SOCW 6301 — Social Work Research and Evidence-Based Practice
Week 6 Assignment: Relationship Between Qualitative
Analysis and Evidence-Based Practice
Complete Solution Guide — 95-Question Comprehensive Exam
Walden University MSW Program · Aligned with NASW Code of Ethics and Social Work Core Competencies
Instructions. This comprehensive 95-question exam covers the full scope of the Week 6 assignment on the relationship
between qualitative analysis and evidence-based practice. The exam is organized into seven sections spanning the
philosophical foundations of qualitative inquiry, qualitative designs and methods, data collection, data analysis,
evidence-based practice, the integration of qualitative analysis with EBP, and ethical, cultural, and professional
considerations. Each question is followed by the correct answer and a detailed rationale that doubles as study-guide
content for assignment preparation. Cognitive levels are distributed approximately 30% recall, 50% application, and 20%
analysis, with 75% of items scenario-based and 25% direct recall of concepts.
Section 1: Foundations of Qualitative Research in Social Work (Paradigms, Philosophies,
& Research Questions)
Questions 1–15 address the philosophical and paradigmatic foundations of qualitative inquiry, including constructivism,
interpretivism, critical theory, and pragmatism; ontology, epistemology, and axiology; and the formulation of exploratory,
descriptive, and process-oriented research questions.
Q1: A Walden MSW researcher is studying how formerly homeless veterans construct meaning around the
transition into permanent supportive housing. The researcher treats each participant's account as a socially
negotiated, context-bound understanding rather than an objective fact to be measured. Which paradigm most
accurately frames this study?
A. Positivism, because the researcher seeks an objective, law-like explanation of housing outcomes.
B. Postpositivism, because the researcher tests a priori hypotheses with quantitative indicators.
C. Constructivism, because reality is viewed as socially constructed and understood through participants'
subjective meanings. [CORRECT]
D. Pragmatism, because the researcher prioritizes practical intervention over philosophical assumptions.
Correct Answer: C. Constructivism, because reality is viewed as socially constructed and understood through
participants' subjective meanings.
Rationale: Constructivism holds that reality is socially constructed and that the researcher's task is to interpret the
meaning participants attach to their lived situations. Positivism and postpositivism seek objective, law-like explanations
and would require quantitative hypothesis testing, which contradicts the focus on subjective meaning. Pragmatism
emphasizes practical problem-solving and methodological pluralism but does not, by itself, foreground the
co-construction of meaning central to this scenario. The emphasis on socially negotiated, context-bound understanding is
the hallmark of constructivist inquiry.
,Q2: When distinguishing interpretivism from constructivism in a Walden research proposal, a student correctly
notes that interpretivism:
A. Rejects the use of any qualitative data because it relies solely on statistical inference.
B. Emphasizes understanding the meaning individuals attach to their experiences within their cultural and
historical context, while remaining somewhat less radical than constructivism regarding the co-construction
of reality. [CORRECT]
C. Requires the use of standardized instruments to ensure cross-cultural comparability.
D. Equates truth with the researcher's a priori theoretical framework imposed on participant narratives.
Correct Answer: B. Emphasizes understanding the meaning individuals attach to their experiences within their
cultural and historical context, while remaining somewhat less radical than constructivism regarding the
co-construction of reality.
Rationale: Interpretivism focuses on understanding the meanings individuals attach to their actions and experiences
within a cultural and historical context, and it is generally considered a less radical epistemology than constructivism
because it does not fully embrace the idea that reality is co-constructed between researcher and participant. The other
options describe positivism/postpositivism (statistical inference, standardized instruments) or a misuse of theory.
Interpretivism is centrally about Verstehen, or empathic understanding of meaning in context.
Q3: A researcher partners with a community organization serving transgender youth of color to design a study
that explicitly aims to expose power imbalances in clinical services and to produce findings that catalyze policy
reform. Which paradigm best aligns with this aim?
