Taking the Pulse of the Profession- Opportunities and Challenges Associated with Sampling US Social Workers

As we consider the grand challenges for social work and recognize the profession’s position as leader in the provision of services to vulnerable populations in the United States, it is essential that as we work to set an agenda for the future, we do so from an informed place. Given the scope of the social work grand challenges it is increasingly important to try to answer questions that remain regarding how our profession is developing locally and globally, how social workers are performing, how research is being translated into practice, how social workers are responding to changes in population diversity and policy shifts in the face of the shifting geo-political landscape, how the work environments of social workers are changing, and how social work students are acquiring skills, to name a few.  However, research that focuses on social work as a profession is scant and much more is needed if we are going to address grand challenges. Research with social workers, social work students, and social work faculty could begin to answer some of these questions, but attempts to take the pulse of the profession are hindered by sampling concerns. 

Sampling techniques that provide adequate coverage and minimize sampling error are necessary for drawing valid conclusions from research (Dillman, Smyth, & Christian, 2014).  Yet, primary data collection with US social workers, social work students, and social work faculty is difficult due to problems associated with identifying and accessing samples.  Prior research using social worker samples has commonly used sample options that include organization memberships, state licensing boards, and alumni lists.  Methods of accessing social work faculty and students tend to rely on convenience samples, voluntary listservs, and requests to access students via student listservs.  At present no nationwide list of social work educators is available.  Although nationwide lists of social work practitioners exist, they often are available at a cost that is prohibitive to many researchers.  These lists pose concerns as well due to limitations related to how accurate and complete the information, especially related to contact information.  Often the lists cannot provide information on non-responders, limiting researchers’ ability to assess bias due to non-response.  In this workshop we will review several options for accessing national lists of social workers and will discuss the availability of these samples and provide descriptions of each including how to access, available information, cost, and generalizability.

In this workshop presenters will use a case study approach to discuss the particular opportunities and challenges related to surveying social workers, social work students, and faculty in social work via in-person, mail, and web based data collection.  Each presenter will provide:  (1) a brief study overview, (2) a description of the planned and actual sampling strategy, (3) information about how they accessed the sample, (4) response rate, (5) strengths of the sample and sampling strategy, (6) challenges associated with that sample choice, and (7) lessons learned.  Presenters will share strategies for maximizing response rate for in-person, mail and web-based surveys.