Social work research as a practice of transparency

Abstract

Social work research is inherently normative and as such the assumptions about social problems in social work research should be open to scrutiny and contestation. But although researchers often face tussles and huge contradictions, they rarely articulate them. In this article, we report on a small research project in which a collective of social work researchers in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium) tried to think critically through some of the questions and complexities they were confronted with in social work research, more specifically in research on poverty. Our research aim implied that we tried to discuss the choices that were made during a diversity of research projects, including making explicit the grounds on which this happened. We learned that the choices made, although they seem to be very obvious ones, often remained implicit during the different research processes. We conclude that social work research requires that researchers attempt to realize a practice of transparency. The pursuit of such a practice of transparency refers to the importance of the creation of reflexive space in research communities to collectively embrace and discuss the complexities of social work research

Towards Greater Transparency Regarding Partnerships for Technology Development

“…While this project sought to address concerns regarding the use of technological interventions that impede rather than support the sector (Ince & Griffiths, 2011;Munro, 2005;Tregeagle & Darcy, 2008), the results suggest that short-term funded technology partnerships are not always sufficient for producing functional and sustainable technologies for nonprofits. This concluding discussion, therefore, returns to the initial project aims to reflect on the effects and benefits of the work as a means to contribute to a "practice of transparency" (Roose et al, 2016(Roose et al, , p. 1021.…”

“…They were also applicable because the aim of the project was to develop a technology that supported, rather than hindered, the front-line work of practitioners (Ince & Griffths, 2011;Munro, 2005;Tregeagle & Darcy, 2008), which required responding to calls for more collaborative technology development processes focused on user participation (Hennig & Vogler, 2016). Further, the project was action-oriented (Reason & Bradbury, 2008) in that its explicit purpose was to support youth centres to increase their capacity for meaningful data collection and evaluation processes.…”

Researching the virtual: A framework for reflexivity in qualitative social media research

“…In such a space, a study can be situated in a particular time and space for a contextual interpretation of its conduct. As Roose et al (2016) point out, by deconstructing their own contexts, a reflexive space enables researchers to see beyond the immediate and mundane and explore the effects of their personal decisions and actions.…”

Social work research and human rights: where do we go from here?

“…The above-mentioned historical, societal and policy developments have major implications for contemporary social work, including social work research (D'Cruz & Jones, 2004;Roose et al, 2016). The crisis of the welfare state and the current historical and social context in which social work is active raises questions about the stance of social work research towards the core values of human rights and social justice (Mullaly, 2007).…”

“…The crisis of the welfare state and the current historical and social context in which social work is active raises questions about the stance of social work research towards the core values of human rights and social justice (Mullaly, 2007). As reflected in the global definition of social work, rather than being neutral, technical and value-free, social work research intrinsically has a normative value orientation, being in search of human rights and social justice (Shaw, Gredig & Sommerfeld 2012;Roose et al, 2016). However, to this day social work has always had an 'uneasy relationship' with research (Lorenz, 2008) and different understandings of the nature and purpose of social work research have evolved, reflecting diverse conceptions of the nature and purposes of social work itself (Shaw, Gredig & Sommerfeld, 2012;Parton & Kirk, 2010;Powell & Ramos, 2010).…”