Work In Social Sciences Research Articles

Grand Challenge of Social Work's Harness Technology for Social Good: Scoping Review

Purpose The Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative addresses critical social problems through social work science. This scoping review examines the first 5 years (2015–2019) of the Harness Technology for Social Good challenge, mapping literature by social work researchers on technology's role in improving client system outcomes. Methods We mapped the existing social work literature published between 2015 and 2019 about using technology to address practice outcomes for client systems. Results Overall, we found a clear pattern in which social work researchers were contributing to the scholarship on technology-mediated interventions and providing evidence that technology had positive or helpful outcomes in work with client systems. Discussion While our scoping review was limited to English-language publications, which may have excluded significant scholarly work from non-English speaking regions, our findings indicate that social work scholars have significantly contributed to the scholarship on technology-mediated interventions, demonstrating positive impacts on practice outcomes.

Japan's legal framework for copyright protection of AI‐generated works: A comparative law analysis exploring the possibility of Japan's adoption of the UK legislative approach

AbstractThis paper examines the legal policy for copyright protection of artificial intelligence (AI) generated‐works that are autonomously created by AI models without a human's creative process in Japan from the perspective of a comparative law analysis between Japan and the United Kingdom. In summary, this paper concludes that the legal policy‐making approach for copyright protection of AI‐generated works within the framework of Japanese copyright law should involve: (a) addressing concerns about legal consistency through careful selection of a legislative measure; and, therefore, (b) directing the focus of legal policy discussions towards considerations of legal eligibility, moving beyond discussions on legal consistency. This entails an analysis of the strict necessity for copyright protection of AI‐generated works within the prevailing social environment in Japan. First, the focal point of the legal eligibility discussions should focus on a possible loss of market demand for human creations and necessity of social defence to human creations (social defence function for human creations logic) in Japan. In addition, based on the social incentive protection theory, it should be emphasised that the second purpose of incorporation of copyright protection for AI‐generated works under Japanese copyright law is to promote future Japanese industry's investment in AI technologies (AI industry's investment promotion logic), which will indirectly contribute to the cultural advancement in society (Berne Convention's cultural advancement logic). The author expects that the conclusion presented in this paper will accelerate more intensive social scientific analysis work on legal eligibility of the legal policy for copyright protection of AI generated‐works.

The Night is Still Young: A Cross-Disciplinary Forum on Queer Nightlife Studies

ABSTRACT Since 2020, a wave of academic and trade books has brought unprecedented attention to queer nightlife. Whereas this special issue of TSQ advances queer nightlife as a site for continued study in sociology, this forum opens a conversation between ten leading scholars who have often carried out their work in distinct social science and humanities fields, including sociology, geography, ethnomusicology, performance studies, religion, and media studies. In a spirit of academic generosity, they become interlocutors who exchange stories, analytical frameworks, and investments with the goal that they might learn from each other; they bond over shared nightlife and research experiences, including ethnographic methods and attention to affect. This forum poses questions and insights that will enrich how future scholarship can build toward more rigorous, capacious, and imaginative queer methods – within and beyond sociology.

Consequences of forced conjunction: Social work’s struggles for independence from sociology in mainland China

This article critically reviews the relationship between social work and sociology in mainland China, focusing on the reconstruction period from 1988 to the present. The forced conjunction of social work and sociology, initiated by governments and sociologists, has created significant barriers for social work education, research, and practice. Given the proliferation of the field of social work in mainland China, and sociology’s substantial influence on social work, this article emphasizes the crucialness of discipline autonomy of social work and sheds lights on potential solutions including strengthening social work practices at multiple levels and making efforts in promoting social work science.

