SW650 – SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH METHODS VERIFIED EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS - LATEST VERSION 2026/2027
1. What is the primary purpose of research in social work practice?
Answer: To generate evidence-based knowledge that informs and improves
social work interventions, policies, and services for clients and communities.
2. What are the two main paradigms in social work research?
Answer: Positivism (quantitative) and Interpretivism/Constructivism
(qualitative).
3. Define 'empirical research' as it applies to social work.
Answer: Research based on systematic observation and evidence gathered
through sensory experience, rather than theory or logic alone.
4. What is the scientific method in the context of social work research?
Answer: A systematic approach involving problem identification, hypothesis
formation, data collection, analysis, and conclusion drawing to answer
research questions.
5. What is the difference between basic and applied research?
Answer: Basic research advances theoretical knowledge without immediate
practical application; applied research directly addresses real-world social
work problems and informs practice.
6. What does 'evidence-based practice' (EBP) mean in social work?
Answer: EBP integrates the best available research evidence with clinical
expertise and client values/preferences to guide social work decision-making.
7. What are the three steps in the EBP process?
Answer: 1) Formulating a clinical question, 2) searching for and appraising
evidence, 3) applying evidence to practice decisions.
8. What is a research problem statement?
Answer: A clear, concise description of an issue or gap in knowledge that
justifies the need for research.
9. What is the difference between a research question and a hypothesis?
, Answer: A research question is an open-ended inquiry; a hypothesis is a
testable, directional prediction about the relationship between variables.
10. What is a literature review and why is it important?
Answer: A systematic summary and evaluation of existing research on a
topic; it contextualizes a new study, identifies gaps, and prevents duplication
of effort.
11. Define 'theory' in social work research.
Answer: A set of interrelated concepts and propositions that explain or predict
phenomena, guiding research design and interpretation of findings.
12. What is a conceptual framework?
Answer: A structured set of concepts and their proposed relationships that
provides a lens for conducting research.
13. What does 'operationalization' mean?
Answer: Defining how abstract concepts (like depression or poverty) will be
measured in a study using specific, observable indicators.
14. What is a variable in social work research?
Answer: Any characteristic or attribute that can take on different values, such
as age, income, or level of depression.
15. What is the difference between an independent and dependent
variable?
Answer: The independent variable (IV) is the presumed cause or predictor;
the dependent variable (DV) is the presumed effect or outcome being
measured.
16. What is a confounding variable?
Answer: A variable that correlates with both the IV and DV, potentially
distorting the apparent relationship between them.
17. What is a moderating variable?
Answer: A variable that influences the strength or direction of the relationship
between the IV and DV.
18. What is a mediating variable?
Answer: A variable that explains the mechanism through which the IV affects
the DV.
19. What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
Answer: Deductive reasoning moves from theory to hypothesis to data (top-
down); inductive reasoning moves from data to patterns to theory (bottom-up).
, 20. What is epistemology?
Answer: The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of
knowledge — how we know what we know.
SECTION 2: RESEARCH ETHICS
21. What are the core ethical principles in social work research?
Answer: Respect for persons (autonomy), beneficence (do good), non-
maleficence (do no harm), justice (fair distribution of benefits and burdens),
and fidelity.
22. What is informed consent?
Answer: A process by which participants voluntarily agree to participate in
research after being fully informed of its purpose, procedures, risks, and
benefits.
23. What are the three elements of valid informed consent?
Answer: Disclosure (providing information), comprehension (understanding),
and voluntariness (free choice without coercion).
24. When may informed consent be waived by an IRB?
Answer: When the research involves minimal risk, waiver won't adversely
affect participants' rights, and the research would be impracticable without it.
25. What is an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
Answer: A committee that reviews research proposals to ensure they meet
ethical standards and protect the rights and welfare of human subjects.
26. What are the three levels of IRB review?
Answer: Exempt review, expedited review, and full board review — based on
the level of risk to participants.
27. What is the Belmont Report?
Answer: A 1979 federal report establishing foundational ethical principles for
research involving human subjects: respect for persons, beneficence, and
justice.
28. What is the difference between anonymity and confidentiality?
Answer: Anonymity means no one (including the researcher) can link data to
a participant; confidentiality means the researcher knows identity but keeps it
private.
