research and evaluation

Mind changers : Programme 3 : Sir Frederic Bartlett (Radio 4 series: Landmark experiments in psychology)

The third programme in the series looks at the work of British psychologist Sir Frederic Bartlett who discovered that when he asked people to repeat an unfamiliar story they had read, they changed it to fit their existing knowledge, and that it was the revised story which they memorised.

Bartlett's findings led him to propose 'schema' - the cultural and historical contextualisation of memory, which has important implications for eyewitness testimony, false memory syndrome, and even for artificial intelligence. Claudia Hammond investigates the impact of Bartlett's findings.

Education Department Research Programme: research findings No.10 - public knowledge of and attitudes towards social work in Scotland

In June 2004, Scottish Ministers initiated the first fundamental review of Social Work since the Social Work (Scotland) Act in 1968. To inform the work of the review, the Scottish Executive Education Department ( SEED) commissioned MORI Scotland to conduct a programme of public opinion research.

The overarching aim of the research was to provide the 21st Century Social Work Review Group with a deeper understanding of public knowledge of, and attitudes towards, social workers and the context in which they operate. This resource presents a summary of the findings of this research.

Social Work Curriculum on Alcohol Use Disorders

Social work educators prepare professionals to practice in a variety of settings where they have the opportunity to improve outcomes for their clients who either have an identifiable alcohol use disorder or are at risk for developing one. Lecture-ready modules, developed by top-named experts in alcoholism and social work research, support professional MSW education. Materials include Powerpoint presentations, handout materials, classroom activities, and accompanying case examples to extend student interaction with the subject matter.

How social workers spend their time: an analysis of the key issues that impact on practice pre- and post implementation of the integrated children's system

Over several years now commentators have raised concerns that an increasing administrative burden is deflecting social workers from working directly with children and families to identify and meet their needs. This study involved a secondary analysis of existing research data to provide information on the extent to which social workers report spending their time on direct activities with children, young people and their families, and on indirectly related activities such as liaising with other professionals or recording information.