The DSW to the Rescue? A Response to Feldman

Feldman's appraisal of the current status of social work research, using as its touchstone the 1991 Austin Report, is a frank and fair appraisal of how the discipline has come short of fulfilling its aspirations to become a more science-based profession. In many ways, Feldman has stood in the center of research developments within our field for the past 40 years or longer. He offers informed and thoughtful analyses of what we have accomplished and what is left undone. He asserts that part of the problem is the sluggish growth in the number of research doctorates being produced in our field. Obviously, without the production of highly trained social work researchers, the scholarly and science-based contributions to our field are limited. In this response, I contend that the burgeoning growth of the number of practice doctoral graduates, Doctor of Social Works (DSWs), may provide significant resources to augment the science of social work. In reality, the older generation of DSW graduates made highly important contributions to the science of social work, and the new generation stands poised to replicate this phenomenon.

Relational geographies of urban unsustainability: The entanglement of California’s housing crisis with WUI growth and climate change

One of California’s most pressing social and environmental challenges is the rapid expansion of the wildlands–urban interface (WUI). Multiple issues associated with WUI growth compared to more dense and compact urban form are of concern—including greatly increased fire risk, greenhouse gas emissions, and fragmentation of habitat. However, little is understood about the factors driving this growth in the first place and, specifically, its relationship to urban–regional housing dynamics. This paper connects work in urban social science, urban and regional planning, and natural sciences to highlight the potential role of housing crises in driving displacement from the urban core to relatively more affordable exurbs, and with this, WUI growth. We analyze this relationship in California, which leads the nation in lack of affordable housing, scale of WUI growth, and many associated WUI hazards, including wildfire. We offer three related arguments: first, that California’s affordable housing crisis, with its effect of driving migration to exurban areas, should be recognized as a significant urban form-related sustainability challenge; second, that to understand this challenge scholars must expand the spatial scale and analytic toolkit of both urban and WUI analysis through relational, mixed methods research; and third, that political and programmatic efforts to address California’s housing crisis should undergird efforts to address WUI growth and climate change. Ultimately, we argue that expanding access to affordable urban housing can produce a more sustainable and just urban form that mitigates WUI-related climate and environmental impacts and reduces the vulnerability of growing numbers of WUI residents living in harm’s way.

The strange career of Millian methods in comparative social science

Abstract For half a century, comparative social science has been closely associated with John Stuart Mill’s methods of comparison. However, few social scientists had heard of Mill’s methods in 1970. Within a decade, the methods of agreement and difference had become part of the methodological canon—despite Mill’s objections that these methods should under no circumstances be used in the social sciences. Comparativists continued to overlook the methods that Mill actually proposed for the social sciences, which relied on an analogy with astronomical observations rather than chemistry experiments. Yet Mill’s own empirical research offered substantive findings without dwelling much on methods. Over the past half-century, successful works of comparative social science have pursued all three versions of Millian methods: the comparative methods that he widely associated with; the alternative methods that he proposed for social science; and the actual methods that he pursued, whose success lay in their creativity, not in methodological recipes.

Transferability and Generalization in Qualitative Research

This article examines the development of the concept of transferability in qualitative research and how it is similar to and different from generalization. Transferability is a process of abstraction used to apply information drawn from specific persons, settings, and eras to others that have not been directly studied. The concept of transferability has been minimally discussed in the social science and social work literature. The more widely used term, generalization, is poorly distinguished from transferability. This article explores the development of the concept of transferability in qualitative research, clarifying how it differs from universal generalization. Issues of who makes such transfers are examined. Several methods for conceptualizing transfers are detailed. Some types of generalization identified in the literature seem more accurately described as transfers when conceptualized fully.

Virtue Ethics and Person-Place Relationships

ABSTRACT Indigenous knowledge and work in social science demonstrates the importance for well-being of people’s relationships with places, but western moral theorists have said little on this topic. This paper argues that there is a neo-Aristotelian virtue associated with forming a relationship with a place or places; that is, human beings can form relationships with places that affect their perceptions, emotions, desires and actions, and such dispositions, when properly developed, increase the chance that people will flourish. As well as discussing the virtue, the paper considers related vices and briefly outlines implications of this virtue for dispossession, pro-environmental action, and education.

