2. Four year full-time Honours Degree for mature students
Professional Accreditation
Final requirement is completion of a research
dissertation
Preparation is key – since first year:
Read & think critically
 Effective use of resources – library, search engines,
databases
Write academically
Reference properly!

3. 2011 – 26 years since my last exam – Leaving Cert!
Why Social Work? Interesting vol. / paid work & a good mentor
University–
 Total seduction academic writing
 Awarded CACSSS Scholarship every year
 Undergraduate Awards – Highly Commended in 2014
How did I reach my end goal? (Completion of
dissertation… )
 Group research projects
 Agency visits
 Two 14-week student placements in 3rd & 4th year
 Support – lecturers & other staff, peers & practice teachers

4. Read, read, read…
Placement:
 Finally … social work in action!
 Discovered excited ME
 Read, read, read, some more!

5. TUSLA’s – central to PPFS
January 2014 – first placement with
Springboard Family Support Agency – piloting
Meitheal in Cork
Key questions:
Is it interesting &
What do I want to find out? General to specific
Will it offer something new?
Is it doable? Available literature; ethics; limitations

6. cont.

8. cont.
Ontology – CONSTRUCTIONIST
Epistemology – INTERPRETIVE – INDUCTIVE
Methodology – QUALITATIVE – soft data
Methods:
 Semi-structured interviews – eight in total
 Thematic analysis

9.  Make a Schedule – try to stick to it as closely as
possible!
 Journal / notebook
 Interesting articles / books / quotes / observations
 Brainstorm ideas
 Useful contacts
 Queries for supervisor
 Map chapters / word count etc.
 Lecture notes – slides, handouts, own notes
 Skills – role plays, placement experience, reflective
journal

10. UCC Library for real & virtual books & journal articles:
D ATABASES

11. cont.
Books / articles on social research:
 Bell, J. (2010) Doing Your Research Project. 5th ed. Berkshire:
Open University Press.
 Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006) Using thematic analysis in
psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), pp.77-
101.
 Bryman, A. (2012) Social Research Methods. 4th ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
 Smith, R. (2009) Doing Social Work Research. Berkshire:
McGraw-Hill Education.
 Whittaker, A. (2009) Research Skills for Social Work. Exeter:
Learning Matters.

12. cont.
Books of
my own,
garnered
over time

13. cont.
Dissertation Supervisor
Lecturers, tutors et al.
Former practice teachers and agency staff
Participants in my study
College peers
Friends
Family (saved best till last!)

14. Limitations of research – time & word count
Ethics – who? what? how?
Researcher position – transparency
Policy / Lit. review – ideally before fieldwork – I got
stuck!
Tenses – Past? present? future? MIXED!
Fieldwork – because it’s YOUR OWN
Data Analysis – too but coding takes
time
Themes and subthemes – use quotes; compare to
literature

15. cont.
Question findings – What you expected? Any
Discussion and recommendations:
 Revisit rationale
critical analysis of findings…
 What does it mean?
 What recommendations do you have?
 Concluding paragraph or two
 DON’T FORGET to keep to the fore:
 What does this mean for social work policy /
practice?

16. Dissemination; Publication; Research
Opportunities…HOW?
 Stay in contact with UCC App. Soc. & SW Depts.
 Practice Links voluntary contributor
 Social media – esp. and
 Irish Social Worker Journal – article in next issue
 IASW Practitioner Researcher SIG member
 IASW Research Connect – connect to a mentor
 Prepare to push self & get
Get social work experience –