A. Constructivism, because it centers participants' subjective narratives.
B. Critical theory, because it explicitly seeks to identify and transform power imbalances and structural
inequities. [CORRECT]
C. Pragmatism, because it focuses on what works in practice regardless of values.
D. Interpretivism, because it aims to empathically understand participant meanings without intervention.
Correct Answer: B. Critical theory, because it explicitly seeks to identify and transform power imbalances and
structural inequities.
Rationale: Critical theory is explicitly emancipatory: it identifies power imbalances, challenges oppressive structures, and
aims to produce knowledge that catalyzes social transformation. Constructivism and interpretivism emphasize
understanding meaning but do not necessarily commit to power analysis and reform. Pragmatism prioritizes practical
problem-solving and methodological flexibility without an inherent emancipatory stance. The intent to expose and
transform inequity is the defining marker of critical theory.
,Q4: A Walden MSW student proposes a mixed-methods study evaluating a peer-led recovery program, using
both outcome surveys and qualitative interviews, choosing methods based on which best answer each
sub-question. Which paradigm is the student applying?
A. Constructivism
B. Pragmatism [CORRECT]
C. Postpositivism
D. Critical theory
Correct Answer: B. Pragmatism
Rationale: Pragmatism is the philosophical foundation of mixed-methods research; it prioritizes the research question and
uses whatever methods best answer it, rather than committing to a single epistemology. Constructivism and postpositivism
are generally aligned with single-paradigm qualitative or quantitative work, respectively. Critical theory would foreground
power and emancipation rather than methodological flexibility. Pragmatism's emphasis on what works for the question at
hand fits this scenario.
Q5: In a qualitative proposal, a student writes: 'I assume that the lived experience of recovery is multiple,
contextual, and inseparable from the relationships in which it occurs.' This statement reflects the researcher's
ontological assumption. Ontology in qualitative inquiry refers to:
A. The nature of reality and what can be said to exist or be known. [CORRECT]
B. The relationship between the researcher and the participant.
C. The role of values and ethics in the research process.
D. The procedures used to recruit and retain participants.
Correct Answer: A. The nature of reality and what can be said to exist or be known.
Rationale: Ontology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of reality and what can be said to exist.
Epistemology concerns the relationship between the researcher and what is being studied (option B). Axiology concerns
the role of values (option C). Recruitment and retention procedures (option D) are methodological choices, not
philosophical assumptions. Correctly naming the ontological assumption is a Week 6 foundational skill because it shapes
every downstream methodological decision.
Q6: A researcher using a constructivist approach acknowledges that her prior clinical experience with domestic
violence survivors will inevitably shape what she notices in interviews. She plans to document her assumptions
and bracket them where possible. The relationship between researcher and participant in this paradigm is best
described as:
A. A detached, value-neutral observation of an external reality.
B. An interactive co-construction of knowledge in which the researcher is an instrument of inquiry.
[CORRECT]
C. A hypothesis-testing interaction in which the researcher validates or refutes pre-defined categories.
D. An experimental manipulation in which the researcher controls all variables.
Correct Answer: B. An interactive co-construction of knowledge in which the researcher is an instrument of
inquiry.
Rationale: Within constructivism, the researcher is not a detached observer but an instrument of inquiry, and knowledge
is co-constructed through interaction with participants. The detached, value-neutral stance describes positivism;
hypothesis testing describes postpositivism; experimental manipulation is a quantitative experimental logic.
Acknowledging researcher subjectivity and managing it through reflexivity and bracketing is consistent with the
constructivist epistemology.
, Q7: Which statement best captures axiology in qualitative social work research?
A. Axiology concerns how the researcher's values shape every stage of inquiry, from question formation to
interpretation, and requires explicit reflexivity about those values. [CORRECT]
B. Axiology requires researchers to eliminate all values from data collection.
C. Axiology refers to the statistical techniques used to analyze data.
D. Axiology refers to the sampling strategy that determines who participates.
Correct Answer: A. Axiology concerns how the researcher's values shape every stage of inquiry, from question
formation to interpretation, and requires explicit reflexivity about those values.