Sociology and the Vagrant: Beggars, Welfare and Tradition in Writing about the New Citizen in 1950s India

Exploring the work of M.S. Gore and the Delhi School of Social Work on Delhi’s ‘Beggar Problem’, which was published in 1959, this article shows how the ostensibly ‘secular’ solutions to the phenomenon were premised on a series of assumptions about caste-oriented mores and traditions of religious gifting, suggesting normative categories of citizenship based around these forms of identity. The article explores, in depth, the sociological approaches of Gore’s (and others’) study of beggary and argues that the emergent social policy on vagrancy connected to emergent concepts of social citizenship and rights to welfare. In the body of the reformable beggar receiving indiscriminate religious charity lay one of the core symbols of India’s drive towards a modern citizenry. This position on the sociology of beggars was also the product of two larger processes at work in mid twentieth century social sciences: firstly, the development of interdisciplinary approaches by anthropologists and sociologists as they came to terms with new research challenges in democratic India, and secondly, the move to consider new forms of direct social policy applications for research, via government sponsorship. Using Gore’s study, the article looks in detail at researchers’ concerns with labour productivity, religious charity and the possible secular forms of beggar rehabilitation. But ultimately, the School of Social Work’s study, in its apparent critique of draconian colonial controls, did not overturn the continued application of Indian anti-beggary laws in subsequent decades. This article argues that this was a product too of its configuration of social welfare as an outcome of longer-term societal change rather than state policy.

Use of Computer Technology in Research

Due to the infinite capabilities of the computer, it can be called a miracle. As a result of the development of fast working electronic digital computers and their use in various fields, a new revolution has been initiated in all the fields of knowledge and science. Due to computers, there has been a very significant and meaningful change in the thinking, working style and effectiveness of humans. Research work done in various fields is also not untouched by the influence of computers. The use of computers has affected not only the research work done in the field of physical sciences but also in the field of social sciences. The availability of computer facilities has had a special impact on two most important dimensions of research work in social and behavioral sciences. First, computers have made the preparation and presentation of research reports more simple and form. Second, computers have made the work of analysis easier and accurate. In fact, as a result of computers working at very fast speed, there has been significant development in the field of data storage, processing and analysis. As a result of computers, the problem of complexity of statistical calculation tasks has ended. Computers have made it possible to do calculation work of years in months, calculation work of months in days, calculation work of days in minutes and calculation work of minutes in seconds. Many such research works, which were not possible earlier due to the complex complexity of calculations used in data analysis and excessive timeconsumption, can be easily done today due to the availability of fast calculation facility on computers. The use of computers in research is increasing day by day. Its use in research is increasing day by day due to many reasons. Firstly, all those big calculations can be done easily and quickly in a computer today which was either never possible earlier or there was a possibility of some error if done by the human brain. Therefore, first of all, because of the ease with which the computer can calculate quantitative facts, it is used in research. The second advantage is that the computer can absorb a lot of quantitative or explanatory facts without demanding much space and presents them in the blink of an eye. It becomes very easy to send facts because they can be easily taken out as a second copy by the computer.

Lacunary interpolation by the Spline Function of Fractional Degree

In almost all fields of numerical analysis, spline functions are the most effective tool for polynomials employed as the fundamental method of approximation theory. Additionally, existence, uniqueness, and error boundaries are required for the spline creation in the g-spline interpolation issue. Mathematics, physics, biology, engineering, signal processing, systems identification, control theory, finance, and fractional dynamics have all shown an interest in fractional differential equations, also work in social sciences including economics, finance, and dietary supplements. It is crucial to find both close and accurate solutions of fractional differential equations. To find solutions of fractional differential equations, several analytical and numerical techniques have been developed. In this paper, we extend the five-degree spline (0,4) lacunary interpolation on uniform meshes. The outcomes, uniqueness and error boundaries for generalize (0,4) Lacunary interpolation using five- degree splines. These generalizes outperform the usage of the (0,4) five splines for interpolation.

