Be prepared for your future role in a service-oriented agency. This textbook provides practical guidance on program evaluation while avoiding replicating other course material. Drawing on over 40 years of subject knowledge, Allen Rubin describes outcome designs that are feasible for service-oriented agencies and that match the degree of certainty needed by key users of outcome evaluations. The utility and easy calculation of within-group effect sizes are outlined, which enhance the value of evaluations that lack control groups. Instructions are also given on how to write and disseminate an evaluation report in a way maximizes its chances of being used. Conducting focus group interviews and capitalising on the value of non-probabilitysamples will become second nature after following the effective and pragmatic advice mapped out chapter-by-chapter.

Reader friendly and clear, Rubin and Babbie's concise and social work-specific research methods book provides readers with the tools they need to understand the subject matter. Illustrations and examples throughout show readers how they can apply research to practice. Outlines, introductions, boxed features, chapter endings with main points, and review questions and exercises provide the information and practice readers need to learn the essentials. As part of the Cengage Empowerment Series, ESSENTIAL RESEARCH METHODS FOR SOCIAL WORK, 4th Edition, thoroughly integrates the core competencies and recommended practice behaviors outlined in the current Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) set by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Be prepared for your future role in a service-oriented agency. This textbook provides practical guidance on program evaluation while avoiding replicating other course material. Drawing on over 40 years of subject knowledge, Allen Rubin describes outcome designs that are feasible for service-oriented agencies and that match the degree of certainty needed by key users of outcome evaluations. The utility and easy calculation of within-group effect sizes are outlined, which enhance the value of evaluations that lack control groups. Instructions are also given on how to write and disseminate an evaluation report in a way maximizes its chances of being used. Conducting focus group interviews and capitalising on the value of non-probabilitysamples will become second nature after following the effective and pragmatic advice mapped out chapter-by-chapter.

If you're intimidated by the thought of taking research methods, Rubin and Babbie's classic bestseller can help you overcome the fear factor often associated with this course with its reader-friendly presentation of all aspects of the research endeavor. If you're not intimidated, you'll still appreciate the authors' clear and often humorous writing style as well as the book's depth and breadth of coverage. RESEARCH METHODS FOR SOCIAL WORK, Ninth Edition, strikes an optimal balance of quantitative and qualitative research techniques -- illustrating how the two methods complement one another and can be integrated in the same study. Relevant examples from real-world settings highlight the connections between research and social work practice. Comprehensive, friendly, accurate, and integrating the best of technology, this text is widely considered the best text for the research methods course -- and when you read it, you'll see why.

Both practical and easy to read, Rubin's STATISTICS FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE AND EVALUATION provides you with a step-by-step guide that will help you succeed in your course. Practice illustrations and exercises support your ability to study and retain core concepts, while practical examples provide you with the opportunity to see how and when data analysis and statistics are used by helping professionals in the real world.