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Unit of study_

SCWK2006: Research Skills for Social Change

2025 unit information

Social workers are increasingly required to understand and communicate the research base of their practice, and to become practitioner-researchers in their own right. This unit aims to help students develop an understanding of the ways social workers use research in different practice contexts: assessing community needs, formulating policies, developing new services, evaluating programs, enhancing social work practice, and developing theory. Students are introduced to quantitative and qualitative approaches and methods in social work research, in the context of specific practice fields including mental health, domestic violence, community development, and policy advocacy.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Arts and Social Sciences

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit Social Work
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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48 credit points including (SCLG1001 and SCLG1002) or (12 credit points of SCLG1U01) or 12 credit points of 1000 level units in Diversity Studies
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate an understanding of the roles of research in social work practice and policy in a variety of contexts
  • LO2. articulate an understanding of, and rationale for, different approaches to social research design, including quantitative and qualitative approaches
  • LO3. demonstrate a basic grasp of research design, including matching research questions with appropriate methodologies
  • LO4. show awareness of ethical, organisational, and political issues in social research.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Remote
Intensive July 2021
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Intensive July 2021
Block mode Remote
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Remote
Intensive February 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

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