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The Role of Science in Social Work

The Perennial Debate

William J. Reid

State University of New York, USA, wreid{at}albany.edu

• Summary: The age-old debate about the role of science in social work has intensified with the growth of scientific activities and the emergence of philosophically-based criticisms of prevailing scientific paradigms. Issues have included: constructionist challenges to the role of research in validating social work knowledge; divisions over whether there is enough credible scientific knowledge to make a difference in practice; disputes over whether such knowledge can be adequately disseminated and properly utilized; and controversies about the utility of applying research methods (e.g. single-case evaluations) in practice.

• Findings: Scientific methods are likely to provide superior knowledge, because they have evolved to become humankind’s most powerful form of enquiry. Enough research-based knowledge does exist to make a difference in practice, and there are means to enable its dissemination and utilization. Moreover, a number of these methods can be productively used in practice.

• Applications: Practice based on research knowledge and strengthened by selective use of research methods should become a growing force in social work. Emphasis on methodological pluralism in research, and the development of common standards for the appraisal of knowledge, may further rapprochement among different factions in the debate over the role of science in social work.

Key Words: knowledge • method • methodological pluralism • science • social work

Journal of Social Work, Vol. 1, No. 3, 273-293 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/146801730100100303
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