Rationale: Axiology is the study of values and their role in research. In qualitative inquiry, values are acknowledged as
inevitably shaping the research process, and the researcher is expected to engage in reflexivity about how their values
influence the questions asked, the data collected, and the interpretations made. Eliminating values is a positivist aspiration,
not an axiological principle. Statistical techniques and sampling are methodological, not axiological.
Q8: A clinical social worker notices that immigrant caregivers describe grief experiences that do not fit existing
Western bereavement models and wants to explore what these experiences mean to them. Which type of
qualitative research question is most appropriate?
A. A descriptive question that documents the frequency of grief symptoms.
B. An exploratory question aimed at understanding the meaning and dimensions of caregiver grief as it is
lived and interpreted. [CORRECT]
C. A predictive question that forecasts which caregivers will develop complicated grief.
D. A comparative question that contrasts symptom counts across diagnostic groups.
Correct Answer: B. An exploratory question aimed at understanding the meaning and dimensions of caregiver
grief as it is lived and interpreted.
Rationale: Exploratory questions are used when little is known about a phenomenon and the researcher seeks to
understand its meaning and dimensions. Descriptive frequency, predictive, and comparative questions all imply
quantitative measurement and hypothesis testing, which contradicts the goal of understanding meaning. Exploratory
qualitative questions are appropriate when existing frameworks are inadequate, as in this case where Western bereavement
models do not fit the participants' experiences.
Q9: A researcher asks, 'What are the daily routines, rituals, and help-seeking practices of rural elders managing
chronic pain?' This is best classified as which type of qualitative research question?
A. Exploratory question
B. Descriptive question aimed at capturing the characteristics and patterns of a phenomenon [CORRECT]
C. Predictive question
D. Causal question
Correct Answer: B. Descriptive question aimed at capturing the characteristics and patterns of a phenomenon
Rationale: Descriptive qualitative questions aim to capture the characteristics, routines, and patterns of a phenomenon as
it occurs, without manipulating variables or predicting outcomes. Exploratory questions seek to understand the meaning of
an under-studied phenomenon, while this question is documenting what people do. Predictive and causal questions belong
to quantitative designs. The wording 'what are the daily routines, rituals, and practices' signals description rather than
exploration of meaning.
Week 6 Assignment: Relationship Between Qualitative
Analysis and Evidence-Based Practice
Complete Solution Guide — 95-Question Comprehensive Exam
Walden University MSW Program · Aligned with NASW Code of Ethics and Social Work Core Competencies
Instructions. This comprehensive 95-question exam covers the full scope of the Week 6 assignment on the relationship
between qualitative analysis and evidence-based practice. The exam is organized into seven sections spanning the
philosophical foundations of qualitative inquiry, qualitative designs and methods, data collection, data analysis,
evidence-based practice, the integration of qualitative analysis with EBP, and ethical, cultural, and professional
considerations. Each question is followed by the correct answer and a detailed rationale that doubles as study-guide
content for assignment preparation. Cognitive levels are distributed approximately 30% recall, 50% application, and 20%
analysis, with 75% of items scenario-based and 25% direct recall of concepts.
Section 1: Foundations of Qualitative Research in Social Work (Paradigms, Philosophies,
& Research Questions)
Questions 1–15 address the philosophical and paradigmatic foundations of qualitative inquiry, including constructivism,
interpretivism, critical theory, and pragmatism; ontology, epistemology, and axiology; and the formulation of exploratory,
descriptive, and process-oriented research questions.
Q1: A Walden MSW researcher is studying how formerly homeless veterans construct meaning around the
transition into permanent supportive housing. The researcher treats each participant's account as a socially
negotiated, context-bound understanding rather than an objective fact to be measured. Which paradigm most
accurately frames this study?
A. Positivism, because the researcher seeks an objective, law-like explanation of housing outcomes.
B. Postpositivism, because the researcher tests a priori hypotheses with quantitative indicators.
C. Constructivism, because reality is viewed as socially constructed and understood through participants'
subjective meanings. [CORRECT]
D. Pragmatism, because the researcher prioritizes practical intervention over philosophical assumptions.
Correct Answer: C. Constructivism, because reality is viewed as socially constructed and understood through
participants' subjective meanings.
