Home pil Publications pil 2005 pil Danish Research in Soc...

Danish Research in Social Work

by Stinne Louise Hansen, January 2005

Summary

The report »Danish Research in Social Work« is based on a questionnaire sent to selected Danish researchers in spring 2004.

The purpose of the study is to create an overview of research activity in the area, to establish a basis for communication and networking among researchers and to initiate a debate on the terms and limitations of the research.

The questionnaire was sent to 122 researchers, of which 108 considered their research to be within the realm of »social work«. Of these, 84 researchers (78 per cent) completed the questionnaire. These researchers represented a total of 173 research projects.

In this context, »social work« is defined as a voluntary or paid public service the purpose of which is to counteract the marginalisation and isolation of individuals and groups with regard to communities, social networks and labourmarket relationships.

Research is defined as a systematic study and analysis of the effort with a view to publication and dissemination of the findings.

The results of the questionnaire:

  • Approximately half of the 173 projects are currently still running and there is a general upward trend in the number of completed research projects in the period 2000-2004. At the same time, there is a trend towards larger, more resource-demanding projects.
  • The majority of the projects are medium-sized to large research projects of more than 0.5 man-years.
  • The largest contributors to funding the projects are the Danish ministries. Half of all projects are entirely or partially financed by a ministry. Research foundations and councils contribute only 11 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively, to the projects.
  • Together, councils and foundations are more likely to fund resource-demanding projects than ministries, local authorities and counties. And foundation and council-funded projects are more likely to have a clear theoretical profile.
  • Underprivileged children and young people are, without comparison, the most frequent user group among the 173 projects, while the elderly and workers with long-term absence due to illness are underrepresented.
  • Evaluations are the most common type of research (38 per cent of the projects). Evaluation projects are less likely to encompass a specific theoretic discussion than other types of projects.
  • Only very few projects (4 per cent) belong to the group »research review, comparison and evaluation of research results«.
  • A total of 93 per cent of the projects include independent empirical studies. In 33 per cent, previously published research findings are discussed, while 36 per cent discuss various theoretical approaches. For approximately half of all the projects, the respondents did not indicate a specific theoretical point of departure or discussion.
  • Qualitative interviews are the most common type of empirical data, followed by observations and questionnaires. There is a significant distribution among the methodological approaches applied, and to a great extent combinations of different approaches are utilised.
  • It must be said that the distribution in the educational qualifications of the researchers is satisfactory. Approximately one-third have a PhD degree, one-fourth are enrolled in some sort of PhD programme, 27 per cent are senior researchers or associate professors at universities and 10 per cent are heads of research or professors. However, one-third of the researchers still work outside the actual research employment structure – either as consultants, as associate professors with medium-cycle higher educations or as occasional staff employed for specific projects.

The study raises the following questions with regard to Danish research in social work:

  • Is there an appropriate balance between evaluations and new knowledge development? Or are there too many evaluations without any actual theoretical basis and discussion?
  • Is research in social work too dominated by the specific application-oriented interests of ministries and local authorities, resulting in the neglect of critical reflection and basic theory development?
  • Are there certain issues where the research is inadequate (prostitution, substance abuse, disability, long-term sick leave, the elderly, etc.) and is this an incidental or conscious prioritisation?
  • Are the allocated resources sufficient for thorough review of the existing research?
  • What is the importance for the quality of research that theory and theoretical discussions are only included to a relatively limited extent? Should more theory-based empirical studies and evaluations be pursued?
  • Is there an unexploited potential among consultants and teachers at the schools of social work, who are interested in research without being institutionally anchored in a research environment?
Back to www.akf.dk  |  Print
  • Print
  • Email this