Bryn King, MSW Wendy Wiegmann , MSW Emily Putnam- Hornstein , MSW , PhD

1. Translating Performance Data to Practice: Developing Curricula to Train Research-Minded MSW Students Presented at the Council on Social Work Education, 58th Annual Program Meeting October 29, 2011 Bryn King, MSW Wendy Wiegmann, MSW Emily Putnam-Hornstein, MSW, PhD Center for Social Services Research University of California at Berkeley

2. THE “PROBLEM” • IV-E students rank research courses as their least favorite classes in the program (anecdotal…) • coursework feels disconnected from practice • (Green Bretzin, Leininger, & Stauffer, 2001; Harder, 2010) • most students do not enter with strong math or stats backgrounds & experience high anxiety • (Green, et al., 2001; Hardcastle & Bisman, 2003; Royse & Rompf, 1992) • timeline allows only a superficial coverage of analytic methods • general lack of “statistical literacy” • knowledge which enables people to think for themselves, judge independently, and discriminate between good and bad information (Dewey, 1930)

3. DATA IN THE “REAL WORLD” • While social work students may have positive attitudes about research while they are students, they do not usually extend into practice (McCrystal & Wilson, 2010). • barriers may include beliefs that research will not be relevant to practice (Green et al., 2001; Harder, 2010) • feelings that there will be too many demands when they enter the field to devote time and energy to research (Wilson and Douglas, 2007; Shlonsky and Stern, 2007).

4. THE MOTIVATION • experienced users of the state’s child welfare data, familiar with local and state performance goals, critical thinkers, confident • practical research analysis skills – creating charts and tables in Excel, examining trends over time, understanding different data samples • technical assistance to counties and state agencies, but no direct training of IV-E students at Berkeley/other universities • “data are your friend” promote data informed practice and policies • support counties and state in continuous improvement goals • provide IV-E students with classroom experiences that can directly inform post-graduate work • develop a research curriculum for use in other IV-E schools of social work throughout the state • support counties in their System Improvement Plans

5. COMPETING COURSE MODELS technology = data are everywhere! field is increasingly oriented around continuous improvement, outcomes statistical literacy & critical thinking necessary for EBP and EIP difficult (if not impossible) to do well even successful training is lost as not used in post-grad work burdens agencies tasked with helping students access data

6. PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH • service learning model • not uncommon for social work research courses • emphasized by asking students to align their research project with agency performance goals or mandate • students asked to write reports to be read by someone other than instructor • help IV-E students connect classroom instruction to their experiences in field placements by working with administrative data relevant to their agency and clients

7. OPENING CLASSES • highlight that data really are used by social workers – and one does not need to be a statistician • county child welfare director and analyst as guests • panel of former IV-E/MSW students • guest speaker on systems/practice improvement for behavioral health services • help students generate research ideas early • set-up one-on-one meetings during first two weeks • review of system improvement plans • reduce anxiety, increases relevance of exercises

8. STUDENT ANXIETY • Class was oversubscribed: • lots of student interest/demand, looking for a departure from the anxiety-provoking status quo • 28 students total (turned away 6 others – the cap was 24) and 13 of those were IV-E students (of 17 in the cohort) • In a survey completed by CalSWEC (in the third week of class), students rated their anxiety level on a scale of 1-10: • 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 10 prior to starting the course • 5.1 by the third class • 4.2 by the end of the year-long course (differences were not statistically significant).

9. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF CSSR DATA • Organized around federal and state performance measures • Dynamic site, ad hoc tabulations by users • county-level data • trends over time (1998-2010/11) • categorical variables (race, gender, age, placement type, etc.) • filters that allow user-created variables (e.g., age 0-4) • Excel downloads • PPT slide template

10. OTHER SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA University-based data archives, such as the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research at the University of Michigan Health and safety data from the CDC and the FBI (Uniform Crime Statistics) Population data from the census National and local educational data Mental health statistics Local and state-level data regarding children’s well-being from a variety of sources on kidsdata.org

11. DECIDING ON A PROJECT

12. SKILL DEVELOPMENT

13. ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE YEAR • From Topics to Questions • Background/Problem Statement • Chart and Table • Research Question(s) • Description of Data Source(s) • Review of Research • Structured Abstract • Research Article Assignment • Report Peer Review • Results Section Outline • Research Presentation • Final Report – included introduction, abstract, lit review, description of data source, methods, results, discussion, graphs

14. THE PRODUCT: IV-E STUDENTS Child Maltreatment and Permanency Planning in Contra Costa County Children Re-Reported for Maltreatment: An Analysis of Alameda County The Characteristics of Foster Children Authorized for Psychotropic Medication in California and Contra Costa County Latino Children Involved in the Child Welfare System: An Overview of California Adoption in California’s Public Child Welfare System 

15. THE PRODUCT: OTHER STUDENTS The Achievement Gap, the Discipline Gap & Positive Behavior Support: An Analysis of Progress at Willard Middle School Severe Mental Illness and Poverty In California’s Fifty-Eight Counties Violent Crime Trends and Psychosocial Needs of Crime Victims: A National, State, and Local Analysis Cyberbullying: A Descriptive Analysis of Characteristics Associated with Internet Victimization Health Services Quality: Elderly Immigrants at Risk for Miscommunication

16. EXAMPLES

17. QUALITATIVE RESULTS Informal feedback was utilized to reevaluate course planning, assignments, and course content Overall, students reported that they had a positive experience of the course (definitely exceeded their low expectations) Appreciated the consistent feedback and support in their work and the division of the work across two semesters that helped them develop their projects incrementally Found that learning to use basic statistical methods was much easier than anticipated Improved Excel and research skills Projects were excellent!

18. QUANTIFIABLE RESULTS • Both the instructor and the teaching assistant were rated very high in their evaluations • A student from this class won the annual MSW research award • Four students (three IV-E) were hired for research projects as their first post MSW position • Students reported less anxiety at post-test and all students believed that research improves practice

19. FUTURE MODIFICATIONS • Orientation of classes around case studies • engage students in real examples of agency work with data, provide a conceptual link between research and practice • bring in guest speakers even earlier • Early instruction in Excel basics • Greater consultation with counties • More encouragement and emphasis on using secondary data