SOAD2021 Chap.1 Research Philosophy and Social Work Inquiry
Research Philosophy and Social Work Inquiry
Research philosophy is practical design work. Ontology asks what kind of reality an inquiry assumes; epistemology asks how knowledge about that reality can be warranted; methodology explains the strategy that links those assumptions to a question and methods. Coherence matters more than attaching a single label.
In social work, knowledge is also relational and situated.
A design must ask whose account has authority, how institutional power shapes what is recorded, and what may be hidden by a supposedly neutral category. Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies require particular attention to cultural authority, Country, relationships and collective responsibilities.
Use a three-column audit: assumption, design consequence and risk if ignored.
A claim that experiences are multiple and context-dependent may support interviews or participatory interpretation; it does not prevent careful comparison. A claim that an indicator is measurable does not make its definition value-free. The aim is a traceable chain from view of knowledge to evidence and decision.
Philosophical tension becomes visible when two reasonable designs answer different questions.
An administrative dataset may identify recorded service events consistently, while a narrative account can show how people interpret those events and why an apparent opportunity remained inaccessible. The task is not to force one source to validate the other. Specify the object each constructs, the standpoint from which it was produced, and the claim each can support. Then decide whether integration is warranted.
If evidence conflicts, examine definitions, relationships and power before choosing the version that is easiest to count. A good justification names what the design foregrounds, what it leaves outside view and how that boundary will affect practice. This makes reflexivity operational: the researcher records a decision, its consequence and the condition that would prompt revision.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Ontology
- 02
Epistemology
- 03
Methodology
- 04
Positionality
- 05
Indigenous knowledges
- 06
Design coherence
Worked example · free
Worked example: audit the assumptions in an access study
- 1Identify the implied reality: access is being treated as one observable event.
- 1Identify the knowledge limit: the record does not show whether access felt safe, timely or useful.
- 1Add a method that fits the missing knowledge, such as participant accounts with culturally appropriate governance.
- 1Conclude with a bounded claim that combines the administrative measure and situated experience without treating either as complete.
Key terms
- Positionality
- Positionality is a researcher's account of how social location, relationships and institutional role affect the inquiry. It supports reflexive decisions rather than a claim of total neutrality.
- Reflexivity
- Reflexivity is the continuing examination of how the researcher and research process shape knowledge. It should lead to recorded changes in design, interpretation or relationship.
- Design coherence
- Design coherence is the defensible fit among assumptions, question, methodology, method and claim. A coherent design can still use more than one form of evidence.
Research Philosophy and Social Work Inquiry FAQ
Do I need to choose one philosophical label?
Use labels only when they clarify an assumption and its consequence. A defensible response can acknowledge tensions or draw on compatible ideas, provided it explains how the resulting question, relationship, method and interpretation fit together.
Is quantitative research automatically positivist?
No. Numerical data can be used within different philosophical positions. The key questions concern what the measure represents, how categories were produced, what inference is intended and whether the design treats measurement as complete or as one situated form of evidence.
How do Indigenous knowledges change research design?
They direct attention to cultural authority, relationships, collective benefit, Country, governance and control of knowledge. The consequence is not simply adding a demographic category; it is negotiating purpose, methods, interpretation, ownership and return of findings with appropriate communities.
What is the quickest coherence check?
Write five linked phrases: reality assumed, knowledge accepted, question asked, evidence gathered and claim permitted. If any link cannot be justified, revise the design before adding more methods or theoretical vocabulary.
Assessment move
Make concept cards with two sides: the first gives a plain-language definition; the second gives one design consequence and one risk of misuse. Then choose a service question and build three versions under different assumptions. Compare who is treated as a knower, what counts as evidence and which claims become possible.
Finish by writing a positionality note that names a concrete effect on recruitment, data collection or interpretation rather than a list of identities. For a final retrieval test, diagnose a mismatched design and repair only the link between assumption and method before reconsidering the conclusion. State the strongest remaining philosophical tension in one sentence and identify the practical choice it leaves open.
