Psychology Week 1 home assignment

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form 1

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

Be sure to indicate your name, your chair name, and SCM.

Always update the date to the date of your submission.

Title

• 15 words maximum

• Be sure your title includes or reflects in some way the following: (1) social problem of

concern, (2) population you will explore the problem with, and/or (3) key concepts

relevant to the focus of the study.

• Note: Form and Style does not want you to use specific terms referring to the

methodology (i.e., quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods or words such as method,

results, study of, investigation of.). However, you should use language that infers a

particular method (i.e., the terms correlate or relationship suggest a quantitative design

and explore or describe typically suggest a qualitative design).

Supporting Literature

• Using Walden’s library databases, identify a minimum of 4 databases with 2 being social

work specific and 2 from other disciplines such as psychology, nursing, education, etc.

Google Scholar is acceptable. Be sure to click on Database A-Z. It will bring you to all the

different databases at Walden’s library.

• The literature you use should be directly relevant to your study and should be within the

last 5 years (unless there is a classic study that will be the foundation of your study, e.g.,

ACES study).

• It is expected that you will be comprehensive with the key search terms you use. Be sure

the keywords you use touch on the social problem, population, methodology, theory,

key concepts/variables to your study.

• Keep to only 10 annotations of supporting literature (no more and no less).

• At least one reference entry and annotation MUST be for the theory you have selected.

• The annotations must follow the a-d elements. Do not use a matrix for this section.

Annotations/summaries must be in paragraph form.

(a) Should simply be the in-text citation – e.g., Davis (2017) or Parker et al. (2020).

(b) Should be no more than 2 sentences about what was studied.

(c) Should be no more than 2 sentences about what was found.

This document should be used to support your completion of your DSW or PhD Prospectus Form. It is also used in the companion courses throughout the program to suppport your capstone/dissertation readiness.

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form

2

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

• (d) Should be no more than 1 sentence on about how the article is beneficial to your

understanding about your topic. Item d is not simply a restatement that the article is

about your topic, but it describes how the article relates and what it adds to your

understanding of the gap, methodology, theory, etc.

o For example, “(d) This article helps to establish that emotional abuse is higher

among non-Hispanic Whites (Jones & Smith, 2023). Or “(d) This article is helpful

because the author recommended that future studies should explore parental

burnout in child abuse, and therefore, I will be including this in my predictor

variables for my study.”

Problem

Social Problem

• Should be no more than 1 paragraph, 7 sentences max. where you describe the

underlying social problem of your study. Fewer sentences are fine if they include these

key elements and clearly describe your problem. If you are not clear about the definition

of a social problem, click on the hyperlink in the prospectus form.

(a) In 1 sentence, identify the social problem.

(b) Using at least 1-2 sentences, describe the scope or prevalence of the social problem

(this usually involves statistics about how "big" the problem is). Be sure to use literature

to ground your claims (i.e., citations).

(c) In 1-2 sentences, describe the negative consequences of the social problem as it relates

to your study population. Be sure to use literature to ground your claims (i.e., citations).

Social Problem Exemplar:

The situation or issue that prompted me to search the literature is that child sexual trafficking as a form of child maltreatment is an invisible but large problem in the U.S. In 2021, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (2022) reported that they received 17,200 cases of child sex trafficking. Children who are trafficked for sexual exploitation experience physical and sexual abuse, resulting in long-term psychological trauma (Kokaliari et al., 2019).

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form

3

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

Gap

• In no more than 7 sentences, complete this section. Do not simply write one sentence

about what you think the gap is. Remember, your readers will not understand how you

came to the conclusion that this is the gap. You need to identify what others have

explored using supporting literature to identify this, then present your identified gap.

(a) In one sentence, complete the following sentence by inserting what the gap is:

“Although researchers have investigated this issue, the topic has not been explored in

this way ....”

(b) In the next 3-5 sentences, synthesize using the 3-4 pieces of empirical literature that you

identified in the Supporting Literature section about what is already known related to

your topic and study population.

(c) Then finish off using one sentence that sets the context or transitions back to the

identified gap (i.e., ties everything back to the first sentence of this section).

Gap Exemplar QN - Although researchers have investigated this issue, the topic has not been explored in this way: what ecological systems level factors predict child sexual trafficking as a form of child maltreatment. The paucity of prior studies focused on child sex trafficking among the child welfare populations are most likely due to system-wide failures to formally recognize trafficking as a form of child maltreatment (Zar, 2023). It was not until 2014 that federal legislation defined the role of the child welfare system in response to the human trafficking of children. In the arena of child trafficking, there have been studies that have looked at individual-related factors such as the child’s race (Phills & Dong, 2022), meso-related factors such as household characteristics (Dank et al. 2021), exo-factors such as urban vs. rural residential settings (Feeng et al., 2018), and macro related factors such as providers’ attitudes about child trafficking (Guille, 2019). However, the perspective of child sex trafficking as a form child maltreatment is a new perspective, and it is not clear if there are a set of unique systems-level factors that predict child sex trafficking as a form of child maltreatment. QL - Although researchers have investigated this issue, the topic has not been explored in this way: by focusing on the experiences of child welfare workers when addressing ecological systems level factors while intervening in child sexual trafficking from a child maltreatment perspective. The paucity of prior studies focused on child sex trafficking among the child welfare populations are most likely due to system-wide failures to formally recognize trafficking as a form of child maltreatment (Zar, 2023). It was not until 2014 that federal legislation defined the role of the child welfare system in response to the human trafficking of children. In the arena of child trafficking, there have been studies that have looked at

