SW 600 Survey for Practice & Policy
Well-designed surveys allow us to take one kind of measure of the human experience, represent the under-represented and hear the voices of under-represented populations, and disenfranchised segments of the population. How do diverse populations differ in perceptions of health care? How many people experience discrimination in housing? What are clients attitudes about policy changes in their provider agency? Do middle income families without health insurance forgo healthcare for their children? How many families in a particular catchment area report caretaking responsibilities for elders? Have attitudes toward same-sex marriage changed in Massachusetts since 2000? Answers to each of these questions have been discovered through surveys. With surveys we capture the attitudes and behaviors of people and policy makers all over the world, as well as in our neighborhoods and work settings. Course topics will include matching research design to data needs, understanding the role of qualitative research in quantitative survey measurement, probability and non probability sampling methods, developing questions and questionnaires, choosing modes and methods of data collection (including focus groups), analyzing survey data, and the effective presentation and reporting of survey findings to varied audiences.
Prerequisite
None