The (Mis)Measurement of Job Performance in Child Welfare Using (Non)Experimental Design

Abstract

This commentary explicates two principal arguments against the conclusions drawn by Robin Perry in his article “Do Social Workers Make Better Child Welfare Workers Than Non-Social Workers?” The first concerns the methodology used, whereas the second centers on the measurement of the dependent variable, performance expectation. Considering the difficulty of drawing any valid conclusions given these flaws, the authors suggest that the reader view this study with extreme caution. Suggestions for subsequent research efforts in this area are offered.