Social Policy Analysis
Test Preparation
Course Introduction
Social Policy Analysis is an interdisciplinary course that explores the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies aimed at addressing social challenges such as poverty, inequality, health care, education, and welfare. Students learn to critically assess the objectives, effectiveness, and impacts of various social policies using analytical frameworks and evidence-based methods. The course covers the roles of government, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders in shaping social policy, with an emphasis on ethical considerations, policy advocacy, and the interplay between policy and social justice. Through case studies and practical exercises, students develop skills in policy analysis, research, and recommendation formulation, preparing them for careers in public service, advocacy, and research.
Recommended Textbook
Research Methods for Social Work 8th Edition by Allen Rubin
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
24 Chapters
677 Verified Questions
677 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2009
Page 2
Chapter 1: Why Study Research
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39950
Sample Questions
Q1) Scientific evidence should be based on
A) the teachings of authoritative scientists.
B) systematic and comprehensive observations.
C) a large and diverse sample of observations.
D) observations gathered in ways that seek to reduce the influence of researcher biases.
E)All of the above
F)b, c, and d only
Answer: F
Q2) Which of the following statements is are true regarding practice effectiveness?
A) It is safe to assume that well-trained social workers will be effective regardless of which interventions they employ.
B) Social work practice consists largely of interventions and procedures that have not yet received adequate testing.
C) Knowledge of research methods and knowledge of practice are separate and unrelated.
D) All of the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.
Answer: B
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 3
Chapter 2: Evidence-Based Practice
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
26 Verified Questions
26 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39951
Sample Questions
Q1) An online search for evidence should
A) use multiple search terms.
B) be restricted to articles published in refereed journals, only.
C) avoid systematic reviews emanating from searches already completed by others.
D) all of the above.
Answer: A
Q2) If an intervention has been supported by the best evidence,then it is safe to assume that it will be effective with a particular client.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Any study that employs a randomized clinical trial is a strong source of evidence,regardless of how it measures outcome.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 4
Chapter 3: Philosophy and Theory in Social Work Research
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
37 Verified Questions
37 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39952
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is are true about the hypothesis: Child welfare workers with social work degrees have a are more effective in preventing child maltreatment than are child welfare workers without a social work degree?
A) Type of degree is the dependent variable.
B) Child maltreatment is the independent variable.
C) Social workers is a variable.
D) All of the above are true.
E)None of the above is true.
Answer: E
Q2) A probabilistic explanation takes the form
A) x is always y.
B) x is never y.
C) x tends to be y.
D) x is y if a and b are true.
E) None of the above is probabilistic.
Answer: C
Q3) "African American" is a variable that has the attribute of "ethnicity."
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: Comparing Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed
Methods of Inquiry
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
24 Verified Questions
24 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39953
Sample Questions
Q1) Provide an example of how quantitative and qualitative methods can be complimentary in the same study
Q2) Which of the following is/are an aim of qualitative studies?
A) Deeper understanding.
B) Generating hypotheses.
C) Discovery.
D)All of the above
Q3) Describe the contrasting emphases of quantitative and qualitative studies.
Q4) Which of the following statements is/are true about qualitative and quantitative research methods?
A) Many studies use one or the other approach exclusively.
B) Some studies use both approaches with an equal emphasis on each.
C) Some studies use both approaches, but put more emphasis on one approach than the other.
D) All of the above.
Q5) Research procedures are more likely to be specified in advance in qualitative studies than in quantitative studies.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: The Ethics and Politics of Social Work Research
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
28 Verified Questions
28 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39954
Sample Questions
Q1) Are there any situations in which a researcher is justified in deceiving subjects? Explain your answer.
Q2) Which of the following statements is/are true about the dilemma involving the right to receive services versus the responsibility to evaluate service effectiveness?
A) This is not really a dilemma, since no conflict in values is involved.
B) All professionals agree that services should never be delayed, even if their effects have not yet been verified.
C)No professionals question the ethics of providing untested services, as long as we have good intentions.
D) All of the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.
Q3) Science is never influenced by political matters. A)True B)False
Q4) The ethics as well as the politics of research hinge on ideological points of view. A)True B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: Culturally Competent Research
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
22 Verified Questions
22 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39955
Sample Questions
Q1) Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of your own culture.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following statements is/are true about whether research is culturally competent?
A) It does NOT influence how statistical findings are interpreted
B) If Not culturally competent, it risks having a harmful effect on the minority community.
C)It is NOT related to whether childcare is provided to research participants.
D)It has NO bearing on the selection of sampling procedures.
Q3) Culturally competent research involves
A) being well read in the culture of concern before beginning any investigation in it.
