Mixed Methods Research for Social Work: Integrating Methodologies to Strengthen Practice and Policy

Mixed Methods Research for Social Work presents a step-by-step framework for constructing a mixed methods research project, along with a model for how social workers can play a sustaining role in the future of mixed methods research. In the first full length mixed methods research text for social workers, Wendy Haight and Laurel Bidwell illustrate the essential compatibility of social work and mixed method research. Rooting their argument in the historical and philosophical foundations of the profession, they explore both Jane Addams's contribution to American pragmatism and the proto-mixed methodologies employed by 20th century social worker researchers. The authors illustrate the  unique opportunities that integrated methods present for understanding the complexities and nuance of contemporary social problems that are the focus of social work research. The second half of the book gives readers a clear, step-by-step guide for using mixed methodologies. Each step of the planning, design, and implementation process is illustrated by a contemporary research project and an interview with the researcher explaining their methods and rationale. This process allows readers to access the research process from both a quantitative and a qualitative stand-point, illustrating the variability and applicability of mixed methodologies to social work research.