The Numbers Don't Speak for Themselves: Social Work Research and Quantcrit

As the social work profession is dedicated to social change and promoting social justice, social work research must generate new generalizable knowledge that can help address the historical, systemic, and environmental forces that marginalize individuals, groups, and communities. However, the professions’ ability to meet this mission is problematized when confronted with the persisting remnants of positivist philosophies and approaches in social work research. Such approaches may have intended to increase professional status and credibility, but others argue that the assumptions of positivist approaches are in direct conflict with the profession’s values. Social work researchers need to confront this dilemma, so we might substantially address systems of oppression to better meet the needs of marginalized individuals and groups and achieve meaningful social change. The rectifying of quantitative methods with social work values is a complex problem facing social work research, and one without a clear answer. To help begin building solutions to this dilemma, this roundtable aims to advance this discussion through the framework known as “QuantCrit�. QuantCrit is a critical approach to quantitative scholarship that has garnered increasing attention across a range of disciplines and professions but received little attention in social work. QuantCrit seeks to integrate Critical Race Theory and additional critical perspectives into quantitative methodology, and in doing so, investigate power relations and expose oppression related to the normative research assumptions and practices. Objectives: (1) introduce the principles of QuantCrit (2) discuss the alignment of QuantCrit principles with social work values and ethics (3) develop strategies that incorporate QuantCrit principles and methods into social work research The first presenter will provide an orienting background for participants to utilize in the discussion, specifically reviewing the history of social work research, current challenges in social work practice and research, and frameworks for understanding QuantCrit. The second presenter will detail their experience moving from a strictly qualitative perspective to applying QuantCrit in social work scholarship. Applying QuantCrit both as a framework for quantitative research and as a tool in mixed-methods work will be discussed. Challenges and how to address them will also be addressed. Next, another two presenters will facilitate a dialogue asking participants to reflect upon their own social work practice and/or scholarly training and research experience and pose questions about how quantitative and qualitative approaches meet our profession’s mission, and the alignment of QuantCrit principles with social work values. Finally, a fourth presenter will facilitate dialogue among participants to identify potential points where QuantCrit may be useful for the profession (e.g., doctoral education, faculty professional development, etc.), the logistics of such integration points, and possibilities and challenges that a Quant Crit approach may bring to social work research. By highlighting a quantitative approach still novel in social work research, this roundtable will add to the current knowledge base and skill set of participants, offer an additional perspective to design, implement, or review quantitative social work research. Likewise, the roundtable will address implications for social work research, practice, and policy, while identifying concrete strategies for implementation.