B) being ethnocentric.
C) making broad generalizations about the culture as a whole.
D) all of the above.
Q4) There is no foolproof recipe for ensuring that your research will be culturally competent in all respects.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
8
Chapter 7: Problem Formulation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39956
Sample Questions
Q1) Descriptive studies do NOT
A) study relationships between variables.
B) tell why something occurred.
C) use operational definitions.
D)use concepts.
E) Descriptive studies DO all of these.
Q2) To generate hypotheses or tentative new insights about a new phenomenon,a researcher would undertake:
A) a trend study.
B) an explanatory study.
C) an exploratory study.
D) a longitudinal study.
E) a descriptive study.
Q3) Which of the following statements is/are true about social work research and evidence-based practice?
A) They have little in common.
B) They are synonymous.
C) Both follow essentially the same problem-solving process.
D) Neither can return to earlier phases in the process.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 9
Chapter 8: Conceptualization in Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
28 Verified Questions
28 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39957
Sample Questions
Q1) If level of marital satisfaction increases when socio-environmental stress decreases,that would be an example of a positive relationship:
A)True
B)False
Q2) Concepts are mental images that summarize collections of seemingly related observations and experiences.
A)True
B)False
Q3) If we study whether motivational interviewing is effective in treating substance abuse by the mechanism of increasing the likelihood that clients will complete substance abuse treatment programs,then whether clients complete such programs is our mediating variable.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Extraneous variables are variables that are irrelevant to a particular study.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Discuss how the quantitative and qualitative perspectives on operational definitions differ.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Measurement
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
25 Verified Questions
25 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39958
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is NOT true about reliability and validity in qualitative research?
A) Standardized scales whose reliability and validity are known to be high would be relied upon as the prime measures.
B) Akin to interobserver reliability in quantitative studies, one might assess whether two independent raters arrive at the same interpretation from the same mass of written qualitative field notes.
C) Reliability might be assessed by asking subjects whether the researcher's interpretations ring true and are meaningful to them.
D) Reliability has a role in qualitative research.
Q2) Asking a group of experts whether the items on a scale appear to measure what they intend to measure is a good way to assess the scale's
A) predictive validity.
B) concurrent validity.
C) construct validity.
D) content validity.
Q3) Describe how qualitative studies attempt to deal with reliability and validity.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
11
Chapter 10: Constructing Measurement Instruments
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
23 Verified Questions
23 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39959
Sample Questions
Q1) A scale that is reliable and valid in one culture might not be reliable and valid in another culture.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following statements is/are INCORRECT?
A)Closed-ended questions should limit respondents to three or four choices.
B) Closed-ended questions should have response categories that are mutually exclusive and exhaustive.
C) Closed-ended questions should provide uniformity of response.
D) Closed-ended questions should cover the range of likely responses.
Q3) The questionnaire item "Which is not a serious problem in the U.S.today,anomie or the socialization of the young?" violates which of the following guidelines?
A) Avoid double-barreled questions.
B) Avoid short items.
C) Avoid leading the respondent.
D) Avoid meaningful questions.
E) Avoid negative items.
Q4) Identify acceptable options for handling missing data in an index or scale.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 12
Chapter 11: Causal Inference and Experimental Designs
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39960
Sample Questions
Q1) Studies that assign subjects to intervention groups on the basis of their extreme scores are vulnerable to regression toward the mean.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A study evaluates the effectiveness of a child abuse prevention program by comparing the rate of child abuse among parents who chose to participate in the program to the rate of parents who declined participation.This design fails to control for:
A) selection biases
B) correlation.
C) testing effects.
D) instrumentation changes
Q3) An instrumentation effect occurs when:
A) the instrument employed for the pretest has an effect that shows up on the posttest.
B) the measurement instrument is changed from the pretest to the posttest.
C) there is a change on the dependent variable from the pretest score to the posttest score.
D) there is statistical regression to the mean.
Q4) Explain what is meant by internal and external validity.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
13
Chapter 12: Quasi-Experimental Designs
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39961
Sample Questions
Q1) Explain why the validity of quasi-experimental designs is strengthened by using multiple pretests,switching replications,and selecting a comparison group as similar as possible to the experimental group:
Q2) Case-control designs have a high degree of internal validity because they eliminate the problem of recall bias.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Videotaping treatment sessions should be used only as a last resort when assessing intervention fidelity.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Administering multiple pretests in quasi-experiments using nonequivalent comparison groups helps in detecting whether participants were already engaged in a change process before treatment began.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of cross-sectional studies and the case control design.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 14
Chapter 13: Single-Case Evaluation Designs
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
33 Verified Questions
33 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39962
Sample Questions
Q1) Suppose you wish to measure progress in increasing the amount of time a child in institutional care spends studying as an indicator of the effectiveness of your group work intervention.Which of the following approaches most likely would be least vulnerable to reactivity problems?
