Evaluating Your Practice: A Guide to Self-Assessment

by Catherine Alter and Wayne Evens

Springer Series on Social Work This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826169600
• ISBN13: 9780826169600
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
• Length: 195 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The most comprehensive

Three major points can be made about this textbook: two positives and one negative.First, many textbooks have been written on the topic of the systematic evaluation of social work practice. Of all of theses, Alter and Evans offer the most comprehensive work. They conceptualize six techniques to evaluate one's practice. These include 1) Case Study; 2) Target Problem Scaling; 3) Goal Attainment Scaling; 4) Monitoring Designs; 5) Baseline Designs; and 6) Multiple Baseline Designs. Besides offering an explanation of each approach to evaluation, the authors provide multiple examples on how they can be used. Their approach is excellent for student learning. Thus, more so than any other text on evaluation, Alter and Evens do the absolutely best job of embracing the generalist model.Second, the authors do an excellent job of helping students understand the SUBSTANTIVE difference between qualitative and quantitative methods. Most authors merely offer a superficial acknowledgement of qualitative research strategies. Alter and Evens unambiguously define the nature of research methods: the question being asked must drive the research method, not the other way around. The sad fact is most textbooks address quantitative methods and train students to limit their research questions to number crunching. After reading Alter and Evens, students will understand the value of having a variety of evaluative approaches to employ. Lastly, one major and serious problem arises within the pages of this book. It is filled with typographical errors. The large number of errors is embarrassing. Even students spot them!All in all, the concept behind the book is excellent. Springer must produce a second edition without so many typos.