marginalized populations. Advances in Social Work, 12(2), 218-225.

Diaz, M. (2015). The “new” DSW is here: Supporting degree completion and student success. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35(1-2), 101-115. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2014.972013

Drisko, J., Hunnicutt, C., & Berenson, L. (2015). A national content analysis of PhD program objectives, structures, and curricula: Do programs address the full range of social work’s needs? Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35(1-2), 14-28. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2014.986356

Gelman, C. R. (2010). Learning from recruitment challenges: Barriers to diagnosis, treatment, and research participation for Latinos with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 53(1), 94-113. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01634370903361847

Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work. (2013). Quality guidelines for PhD programs in social work. Retrieved from http://www.gadephd.org/Portals/0/docs/GADE%20quality%20guidelines%20approved%204%2006%202013%20(2).pdf?ver=2013-06-27-221225-117

Howard, M. O. (2009). Beyond infrastructural issues: Informal barriers to social work research. Social Work Research, 33(3), 131-135. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/33.3.131

Jenson, J. M. (2008). Enhancing research capacity and knowledge development through social work doctoral education. Social Work Research, 32(1), 3-5. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/32.1.3

Jessiman, W. C. (2013). ‘To be honest, I haven’t even thought about it’–recruitment in small-scale, qualitative research in primary care. Nurse Researcher, 21(2), 18-23. doi: https://doi.org/10.7748/nr2013.11.21.2.18.e226

Kurzman, P. A. (2015). The evolution of doctoral social work education. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35(1-2), 1-13. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2015.1007832

Kyriakakis, S., Waller, B., Kagotho, N., & Edmond, T. (2014). Conducting safe research with at-risk populations: Design strategies from a study with unauthorized immigrant women experiencing intimate abuse. Qualitative Social Work, 14, 259-274. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325014538995

Lepp, L., Remmik, M., Karm, M., & Leijen, Ä. (2013). Supervisors’ conceptions of doctoral studies. Trames: Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 17(4), 401-415. doi: https://doi.org/10.3176/tr.2013.4.06

Liechty, J. M., Liao, M., & Schull, C. P. (2009). Facilitating dissertation completion and success among doctoral students in social work. Journal of Social Work Education, 45, 481-497. doi: https://doi.org/10.5175/JSWE.2009.200800091

Maynard, B. R., Vaughn, M. G., & Sarteschi, C. M. (2012). The empirical status of social work dissertation research: Characteristics, trends and implications for the field. British Journal of Social Work, 44, 267-289. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcs123

Maynard, B. R., Vaughn, M. G., Sarteschi, C. M., & Berglund, A. H. (2014). Social work dissertation research: Contributing to scholarly discourse or the file drawer? British Journal of Social Work, 44(4), 1045-1062.

Mirick, R. G. (2016). Challenges in recruiting parents to participate in child welfare research: Implications for study design and research practice. Child & Family Social Work, 21(4), 484-491. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12165

Moore, S. E., & Collins, W. L. (2002). African-American and clinical trials research: Recommendations for client engagement. Advances in Social Work, 3(1), 46-59.

Narui, M., Truong, K., & McMickens, T. (2015). Independent study: How three doctoral students tackled issues recruiting participants and collecting data with historically underrepresented populations. Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis, 4(1), 1-34.

National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/Code/code.asp

Ortega, D., & Busch-Armendariz, N. (2014). Elite knowledge or the reproduction of the knowledge of privilege: Social work doctoral education. Affilia, 29, 5-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109913517162

Pettus-Davis, C., Grady, M. D., Cuddeback, G. S., & Scheyett, A. (2011). A practitioner’s guide to sampling in the age of evidence-based practice: Translation of research into practice. Clinical Social Work Journal, 39(4), 379-389. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-011-0345-2

Rothwell, D., Lach, L., Blumenthal, A., & Akesson, B. (2015). Patterns and trends of Canadian social work doctoral dissertations. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35(1-2), 46-64. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2014.977988

Rubin, A., & Babbie, E. (2013). Research methods for social work. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Society of Social Work and Research. (2016). Annual conference clusters and topics. Retrieved from http://secure.sswr.org/

Thompson, S., & Phillips, D. (2007). Reaching and engaging hard-to-reach populations with a high proportion of non-associative members. Qualitative Health Research, 17(9), 1292-1303. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732307307748

Thyer, B. (2014). The handbook of social work research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Downloads

Published

2017-12-17

Issue

Section

Articles