With demographic changes and the reality of cultural diversity, social work researchers increasingly see the need to conduct cross-cultural research and evaluation, whether for hypothesis testing or outcome evaluation. Social work, as a profession, has recognized the importance of cultural sensitivity and competence in practice and research, but little has been written about how to use cross-cultural methods in quantitative social work research. Most social work research text books do not offer student step-by-step instructions on how to develop and evaluate cross-cultural measurements and research instruments. To ensure the quality of data collection and validity of outcomes, social work researchers must have both reliable and valid research instruments and measurements. With respect to cultural diversity, it's crucial that research instruments or measurements have equivalence of reliability and validity among participants of different cultures. This volume in the Pocket Guides to Social Work Research Methods series will guide researchers in developing and assessing cross-cultural research measurements. Chapters illustrate how to formulate research questions, select observable indicators, understand cross-cultural translation, evaluate measurement equivalence, and discern between best and poor practices in measurement development.