Rationale: Constructivism holds that reality is socially constructed and that the researcher's task is to interpret the
meaning participants attach to their lived situations. Positivism and postpositivism seek objective, law-like explanations
and would require quantitative hypothesis testing, which contradicts the focus on subjective meaning. Pragmatism
emphasizes practical problem-solving and methodological pluralism but does not, by itself, foreground the
co-construction of meaning central to this scenario. The emphasis on socially negotiated, context-bound understanding is
the hallmark of constructivist inquiry.
,Q2: When distinguishing interpretivism from constructivism in a Walden research proposal, a student correctly
notes that interpretivism:
A. Rejects the use of any qualitative data because it relies solely on statistical inference.
B. Emphasizes understanding the meaning individuals attach to their experiences within their cultural and
historical context, while remaining somewhat less radical than constructivism regarding the co-construction
of reality. [CORRECT]
C. Requires the use of standardized instruments to ensure cross-cultural comparability.
D. Equates truth with the researcher's a priori theoretical framework imposed on participant narratives.
Correct Answer: B. Emphasizes understanding the meaning individuals attach to their experiences within their
cultural and historical context, while remaining somewhat less radical than constructivism regarding the
co-construction of reality.
Rationale: Interpretivism focuses on understanding the meanings individuals attach to their actions and experiences
within a cultural and historical context, and it is generally considered a less radical epistemology than constructivism
because it does not fully embrace the idea that reality is co-constructed between researcher and participant. The other
options describe positivism/postpositivism (statistical inference, standardized instruments) or a misuse of theory.
Interpretivism is centrally about Verstehen, or empathic understanding of meaning in context.
Q3: A researcher partners with a community organization serving transgender youth of color to design a study
that explicitly aims to expose power imbalances in clinical services and to produce findings that catalyze policy
reform. Which paradigm best aligns with this aim?
A. Constructivism, because it centers participants' subjective narratives.
B. Critical theory, because it explicitly seeks to identify and transform power imbalances and structural
inequities. [CORRECT]
C. Pragmatism, because it focuses on what works in practice regardless of values.
D. Interpretivism, because it aims to empathically understand participant meanings without intervention.
Correct Answer: B. Critical theory, because it explicitly seeks to identify and transform power imbalances and
structural inequities.
Rationale: Critical theory is explicitly emancipatory: it identifies power imbalances, challenges oppressive structures, and
aims to produce knowledge that catalyzes social transformation. Constructivism and interpretivism emphasize
understanding meaning but do not necessarily commit to power analysis and reform. Pragmatism prioritizes practical
problem-solving and methodological flexibility without an inherent emancipatory stance. The intent to expose and
transform inequity is the defining marker of critical theory.
,Q4: A Walden MSW student proposes a mixed-methods study evaluating a peer-led recovery program, using
both outcome surveys and qualitative interviews, choosing methods based on which best answer each
sub-question. Which paradigm is the student applying?
A. Constructivism
B. Pragmatism [CORRECT]
C. Postpositivism
D. Critical theory
Correct Answer: B. Pragmatism
Rationale: Pragmatism is the philosophical foundation of mixed-methods research; it prioritizes the research question and
uses whatever methods best answer it, rather than committing to a single epistemology. Constructivism and postpositivism
are generally aligned with single-paradigm qualitative or quantitative work, respectively. Critical theory would foreground
power and emancipation rather than methodological flexibility. Pragmatism's emphasis on what works for the question at
hand fits this scenario.
Q5: In a qualitative proposal, a student writes: 'I assume that the lived experience of recovery is multiple,
contextual, and inseparable from the relationships in which it occurs.' This statement reflects the researcher's
ontological assumption. Ontology in qualitative inquiry refers to:
A. The nature of reality and what can be said to exist or be known. [CORRECT]
B. The relationship between the researcher and the participant.
C. The role of values and ethics in the research process.
D. The procedures used to recruit and retain participants.
Correct Answer: A. The nature of reality and what can be said to exist or be known.
Rationale: Ontology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of reality and what can be said to exist.
