Explain whether your agency could be better served by an explanatory study or an evaluative study. Identify the purpose of your chosen study.

What will be an ideal response?


Ans: Varies. Explanatory studies seek to explain variables by examining their relationship, while evaluative studies examine the success of an intervention or a program. It is most likely that an evaluative study would be more beneficial to a typical human service agency, because it helps to determine the success of agency services which could suggest improvements in services. It can also enhance accountability. In rare occasions, an explanatory study might be more useful, if, for example, the agency has a major issue with client no-shows and needs to examine this as an explanatory study.
Learning Objective: 2-1: You will better understand how to classify research by purpose, with a focus on the differences and similarities between research that is descriptive, explanatory, evaluative, or exploratory.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Four Purposes of Social Work Research

Social Work & Human Services

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