A) Have the child record the amount of time and report back to you.
B) Have cottage parents run spot checks in the cottage at different intervals.
C) Interview the child each day about the time spent studying the previous day.
D) Show up at the cottage and observe the child yourself for one hour during the same period each day.
Q2) Which of the following approaches would be least obtrusive in regard to measuring the impact of the above group work intervention on school performance?
A) Obtain grade, attendance, and conduct data from school records.
B) Observe the student's in-class behavior yourself.
C) With the client's permission, obtain videotapes of the child's in-class behavior.
D) Interview the child.
Q3) Discuss why it is best to have as many measurement points as possible in a single-case design.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 15
Chapter 14: Program Evaluation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39963
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is true about logic models?
A) They portray program components graphically.
B) They are never theory-based.
C) Funding sources almost never require them as part of grant applications.
D) They exclude attention to program outcomes.
Q2) In order to foster the eventual utilization of an evaluation,one of the steps evaluators should take is to
A) make sure stakeholders are not involved in planning the evaluation.
B) ensure that program personnel do not influence the evaluation design.
C)involve stakeholders throughout all phases of the evaluation.
D) withhold the sharing of the evaluation report with stakeholders until it has been perfected and finalized.
Q3) What are the special problems that program evaluators encounter that other types of researchers are less likely to encounter?
Q4) Describe the impact managed care has had on program evaluation.
Q5) Why might the increasing importance thaunding sources attach to program evaluation be a mixed blessing in terms of the way politics can affect program evaluations?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 15: Sampling
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
25 Verified Questions
25 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39964
Sample Questions
Q1) Every kth element in a list is chosen for inclusion in the sample in
A) simple random sampling.
B) systematic sampling.
C) disproportionate sampling.
D) cluster sampling.
E) stratified sampling.
Q2) You want to examine the relationship between family size and family cohesion.You use as your sample all the students in this research methods class.What kind of sampling design are you using?
A) simple random sampling.
B) quota sampling.
C) cluster sampling.
D) stratified sampling.
E) available sampling.
Q3) Multi-stage cluster sampling requires a complete listing of all the elements in a population.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 17
Chapter 16: Survey Research
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39965
Sample Questions
Q1) When asking questionnaire items,the interviewer should
A) ask every question even if the respondent has apparently answered it already.
B) skip questions that the respondent cannot answer and return to them at the end of the interview.
C) react to a question after the respondent has answered to show interest
D) give help on difficult questions.
E) summarize the respondent's answers so that they are more meaningful answers.
Q2) The response rates to online surveys need to exceed 60 percent if the findings are to have any value.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following statements is true about mailed surveys?
A) Cover letters should be avoided so as to save costs and reduce the amount of material the respondent must read.
B) Response rates are considered good only if they exceed 80%.
C) Follow-up mailings are essential.
D) The survey should usually take between 30 and 60 minutes for the respondent to complete.
Q4) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of online surveys.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 18
Chapter 17: Analyzing Existing Data: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
25 Verified Questions
25 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39966
Sample Questions
Q1) After examining the FBI Crime Reports for a 30-year period,Professor Hall claimed that the incidence of rape has increased.After examining the same reports,Professor Shine claimed that the reporting of rape,not the incidence of rape,has increased.This illustrates
A) the problem of reliability in using existing statistics.
B) the problem of validity in using existing statistics.
C) the need to replicate existing statistics.
D) the ecological fallacy.
Q2) Standard probability sampling techniques should NOT be used in content analysis. A)True B)False
Q3) In comparison to coding the manifest content of communication,coding the latent content
A) has a disadvantage in terms of validity.
B) has an advantage in terms of reliability.
C) is better designed for tapping the underlying meaning of communications.
D) has an advantage in terms of specificity.
Q4) As a mode of observation,content analysis is essentially an operation of coding.
A)True B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 19
Chapter 18: Qualitative Research: General Principles
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
24 Verified Questions
24 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39967
Sample Questions
Q1) The qualitative researcher
A) usually approaches the task with precisely defined hypotheses to be tested. B) typically studies only those processes that can be predicted in advance.
C) makes initial observations, develops tentative conclusions that suggesurther observation, and revises the conclusions.
D) never attempts to increase objectivity
E) all of the above.
Q2) Among the advantages of qualitative research is that it
A) yields precise descriptive statements about a large population. B) involves the uniform application of precise operational definitions. C) allows for the modification of research design. D) produces definitive conclusions.