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form

4

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

individual-related factors such as the child’s race (Phills & Dong, 2022), meso-related factors such as household characteristics (Dank et al. 2021), exo-factors such as urban vs. rural residential settings (Feeng et al., 2018), and macro related factors such as providers’ attitudes about child trafficking (Guille, 2019). However, child sex trafficking as a form child maltreatment is a new perspective, and it is not clear what the experiences of child welfare workers are when addressing the micro, meso, exo, macro-level, and chrono-related factors as they intervene in child sex trafficking from a child maltreatment perspective. Adapted from: Branscum, C., & Richards, T. N. (2023). The wrong rite of passage: Comparing sex trafficking to other types of child maltreatment using the national child abuse and neglect data system (NCANDS). Victims & Offenders, 18(3), 399–422. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2022.2131021

Review the following resources:

Crafting a Gap Statement for the Prospectus Form Part 1

Crafting a Gap Statement for the Prospectus Form Part 2

Research Problem

• In one sentence, restate the gap which is the research problem. Remember, for DSW

students, this is a social work practice gap and for PhD social work students, this is a

knowledge or research gap. Be sure that your one sentence is aligned (consistent) with

what you indicated in the first sentence in the gap section about the gap.

Research Problem Exemplar QN - The specific research problem (or specific social work practice-focused research problem) that will be addressed through this study is: the micro, meso, exo, macro-level, and chrono-related factors that predict child sexual trafficking as a form of child maltreatment. QL - The specific research problem (or specific social work practice-focused research problem) that will be addressed through this study is to explore the experiences of child welfare social workers in addressing the micro, meso, exo, macro-level, and chrono-related factors when intervening in child sex trafficking from a child maltreatment perspective.

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form

5

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

Purpose

• Indicate the purpose in 1 sentence. This sentence should be succinct, and clearly reflects

the problem of concern, target population to be surveyed/interviewed, any key

concepts/variables to be explored/examined in your study and the study method.

• Remember, why you are conducting this study -- it is to fill a practice or knowledge gap.

Therefore, go back to the research problem and state it as a purpose statement. This

purpose statement always includes: (1) research design, (2) concepts/variables to be

examined, and (3) the study population.

• Note: Here is a “formula” for writing the purpose statement:

The purpose of this _____ (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods) study is to

(understand, describe, develop, discover) the _____ (central focus for the study) for

_____ (the unit of analysis, person, processes, groups, site).

Purpose Exemplar QN - The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the extent to which micro related ss (i.e., substance use, running away, disability), meso related factor (i.e., living residence), exo- related factors (i.e., rural/urban location), macro-related factors (i.e., professional attitudes towards sex abuse and child trafficking), and chrono-related factors (i.e., early child adversities) predict being a victim of child sex trafficking among children under the age of 18 years in the U.S. QL – The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore child welfare workers’ experiences in addressing the micro related factors (i.e., substance use, running away, disability), meso related factors (i.e., living residence), exo-related factors (i.e., rural/urban location), macro- related factors (i.e., professional attitudes towards sex abuse and child trafficking), and chrono-related factors (i.e., early child adversities) when working with victims of child sex trafficking under the age of 18 years in the U.S.

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form

6

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

Framework (Conceptual or Theoretical)

Name of Theory or Conceptual Framework

• In one sentence, identify the name of the ONE theory and the original author of the

theory.

• In one sentence provide a brief summary of the major constructs or assumptions of the

theory. What does the theory argue or posit?

• Provide the reference entry citation for the theory. Note: the reference entry along

with an “a-d” annotation MUST be included in the Supporting Literature section.

Theory Exemplar The theories and/or concepts that ground this study include Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory, which focuses on behaviors, problems, and development that is shaped by microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chrono system factors. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Logical Connection

• Explain in no more than 4 sentences how the assumptions of the theory or conceptual

framework connect or tie to the concepts/variables in the research questions and/or

interview questions or instruments.

• HINT: The best way to do this is to look for empirical articles that have used your theory

with your topic or populations and review how they described the logical connection.

Logical Connection Exemplar QN - The logical connections between the framework presented and the nature of my study include variables in my study representing each of the systems levels. For example, the following variables: substance use, running away, and disability will represent micro-related factors, the variable “living residence” will represent the meso-related factors, the variable “rural/urban location” will represent exo-related factors, the variable “professional attitudes toward sex abuse and child trafficking” will represent macro-related factors, and the variable “early childhood adversities” will represent chrono-related factors.

