Tony Tripodi – författare

With the constant exchange of international information now a permanent condition in the world, social work scholars and students must be sensitive to the need for knowledge sharing between countries as well as to issues involved in obtaining and utilising international knowledge. Yet until now, no book has juxtaposed these two growing streams of emphasis. In this clearly written volume, Tony Tripodi and Miriam Potocky-Tripodi fill that gap, presenting readers with the many prospects and great potential for international social work research.The authors establish three discrete varieties of research supra-national, intra-national, and trans-national and explore a wealth of issues and examples within each. The easy-to-follow format helps readers learn how to define and distinguish each kind of research, then provides actual applications of all three. Examples draw on research from the world over, and range from microcredit programs in India to migrant aid in Nicaragua to adoptees in Romania. These unique features make it an ideal sequel to basic research texts in social work and supplement to texts on international social work, but also an attractive addition to any faculty researchers bookshelf.

First published in 1994. While not setting out to write a book about social policy, Ivanoff, Blythe and Tripodi, seasoned and well-known contributors to the spirited debate on the proper relationship of research and practice methods in direct services, have, nonetheless, delivered much useful commentary on how those direct services resources ought best be deployed. This book is to a clear call for commitment of skilled professional resources for those citizens whose serious and often multiple problems have already deeply involved them in public sector services.

Program administrators and planners face increasing pressure from funding sources, professional groups, and recipients of service to provide and to make use of systematic data. Until recently, administrators could rely on research consultants to assist them in performing these research tasks, but with increased costs and reduced funds, many administrators and planners have had to utilize research concepts and techniques themselves in developing, maintaining, and modifying social programs. "Research Techniques for Program Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation" is designed to provide research skills that will assist administrators directly in making program decisions. The book offers administrators of health, education, and social welfare programs, as well as students of social work and public administration, a wide range of research techniques for increasing the quality and effectiveness of administrative practice, lessening at the same time their dependence on costly research consultation. "Research Techniques" contains three major sections: program planning, monitoring, and evaluation.Each section begins with a description of the administrative function to which it is devoted, followed by a set of selected research techniques, each illustrated with a hypothetical case and an exercise for the reader in applying the technique to an existing social program or agency. Planning for a new agency program requires valid and reliable information about the needs of the target population, the existing programs to meet these needs, effective intervention stratifies, and the skills of the members of the agency staff. Professors Epstein and Tripodi suggest valuable guidelines for collecting these data. In addition, they outline the specific decisions that must be made so that realistic objectives can be set for relating client demand to the available supply of services. Among the research techniques for the program planning which they explore are questionnaires, interviews, research literature already available, and observational techniques. Monitoring measures the actual program performance against its planning objectives, enabling administrators to modify a program operation or report its success to sponsors.With program monitoring, an administrator can decide whether to reallocate staff, to ask for an increase in budget, or to realign policies in compliance with legal requirements. Separate chapters are devoted to sampling techniques for asserting staff performance as well as to the principles of data analysis. Program evaluation takes effectiveness and efficiency into account in assembling the achievement of program goals. Emphasizing administrative self-evaluation, "Research Techniques" explains the interrupted time series design, the replicated cross-sectional survey design, comparative designs, and the crossover design in terms the nonstatistician will find easy to understand. "Research Techniques for Program Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation" is an indispensable guide, offering administrators and planners sound professional advice on more responsible administrative decision making.

This volume has long been an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of social work. It thoroughly and clearly presents research concepts and skills, uniquely organizing them according to assessment and treatment formulation, treatment implementation and monitoring, and evaluation. Also, numerous practice cases and detailed exercises offer a complete grasp of crucial concepts and techniques. This new edition reflects contemporary developments in practice research, such as an emphasis on empirical or evidence-based practice; the importance of evaluation within the managed-care environment; the role of social work ethics in practice research; the value of qualitative research methodology for particular aspects of monitoring and evaluation; and the role of computer technology and the use of the Internet.

This volume has long been an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of social work. It thoroughly and clearly presents research concepts and skills, uniquely organizing them according to assessment and treatment formulation, treatment implementation and monitoring, and evaluation. Also, numerous practice cases and detailed exercises offer a complete grasp of crucial concepts and techniques. This new edition reflects contemporary developments in practice research, such as an emphasis on empirical or evidence-based practice; the importance of evaluation within the managed-care environment; the role of social work ethics in practice research; the value of qualitative research methodology for particular aspects of monitoring and evaluation; and the role of computer technology and the use of the Internet.

As an introduction to measurement in practice, this book presents an easy and practical overview. It provides a summary of relevant research concepts in the context of both practice and research processes. Each chapter, furthermore, includes a series of exercises that enable readers to test their comprehension of relevant concepts. . . . Those social workers beginning to apply research concepts, including measurement, to their practice will find the book a good introduction.