E) is an extremely reliable technique.
Q3) When qualitative studies involve observing people in their natural environment,ethical issues are less likely to be a concern than in other types of research. A)True B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 20
Chapter 19: Qualitative Research: Specific Methods
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
20 Verified Questions
20 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39968
Sample Questions
Q1) Using the life-history method,researchers ask open-ended questions to discover how participants in a study understand the significant events and meanings in their own lives.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is good advice about recording observations in the field?
A) Don't trust your memory any more than you have to.
B) You must always constantly take notes while you are observing.
C) Make at least six copies of your notes.
D) Advance preparation on recording anticipated observations will hinder recording unanticipated observations.
Q3) Group conformity or groupthink is a potential disadvantage of focus groups.
A)True
B)False
Q4) It is possible to assume both the emic and etic perspectives in the same research study
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain what is meant by reflexivity and why it is a key part of qualitative research.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 21
Chapter 20: Qualitative Data Analysis
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
31 Verified Questions
31 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39969
Sample Questions
Q1) Define what is meant by variable-oriented analysis and what is meant by case-oriented analysis.Give an example of a research project in which you would use variable-oriented analysis and one where you would use case-oriented analysis.
Q2) Qualitative research is undertaken for descriptive purposes,only,and never for explanatory purposes.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The search for the intentional or unintentional meanings attached to signs is called semiotics.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following statements is TRUE about the grounded theory method?
A) It is similar to case-oriented analysis.
B) It is similar to variable-oriented analysis.
C) It is similar to cross-case analysis.
D) Depending upon the topic of study it could be similar to either a case-oriented or variable-oriented analysis.
Q5) Describe how coding,memoing,and concept mapping are used in qualitative analysis.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 22
Chapter 21: Quantitative Data Analysis
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
39 Verified Questions
39 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39970
Sample Questions
Q1) A measure of dispersion describes
A) where the data are clustered.
B) which data are the most important.
C) how spread out the data are.
D) the central tendency.
Q2) Assuming that there are no missing data,which line of three codes would reflect a data entry error for at least one of the following three variables: gender male or female; whether currently incarcerated yes or no; and ethnicity White/not Hispanic,African American,Hispanic,Asian American,Other?
A) 2 2 3
B) 3 3 6
C) 1 2 4
D) 2 1 5
Q3) Half the cases are above the median and half the cases are below the median.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The mean is almost always sufficient in portraying the typical case in a distribution.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 23
Chapter 22: Inferential Data Analysis
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39971
Sample Questions
Q1) When using inferential statistics,we must risk either a Type I error or a Type II error,we cannot avoid risking both.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Two-tailed tests of significance should be used whenever there is a non-directional hypothesis.
A)True
B)False
Q3) When a finding is statistically significant:
A)alternative explanations other than the independent variable are not plausible.
B)a strong relationship has been observed.
C)it is an importaninding.
D)its meaning depends on the rigor of the research methods.
Q4) A correlation of .60 indicates that 36 percent of the variance in the dependent variable has been explained.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
24
Chapter 23: Inferential Data Analysis
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
27 Verified Questions
27 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39972
Sample Questions
Q1) Define statistical power and explain its utility in planning research as well as in interpreting the implications of findings that are not statistically significant.
Q2) If your statistical power is .60,then your probability of a Type II error is .40.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A rigorous and trustworthy meta-analysis worthy of guiding evidence-based practice decisions should:
A) include published studies, only.
B) be transparent about potential conflicts of interest.
C) calculate one mean effect size based on all included studies, regardless of their methodological strengths or weaknesses.
D) avoid calculating the overall level of statistical significance.
Q4) The probability of a Type II error increases when
A) lower significance levels are used.
B) larger sample sizes are selected.
C) a stronger relationship in the population is assumed.
D) statistical power is calculated on a post hoc bsis.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
25
Chapter 24: Writing Research Proposals and Reports
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39973
Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss how the guidelines for writing a research proposal will vary depending on the proposal's purpose.
Q2) Which of the following is true abouinding a funding source for a research proposal?
A) Find a funding source for which your research question is a priority.
B) Using the internet is a poor way to find potential funding sources.
C) Examining recently issued requests for proposals should be avoided.
D) Avoid government sources.
Q3) The way research reports should be written depends on the type of audience for which they are intended.
A)True
B)False
Q4) When writing the Problem and Objectives section of a research proposal,you should:
A) Use vague terms.
B) Articulate objectives that are very broad.
C) Explain how the answers to your research questions have significance for practice and policy. d Don't worry about their feasibility
D Don't worry about their feasibility
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.