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.

Wendy Haight (PhD., University of Chicago) is professor and holds the Gamble-Skogmo Chair in Child Welfare and Youth Policy at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on supporting vulnerable children and families in diverse cultural contexts. She uses mixed methods to better understand complex social issues and then works within teams to design, implement, and evaluate tailored interventions. She is the author or coauthor of eight previous books and approximately fifty articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Laurel N. Bidwell (MSW, Hunter College; PhD., Columbia University) is assistant professor in the School of Social Work at St. Catherine University and the University of St. Thomas. She has worked as a clinical social worker with children and families in school, community, and hospital-based settings, and was a research associate at the University of Minnesota.