ABSTRACT
Social work research courses are mandated by the Council on Social Work Education. Engaging in scientific inquiry is mandated by the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. From all corners of the profession are calls for “evidence-based” practice. However, after years of professional practice, teaching, and conversing with colleagues, I know that most people who enter social work do not describe themselves as “scientifically minded” and are frightened, even phobic, of research. In fact, in my experience it is more common to hear students say that they have chosen social work as a career because of its humanistic, experiential, and interactive dimensions rather than because of any aptitude for or desire to conduct scientific inquiry. I didn’t enter social work to engage in math or science! I hear many students say. I entered it to help people! Thus, over years of teaching hundreds of social work students I have encountered a common thread of resistance to learning (and even thinking) about research.