29. What is the principle of 'justice' in research ethics?
AND ANSWERS - LATEST VERSION 2026/2027
1. What is the primary purpose of research in social work practice?
Answer: To generate evidence-based knowledge that informs and improves
social work interventions, policies, and services for clients and communities.
2. What are the two main paradigms in social work research?
Answer: Positivism (quantitative) and Interpretivism/Constructivism
(qualitative).
3. Define 'empirical research' as it applies to social work.
Answer: Research based on systematic observation and evidence gathered
through sensory experience, rather than theory or logic alone.
4. What is the scientific method in the context of social work research?
Answer: A systematic approach involving problem identification, hypothesis
formation, data collection, analysis, and conclusion drawing to answer
research questions.
5. What is the difference between basic and applied research?
Answer: Basic research advances theoretical knowledge without immediate
practical application; applied research directly addresses real-world social
work problems and informs practice.
6. What does 'evidence-based practice' (EBP) mean in social work?
Answer: EBP integrates the best available research evidence with clinical
expertise and client values/preferences to guide social work decision-making.
7. What are the three steps in the EBP process?
Answer: 1) Formulating a clinical question, 2) searching for and appraising
evidence, 3) applying evidence to practice decisions.
8. What is a research problem statement?
Answer: A clear, concise description of an issue or gap in knowledge that
justifies the need for research.
9. What is the difference between a research question and a hypothesis?
, Answer: A research question is an open-ended inquiry; a hypothesis is a
testable, directional prediction about the relationship between variables.
10. What is a literature review and why is it important?
Answer: A systematic summary and evaluation of existing research on a
topic; it contextualizes a new study, identifies gaps, and prevents duplication
of effort.
11. Define 'theory' in social work research.
Answer: A set of interrelated concepts and propositions that explain or predict
phenomena, guiding research design and interpretation of findings.
12. What is a conceptual framework?
Answer: A structured set of concepts and their proposed relationships that
provides a lens for conducting research.
13. What does 'operationalization' mean?
Answer: Defining how abstract concepts (like depression or poverty) will be
measured in a study using specific, observable indicators.
14. What is a variable in social work research?
Answer: Any characteristic or attribute that can take on different values, such
as age, income, or level of depression.
15. What is the difference between an independent and dependent
variable?
Answer: The independent variable (IV) is the presumed cause or predictor;
the dependent variable (DV) is the presumed effect or outcome being
measured.
16. What is a confounding variable?
Answer: A variable that correlates with both the IV and DV, potentially
distorting the apparent relationship between them.
17. What is a moderating variable?
Answer: A variable that influences the strength or direction of the relationship
between the IV and DV.
18. What is a mediating variable?
Answer: A variable that explains the mechanism through which the IV affects
the DV.
19. What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
Answer: Deductive reasoning moves from theory to hypothesis to data (top-
down); inductive reasoning moves from data to patterns to theory (bottom-up).
, 20. What is epistemology?
Answer: The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of
knowledge — how we know what we know.
SECTION 2: RESEARCH ETHICS
21. What are the core ethical principles in social work research?
Answer: Respect for persons (autonomy), beneficence (do good), non-
maleficence (do no harm), justice (fair distribution of benefits and burdens),
and fidelity.
22. What is informed consent?
Answer: A process by which participants voluntarily agree to participate in
research after being fully informed of its purpose, procedures, risks, and
benefits.
23. What are the three elements of valid informed consent?
Answer: Disclosure (providing information), comprehension (understanding),
and voluntariness (free choice without coercion).
24. When may informed consent be waived by an IRB?
Answer: When the research involves minimal risk, waiver won't adversely
affect participants' rights, and the research would be impracticable without it.
25. What is an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
Answer: A committee that reviews research proposals to ensure they meet
ethical standards and protect the rights and welfare of human subjects.
26. What are the three levels of IRB review?
Answer: Exempt review, expedited review, and full board review — based on
the level of risk to participants.
27. What is the Belmont Report?
Answer: A 1979 federal report establishing foundational ethical principles for
research involving human subjects: respect for persons, beneficence, and
justice.
28. What is the difference between anonymity and confidentiality?
Answer: Anonymity means no one (including the researcher) can link data to
a participant; confidentiality means the researcher knows identity but keeps it
private.
29. What is the principle of 'justice' in research ethics?
