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Teaching Master's and Doctoral Social Work Students to Systematically Evaluate Evidence-Based Interventions |
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| Authors: | Wendy Auslander Colleen Fisher Marcia Ollie ManSoo Yu |
| Affiliation: | 1. George Warren Brown School of Social Work , Washington University , St. Louis , Missouri , USA wendyaus@wustl.edu;3. School of Social Work , University of Minnesota , St. Paul , Minnesota , USA;4. School of Social Work , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA;5. School of Social Work , University of Missouri , Columbia , Missouri , USA |
| Abstract: | Evidence-based research relevant to social work practice has grown dramatically. This article describes a method that was implemented to teach master's and doctoral social work students how to synthesize and evaluate evidence-based interventions for social work–related problems and populations. The method includes eight steps: conceptualize the problem and define the research question(s); conduct a systematic search; define study inclusion and exclusion criteria; identify and categorize types of interventions and outcomes; rate the studies' methodological rigor; determine outcome attainment; combine outcome attainment and study rigor, and compare the evidence across studies. Two examples are presented of the implementation of this approach along with a discussion of the challenges and limitations. |
| Keywords: | evaluation evidence methodological rigor intervention effectiveness |