Epistemology concerns the relationship between the researcher and what is being studied (option B). Axiology concerns
the role of values (option C). Recruitment and retention procedures (option D) are methodological choices, not
philosophical assumptions. Correctly naming the ontological assumption is a Week 6 foundational skill because it shapes
every downstream methodological decision.
Q6: A researcher using a constructivist approach acknowledges that her prior clinical experience with domestic
violence survivors will inevitably shape what she notices in interviews. She plans to document her assumptions
and bracket them where possible. The relationship between researcher and participant in this paradigm is best
described as:
A. A detached, value-neutral observation of an external reality.
B. An interactive co-construction of knowledge in which the researcher is an instrument of inquiry.
[CORRECT]
C. A hypothesis-testing interaction in which the researcher validates or refutes pre-defined categories.
D. An experimental manipulation in which the researcher controls all variables.
Correct Answer: B. An interactive co-construction of knowledge in which the researcher is an instrument of
inquiry.
Rationale: Within constructivism, the researcher is not a detached observer but an instrument of inquiry, and knowledge
is co-constructed through interaction with participants. The detached, value-neutral stance describes positivism;
hypothesis testing describes postpositivism; experimental manipulation is a quantitative experimental logic.
Acknowledging researcher subjectivity and managing it through reflexivity and bracketing is consistent with the
constructivist epistemology.
, Q7: Which statement best captures axiology in qualitative social work research?
A. Axiology concerns how the researcher's values shape every stage of inquiry, from question formation to
interpretation, and requires explicit reflexivity about those values. [CORRECT]
B. Axiology requires researchers to eliminate all values from data collection.
C. Axiology refers to the statistical techniques used to analyze data.
D. Axiology refers to the sampling strategy that determines who participates.
Correct Answer: A. Axiology concerns how the researcher's values shape every stage of inquiry, from question
formation to interpretation, and requires explicit reflexivity about those values.
Rationale: Axiology is the study of values and their role in research. In qualitative inquiry, values are acknowledged as
inevitably shaping the research process, and the researcher is expected to engage in reflexivity about how their values
influence the questions asked, the data collected, and the interpretations made. Eliminating values is a positivist aspiration,
not an axiological principle. Statistical techniques and sampling are methodological, not axiological.
Q8: A clinical social worker notices that immigrant caregivers describe grief experiences that do not fit existing
Western bereavement models and wants to explore what these experiences mean to them. Which type of
qualitative research question is most appropriate?
A. A descriptive question that documents the frequency of grief symptoms.
B. An exploratory question aimed at understanding the meaning and dimensions of caregiver grief as it is
lived and interpreted. [CORRECT]
C. A predictive question that forecasts which caregivers will develop complicated grief.
D. A comparative question that contrasts symptom counts across diagnostic groups.
Correct Answer: B. An exploratory question aimed at understanding the meaning and dimensions of caregiver
grief as it is lived and interpreted.
Rationale: Exploratory questions are used when little is known about a phenomenon and the researcher seeks to
understand its meaning and dimensions. Descriptive frequency, predictive, and comparative questions all imply
quantitative measurement and hypothesis testing, which contradicts the goal of understanding meaning. Exploratory
qualitative questions are appropriate when existing frameworks are inadequate, as in this case where Western bereavement
models do not fit the participants' experiences.
Q9: A researcher asks, 'What are the daily routines, rituals, and help-seeking practices of rural elders managing
chronic pain?' This is best classified as which type of qualitative research question?
A. Exploratory question
B. Descriptive question aimed at capturing the characteristics and patterns of a phenomenon [CORRECT]
C. Predictive question
D. Causal question
Correct Answer: B. Descriptive question aimed at capturing the characteristics and patterns of a phenomenon
Rationale: Descriptive qualitative questions aim to capture the characteristics, routines, and patterns of a phenomenon as
it occurs, without manipulating variables or predicting outcomes. Exploratory questions seek to understand the meaning of
an under-studied phenomenon, while this question is documenting what people do. Predictive and causal questions belong
to quantitative designs. The wording 'what are the daily routines, rituals, and practices' signals description rather than
exploration of meaning.