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form

7

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

QL - The logical connections between the framework presented and the nature of my study include concepts in my study representing each of the systems levels. For example, the following concepts: substance use, running away, and disability will represent micro-related factors, the variable “living residence” will represent the meso-related factors, the variable “rural/urban location” will represent exo-related factors, the variable “professional attitudes toward sex abuse and child trafficking” will represent macro-related factors, and the variable “early childhood adversities” will represent a chrono-related factors.

Review the following resource: Theories: At the Front Seat Driving the Research Study.

Research Questions

• Identify the research question(s) for your research study. (Research questions are NOT

interview questions).

• You are not limited to only 1 research question.

• Remember, the research question(s) should align with the purpose of the study, which

should also be connected to your identified gap statement.

• Avoid double-barreled research questions which are two or more questions embedded

into one question.

NOTE: Here are two examples of double-barreled research questions:

Example Qualitative: What do social workers describe as their experiences with case

management with homeless persons and how they view other person-centered

interventions?

Example Quantitative: What is the extent to which poverty affects mental health

outcomes in youth and how they access mental health services?

• Avoid yes/no formatted research questions.

• Remember, your research questions should be aligned with the theory. In other words,

the concepts or variables in your research questions should be aligned or consistent

with the main assumptions of the theory.

• For quantitative research questions, there should be corresponding research and null

hypotheses. This may also be the case for the quantitative portion of the mixed

methods design.

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form

8

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

Research Question Exemplar QN - To what extent do micro related factors (i.e., substance use, running away, disability), meso related factors (i.e., living residence), exo-related factors (i.e., rural/urban location), macro-related factors (i.e., professional attitudes towards sex abuse and child trafficking), and chrono-related factors (i.e., early child adversities) predict being a victim of child sex trafficking among children under the age of 18 years in the U.S.? QL – How do child welfare workers describe their experiences in addressing the micro related factors (i.e., substance use, running away, disability), meso related factors (i.e., living residence), exo-related factors (i.e., rural/urban location), macro-related factors (i.e., professional attitudes towards sex abuse and child trafficking), and chrono-related factors (i.e., early child adversities) when working with victims of child sex trafficking.

Review the following resource: A Quick Guide to Crafting Research Questions.

Nature of the Study

Approach/Method

• Identify the research design (i.e., quantitative, qualitative, or for PhD only, mixed

methods)

• Identify the specific qualitative (QL), quantitative (QN), or for PhD only, mixed methods

strategy.

o DSW students' ONLY options are QL-action research, case study, program

evaluation, or generic, also called basic qualitative; QN-survey research that uses

validated instrument(s) only.

• Provide a 1 sentence rationale as to why this design is appropriate for your study.

• Provide 1 relevant citation for the specific strategy (i.e., generic, case study,

correlational survey, etc.).

• Remember that the design and method must be aligned with your research question(s)

and purpose statement.

• Remember that you MUST provide a reference entry in this section for the work on

which your research design is based.

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form

9

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

Type of Data/Instruments

• In 1-2 sentences, explain the type of data. For qualitative research, types of data might

include interviews, focus groups, observations, newspaper accounts, visual data in the

form of images, film, etc. For quantitative research, be sure to identify data sources such

as surveys, secondary data, etc. Furthermore, identify all the previously developed

validated instruments that will operationally define your variables.

Data Sources and Analysis

• In 1-2 sentences, describe who your participants will be, type of sampling you will use

(e.g., purposive, snowball, random, etc.) and how you plan to recruit your participants

(e.g., email, social media, direct contact, flyers, etc.).

• Is using secondary data, in 1-2 sentences, describe the secondary dataset you are

planning to use to conduct your secondary research. (PhD students only)

Review the following resource: Research Skills Modules.

Barriers/Challenges/Limitations

In 1-2 sentences identify one potential barrier, challenge, or study limitations. This should be

beyond challenges with participant recruitment or sample size. Consider your proposed study

and how you plan to address this issue in your study.

NOTE: While you do not have to state how you plan to address the identified barrier, challenge

or study limitation here, it is important to find empirical research to support how you plan to

address your identified barrier(s)/challenge(s)/limitation(s)because you will be required to

discuss this at the proposal stage.

Significance

• In 1-2 sentences describe how your study may fill the gap (practice or research) you

identified. This must relate back to the focus and identified gap of your study.

• In 1-2 sentences describe how your study’s potential findings might contribute to social

work research/practice.

• Remember to think about your potential findings and how it could impact social work

practice, policy, or service delivery, and positive social change.

Approved Elements for Each Section of the DSW and PhD Social Work Prospectus Form

10

Barbara Solomon School of Social Work Doctoral Social Work Programs

• Do not use declarative language like “will.” Since you do not know exactly what impact

your findings may have, it is recommended that you use verbs or terms such as:

“potential,” “may,” and/or “could.”

• Avoid overreaching. Do not make claims about your study that are beyond the scope of

what you are actually studying.

Review the worksheets to help you think about the potential significance of your study.

Research Alignment Table

• Do not forget to complete the table.

• The information in this table should be consistent with the information in the sections

above this section in the prospectus form.

• In the 4th column, if you are using interviews, draft some interview questions so that

your committee members can get a sense what you are planning to ask and if the

interview questions align with the research question(s) and the proposed

theory/conceptual framework.