Care of Persons With Disabilities in Social Work – is It Possible to Change the Approach From the Client to the Individual?

Social protection of persons with disability represents a topic that requires deep analysis of all significant aspects which include social approach, professional support, as well as the needs and capacities of an individual. This paper includes a theoretical framework for understanding social work models with persons with disability, as well as the underpinning critical social work paradigm. The authors used the above-mentioned theoretical framework to conduct the research and find the answer to the research question. Social workers that participated in this research were hand-picked due to their engagement in the health and social institutions that provide residential social care, and work with clients that are capable of actively participating and making decisions on their own during treatment. The method used for data collection in this research was the focus group method and in depth-interviews as a technic. The research findings presented in this paper indicate that traditional models, medical and social models of social work with persons with disability are being used in practice, with some elements of the third model – the embodiment model. The fourth contemporary model that enables the shift in the social work approach from client to person, using the embodiment model has not been recognized by the social workers that contributed to this research. It is also worth mentioning that the elements of the third and fourth social work models with persons with disability have been present in the social workers’ practice. This topic is very much current and requires attention from the science and practice of social work, facing new challenges and at the same time offering new potential directions for research in this social work field.

Assessing the Appraisal of Research Quality in Social Sciences and Humanities: A Case Study of the University of Montenegro

Abstract Background A noteworthy attempt has recently been made to extend the same or analogous evaluation criteria traditionally employed in natural and technical sciences to social sciences and humanities domains. However, this endeavor has sparked considerable reactions among researchers, leading to robust discussions and debates. Objectives This research aims to describe the scholars’ perception of the research quality evaluation in Montenegro's social sciences and humanities. Methods/Approach Focus-group interviews in which 25 interlocutors from various fields of social sciences and humanities were used. The participants discussed the given topic in five focus group interviews and were prompted by questions that specified the topic. Results Different perceptions occur within the social sciences and humanities and are visible within individual areas. Respondents think that the current way of evaluating the results of research work in social sciences and humanities ignores the specificities of research methodologies and practices. Conclusions The respondents show a common element of perception, i.e., that the research quality evaluation in the social sciences and humanities must be multidimensional, meaning that it must include the necessary indicators adjusted to concrete research field as much as possible but also contain agreeably qualitative criteria.

ChatGPT for Social Work Science: Ethical Challenges and Opportunities

ChatGPT for Social Work Science: Ethical Challenges and Opportunities

Questions and Explanations in Sociology

This is a study of an action research project conducted in one of the biggest university departments for sociology in a Central Eastern European capital during the first half of the 2000s. The paper shows that researchers’ images of society have a strong impact on social scientific methodology, scientific explanations and narratives. I offer an example of how realist approaches to science and technology studies can be used in a field study and discuss the benefits and limitations of such an endeavor, which I define as an interpretive and explanatory social scientific work. The analysis shows ways in which latent knowledge structures influenced the wording of a questionnaire used in the research, the types of data that were gathered, and how the data were interpreted. These knowledge structures include notions concerning local policy discussions, different social policy traditions, and images of a Roma minority struggling with the effects of structural poverty and prejudices.

How Elicitation Procedure Shapes Beliefs About Others' Affective Responses to Action and Inaction.

Humans have long pondered the distinction between action and inaction. Classic work in social sciences provides evidence that most people believe that others experience higher levels of affect when they obtain the same outcome through action as opposed to inaction. In this paper, we theorize that people's attributions of affect to identical outcomes resulting from action versus inaction are largely constructive in nature, such that they heavily depend on the elicitation procedure. Seven preregistered studies demonstrate that most individuals cease to attribute greater affect to identical outcomes resulting from action as opposed to inaction when it is made possible-or salient-that they can state that action and inaction are associated with equal levels of affect. Consequently, the present studies suggest that researchers can reach different conclusions about participants' general proclivity to attribute greater affect to identical outcomes resulting from action (vs. inaction) depending on how participants' beliefs are measured.

