Assignment: Working With Data
Assignment: Working With Data
Statistical analysis software is a valuable tool that helps researchers perform complex calculations. However, to use such a tool effectively, the study must be well designed. The social worker must understand all the relationships involved in the study. He or she must understand the study’s purpose and select the most appropriate design. The social worker must correctly represent the relationship being examined and the variables involved. Finally, he or she must enter those variables correctly into the software package. This assignment will allow you to analyze in detail the decisions made in the “Social Work Research: Chi Square” case study and the relationship between study design and statistical analysis. Assume that the data has been entered into SPSS and you’ve been given the output of the chi-square results. (See Week 4 Handout: Chi-Square findings).
To prepare for this Assignment, review the Week 4 Handout: Chi-Square Findings and follow the instructions.
Question
Submit a 1-page paper of the following:
· An analysis of the relationship between study design and statistical analysis used in the case study that includes:
· An explanation of why you think that the agency created a plan to evaluate the program
· An explanation of why the social work agency in the case study chose to use a chi square statistic to evaluate whether there is a difference between those who participated in the program and those who did not (Hint: Think about the level of measurement of the variables)
· A description of the research design in terms of observations (O) and interventions (X) for each group.
· Interpret the chi-square output data. What do the data say about the program?
Week4 Handout: Chi-Square Findings
The chi square test for independence is used to determine whether there is a relationship between
the two variables that are categorical in the level of measurement. In this case, the variables are:
employment level and treatment condition. It tests whether there is a difference between groups.
The research question for the study is: Is there a relationship between the independent variable,
treatment, and the dependent variable, employment level? In other words, is there a difference in
the number of participants who are not employed, employed part-time and employed full-time in
the program and the control group (i.e., waitlist group)?
The hypotheses are:
H0 (The null hypothesis): There is no difference in the proportions of individuals in the three
employment categories between the treatment group and the waitlist group. In other words, the
frequency distribution for variable 2 (employment) has the same proportions for both categories
of variable 1 (program participation).
** It is the null hypothesis that is actually tested by the statistic. A chi square statistic
that is found to be statistically significant, (e.g. p< .05) indicates that we can reject the
null hypothesis (understanding that there is less than a 5% chance that the relationship
between the variables is due to chance).
H1 (The alternative hypothesis): There is a difference in the proportions of individuals in the
three employment categories between the treatment group and the waitlist group.
** The alternative hypothesis states that there is a difference. It would allow us to say
that it appears that the treatment (voc rehab program) is effective in increasing the
employment status of participants.
Assume that the data has been collected to answer the above research question. Someone has
entered the data into SPSS. A chi-square test was conducted, and you were given the following
SPSS output data:
Social
Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
Molly, an administrator with a regional organization that advocates for alternatives to long-term prison sentences for nonviolent offenders, asked a team of researchers to conduct an outcome evaluation of a new vocational rehabilitation program for recently paroled prison inmates. The primary goal of the program is to promote full-time employment among its participants. Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
To evaluate the program, the evaluators decided to use a quasi-experimental research design. The program enrolled
30
individuals to participate in the new program. Additionally, there was a waiting list of 30 other participants who planned to enroll after the first group completed the program. After the first group of 30 participants completed the vocational program (the “intervention” group), the researchers compared those participants’ levels of employment with the 30 on the waiting list (the “comparison” group).
ORDER A PLAGIARISM -FREE PAPER NOW
In order to collect data on employment levels, the probation officers for each of the
60
people in the sample (those in both the intervention and comparison groups) completed a short survey on the status of each client in the sample. The survey contained demographic questions that included an item that inquired about the employment level of the client. This was measured through variables identified as none, part-time, or full-time. A hard copy of the survey was mailed to each probation officer and a stamped, self-addressed envelope was provided for return of the survey to the researchers. Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
After the surveys were returned, the researchers entered the data into an SPSS program for statistical analysis. Because both the independent variable (participation in the vocational rehabilitation program) and dependent variable (employment outcome) used nominal/categorical measurement, the bivariate statistic selected to compare the outcome of the two groups was the Pearson chi-square.
After all of the information was entered into the SPSS program, the following output charts were generated:
TABLE
1
. CASE PROCESSING SUMMARY
Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
|
Cases |
|||||||||
|
Valid |
Missing |
Total |
|||||||
|
N |
Percent |
||||||||
|
Program Participation |
59 |
98.3% |
1 |
1.7% Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper |
60 |
100.0% |
TABLE
2
. PROGRAM PARTICIPATION *EMPLOYMENT CROSS TABULATION
|
Employment |
||||||
|
None |
Part-Time |
Full-Time |
||||
|
Intervention Group |
Count % within Program Participation Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper |
5 16 .7% |
7 23.3% |
18 60.0% |
30 100.0% |
|
|
Comparison Group |
Count % within Program Participation |
16
55.2% |
7
24 .1% |
6 20.7% |
29 100.0% |
|
|
21 35.6% |
14 23.7% |
24
40.7% |
59 100.0% |
TABLE 3. CHI-SQUARE TESTS
Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
|
Value |
df |
Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) |
||
|
11.748a |
2 |
.003 |
||
|
Likelihood Ratio |
12.321 |
.002 |
||
|
11.548 |
.001 |
|||
|
N of Valid Cases |
· Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
5. a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 6.88.
