Читать книгу Social Work Research Methods - Reginald O. York - Страница 135

1 Ethics provide rules of behavior based on moral values. It does not depend on research for validation because it is more like philosophy than it is about science. Ethics are monitored by professional organizations through mechanisms such as the code of ethics.

2 Cultural competence refers to competence that recognizes the influence of culture with regard to practice. In social work research, this means incorporating knowledge about culture into the design and execution of the research study.

3 A concept that binds ethics and cultural competence is the vulnerable population. People in a vulnerable population are viewed as vulnerable because they are likely to view their participation in research to be necessary because of the population in which they reside, and thereby, they may feel compelled to participate.

4 Human subjects research is research involving a living individual about whom an investigator (whether professional or student) conducting research obtains data through intervention or interaction with the individual or identifiable private information.

5 The Code of Ethics of the NASW provides a guide for ethical practice.

6 Social workers should not undertake research that has serious potential of causing harm to the study subjects unless the benefits of the research clearly outweigh the harm.

7 Social work researchers should obtain informed consent from study subjects before undertaking the activities of the research project.

8 The social work researchers should engage in actions that protect the privacy of the human subjects of research. This entails protecting the identity of the subject in research reports. This protection is best maintained when the data are collected anonymously.

9 The principle of respect deals with autonomy and self-determination. People should be allowed to choose for themselves the risk they will undertake. Study subjects have full autonomy when they can understand the risks involved and have the freedom to volunteer without coercion.

10 The principle of beneficence requires that the social work researcher minimize harm and maximize benefits. If the researcher can find a less harmful way to conduct the needed research, then that way must be used instead of the more harmful ways.

11 The principle of justice requires us to design research that does not unduly target its risks to certain groups of people and fails to treat different types of people equably or fairly.

12 The IRB in major institutions monitors the protection of human subjects in research. This body reviews research proposals from researchers, including students, to ensure that the rights of human subjects in research are protected.

13 The NASW has articulated 10 standards related to cultural competence among social workers. These 10 standards include ethics and values. These standards require the social work researcher to understand his or her own culture and to apply knowledge of other cultures in their practices.

14 The methodology of the social work research study should include culture as a theme when appropriate, including measurement tools that are culturally sensitive.

15 In social work research, cultural competence means knowing how cultural factors have meaning for different aspects of the research process. For example, does the research question adequately reflect culture? Was culture considered in the definition of variables and the analysis of data? Was it considered in the conclusions that were drawn?

16 A rare study on cultural competence among social workers revealed a high level of competence among them.