GENDER ASPECTS OF SOCIAL WORK (review of the monograph of Alla Yaroshenko, Tetyana Semigina «Gender competence in social work»)

The monograph by A. Yaroshenko and T. Semygina is a relevant scientific study, as it focuses on a complex social phenomenon of modern Ukraine that needs the attention of social workers. In general, the text of the monograph shows that the authors have been researching the issue of gender in social work for quite a long time. Thus, the meaningful filling of sections of scientific novelty really has a fundamental theoretical and practical significance, both for the science of social work and for areas of scientific thought related to it in terms of the object of scientific attention. The monograph consists of an introduction and eight chapters, a list of used sources. Each of the sections is a logically formulated element of the theoretical, organizational-methodical and practical levels of scientific reflection and is a continuation of the next one. The monograph has a clear structure, is distinguished by the integrity and logic of the presentation of scientific material.The monograph is quite in demand for social work. We consider it expedient to note the value of the monograph. Summarizing what has been said, it should be noted that the monograph of A. Yaroshenko and T. Semygina is a structurally complete study, characterized by the unity of content and, undoubtedly, has scientific theoretical and practical value.The monograph is intended for those interested in gender issues and overcoming gender inequality. It can also be used for the training of students of higher education institutions who study in the specialty «Social Work»

How Samoan Workers under Colonial Regimes Enlarged their World

The Samoan Islands have never really fallen off the world’s radar since it became the site of an ‘almost war’ between the Great Powers of the United States, Britain, and Germany in 1889. That war was averted by the intervention of a hurricane that sent to the bottom three U.S. and three German warships and cost many lives. A decade later, the Samoan Islands were carved up between Germany and the United States, with Britain withdrawing to tend to other imperial interests in the Pacific and Africa. In 1914, World War I saw Germany evicted from the western Samoan islands in favor of New Zealand and a League of Nations mandate, while the United States continued to enjoy the protective naval harbor in American Samoa to the east. Things went relatively quiet between the wars, though both parts of the Samoas were experiencing independence movements. And Margaret Mead was sowing the seeds of her most famous work of social science, Coming of Age in Samoa, researched in the American Samoa islands. Western Samoa burst back into prominence in 1962 as the Pacific’s first independent island nation, enjoying thereafter a reputation as one of the Pacific’s most stable and relatively prosperous states. Wrapped in the embrace of the U.S. Navy, American Samoa sailed serenely on.

Cultures of antibiotic prescribing in medical intensive care

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to present a challenge to international healthcare systems and structures of public health. The focus on optimizing antibiotic prescribing in human populations has challenged healthcare systems charged with making responsible their physician-prescribers. In the United States, physicians in almost every specialty and role use antibiotics as part of their therapeutic armamentariums. In United States hospitals, most patients are administered antibiotics during their stay. Therefore, antibiotic prescribing and utilization is a commonly accepted part of medical practice. In this paper, we utilize social science work on antibiotic prescribing to examine a critical space of care in United States hospital settings. From March to August 2018, we used ethnographic methods to study hospital-based medical intensive care unit physicians at the offices and hospital floors they frequent in two urban United States teaching hospitals. We focused on eliciting the interactions and discussions surrounding antibiotic decision-making that are uniquely influenced by the context of medical intensive care units. We argue that antibiotic use in the medical intensive care units under study was shaped by urgency, hierarchy, and uncertainty representative of the medical intensive care unit's role within the larger hospital system. We conclude that by studying the culture of antibiotic prescribing in medical intensive care units, we can see more clearly both the vulnerability of the looming antimicrobial resistance crisis and by contrast the perceived insignificance of stewarding antibiotic use when considered alongside the fragility of life amidst acute medical concerns regularly experienced in the unit.