The first table, titled Case Processing Summary, provided the sample size (N = 59). Information for one of the 60 participants was not available, while the information was collected for all of the other 59 participants.
The second table, Program Participation Employment Cross Tabulation, provided the frequency table, which showed that among participants in the intervention group, 18 or 60% were found to be employed full time, while 7 or 23% were found to be employed part time, and 5 or 17% were unemployed. The corresponding numbers for the comparison group (parolees who had not yet enrolled in the program but were on the waiting list for admission) showed that only 6 or 21% were employed full-time, while 7 or 24% were employed part time, and 16 or 55% were unemployed. Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
The third table, which provided the outcome of the Pearson chi-square test, found that the difference between the intervention and comparison groups were highly significant, with a p value of .003, which is significantly beyond the usual alpha-level of .05 that most researchers use to establish significance.
These results indicate that the vocational rehabilitation intervention program may be effective at promoting full-time employment among recently paroled inmates. However, there are multiple limitations to this study, including that 1) no random assignment was used, and 2) it is possible that differences between the groups were due to preexisting differences among the participants (such as selection bias).
Potential future studies could include a matched comparison group or, if possible, a control group. In addition, future studies should assess not only whether or not a recently paroled individual obtains employment but also the degree to which he or she is able to maintain employment, earn a living wage, and satisfy other conditions of probation. Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
(Plummer 63-65)
Plummer, Sara-Beth, Sara Makris, Sally Brocksen. Social Work Case Studies: Concentration Year. Laureate Publishing, 10/21/13. VitalBook file.
The citation provided is a guideline. Please check each citation for accuracy before use. Social Work Research: Chi Square Research Paper
Working with Data
The Chi-Square case study was created to provide an alternative solution for non-violent offenders by promoting vocational rehabilitation and full-time employment (Plummer, Makris, and Brocksen, 2014). The plan was created for several reasons – one reason may be to create a system that would enhance the chances of success for newly released inmates and another reason is to establish a system that produces positive outcomes for prisoners transitioning back into society. By increasing the success rate upon release, this helps reduce recidivism rates if they are gainfully employed. Many prisoners are considered high risk based upon economic insecurity in that they find difficulties in obtaining employment after being release (Harding et al., 2014).
Use of Chi Square Statistic
In looking at the outcomes that are being measures, one has to take into consideration the cost associated with implementing such a program, as such, it is important to select the most accurate means of testing that will lead to the more cost-effective approach and yield accurate results. The chi-square statistic design is a quasi-experimental design that was conducted on whether the vocational rehabilitation intervention program showing its’ effective at promoting full time employment. This method presents clarity and provides replication with a minimum of one client outcome being measured (Dudley, 2014). The chi square statistic was chosen based on the concluding measures that yielded high levels of confidence the program had a casual effect on the client outcome (2014). Chi square further discern if a linkage exists between two or more variables.
Research Design: Observation and Intervention
In this study, the research design described in terms of observation involved the collection of information from both groups via surveys completed by their probation officer (PO) which highlighted their demographics and employment status. This information was gathered during the parolee’s meetings with their PO. For this study, the use of unstructured observation allowed for the evaluator to gather data from the PO considering he/she did not participate in the activities. The intervention group was the only group who benefited from vocational rehabilitation services while the comparison group did not.
Chi-Square Output Data about the Program
The findings of the output data suggest that the intervention was proven to be effective due to the belief the rehabilitation program was successful for inmates who were assigned to work full-time. The data also showed the intervention was successful in inmates’ employment status and reduction of recidivism among the intervention group. Considering the general narrative that individuals who have been previously incarcerated have trouble finding employment at all, this program provided progress. Additionally, the chi-square test concludes that there is a direct relationship between the program and the employment status of participants.
References
Document: Week 4: Handout: Chi-Square findings (PDF)
Dudley, J. R. (2014). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do. (2nd ed.) Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.
Harding, D. J., Wyse, J. J., Dobson, C., & Morenoff, J. D. (2014). Making Ends Meet After Prison. Journal of policy analysis and management: [the journal of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management], 33(2), 440-470.
Plummer, S-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. (Eds.s). (2014b). Social work case studies: Concentration year: Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. Vital Source e-reader.