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CHALLENGES IN SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH IN PORTUGAL, UNDERLINING SOME ... MASTER DEGREE (INSTITUT OF SOCIAL WORK OF LISBON IN.
CHALLENGES FOR SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH: EXPECTATIONS, REALITY AND OPPORTUNITIES IN PORTUGAL HELENA NEVES ALMEIDA FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF COIMBRA

Milan - University of Biccoca 29th june -2nd july

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INTRODUCTION • CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE EASSW CONGRESS ORGANIZATION • THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE IDEAS AND TALK WITH A SPECIALIZED GROUP LIKE YOURS • INTRODUCING MYSELF

• BACKGROUND: THIS PRESENTATION IS BASED ON 3 THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS: MEANINGS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH, OBJECT AND MAIN GOAL OF SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH AND THE RELEVANCE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH. • MAIN GOAL: TO EXPLAIN THE LINK BETWEEN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, AND REFLECT ABOUT CHALLENGES IN SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH IN PORTUGAL, UNDERLINING SOME RECOMENDATIONS 2

THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS (1) RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCES • INTENSIFYING THE SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION IN SOCIAL SCIENCES CONSTITUTES AN INDICATOR OF THE GROWING RELEVANCE OF DYNAMIC CONTEXT’S KNOWLEDGE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND AND EXPLAIN THE SOCIAL PHENOMENA, • THE FIELD OF SOCIAL SCIENCES IS COMPLEXE AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY • SPECIALIZED APPROACHES REFLECT A SYSTEMATIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AN INTERSUBJECTIVE CONSENSUS IN TERMS OF CONCEPTS, METHODOLOGIES AND VALIDITY CRITERIA (POPPER, 1972)

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THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS (2) RESEARCH IN SOCIAL WORK • THE PRODUCTION OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN SOCIAL WORK HAS A TRIPLE INTENTION: ( I) TO PRODUCE A RIGOROUS AND DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTEXT’S INTERVENTION AT 3 LEVELS: THE MICRO (USERS AND FAMILY), MESO (ORGANIZATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES) AND THE MACRO LEVEL (POLICY ISSUES AND SOCIAL POLICIES AT INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL AND TERRITORIAL LEVEL) (II) TO PRODUCE A RIGOROUS AND DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL WORK PROCESSES AND STRATEGIES

(III) TO AVAILABLE AN INTENTIONAL INTERVENING REFORMER OF SOCIETY, OBJECTIFIED IN THE CONSTRUCTION BOTH NORMATIVE FRAMEWORKS AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FROM REAL 4

THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS (3) THE RELEVANCE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH • THE RESEARCH PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONFRONT THEORY WITH SOCIETY DYNAMICS, A CHALLENGE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICES, AN IRREPLACEABLE ROUTE TO UNDERSTAND THE SOCIAL REALITY.

• THE POINTS OF INTELLIGIBILITY ARE CONSTRUCTED, ACQUIRE MEANING AND PRINT DIFFERENT ORIENTATIONS WITHIN ANALYTICAL PARADIGMS OF THE INTERVENTION. 5

IN SOCIAL WORK - RESEARCH AND ACTION ARE LINKED • THE MAIN GOAL OF RESEARCH IN SOCIAL WORK IS NOT ONLY TO DESCRIBE OR UNDERSTAND THE PHENOMENA OF THE SOCIAL WORLD, • OR TO BUILD ADEQUATE METHODOLOGIES TO ANALYSE AND TO PROMOTE THE CO-BUILDING OF SOCIAL ALTERNATIVES AGAINST FUNCTIONAL FATALISM, • BUT ALSO TO PROMOTE STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHANGE FOLLOWING THE ETHICAL AND THE POLITICAL PROJECT OF SOCIAL WORK: TO PARTICIPATE DIRECT OR INDIRECTLY IN THE CO-CONSTRUCTION OF STRUCTURES OF OPPORTUNITY, BUILDING A SOCIETY WHERE SOCIAL JUSTICE, EQUITY, RESPECT FOR LIBERTY AND HUMAN DIGNITY, CTIZENSHIP CONSTRUCTION AND COMMITEMENT WITH THE QUALITY OF SOCIAL AGENCIES CAN GO SIDE BY SIDE. 6

SOCIAL WORK: A PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND A FIELD OF KNOWLEDGE

What means?

(IFSW, 2014)

THEORETICAL AXE

METHODOLOGICAL AXE

AXIOLOGICAL AXE

CONTEXT

POLICY

ACTORS

RESEARCH

PRACTICE

TERRITORY 7

BOTH IN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE MUST BE CONSIDERED

THEORETICAL AXE

METHODOLOGICAL AXE AXIOLOGICAL AXE

• PARADIGMS / THEORIES

• CONCEPTS / CONSTRUCTUS • ANALITICAL MODEL

RESEARCH

VALUES THRUST CONFIDENCIALITY INFORMED CONSENT…..

• OPERATIONAL MODEL • METHODOLOGIES TRADITIONAL • TECHNICS

PRACTICE

INSTRUMENTS CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGIES

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METHODOLOGIES AND THECNICS FOR DATA COLLECTION AND INTERVENTION • TRADITIONAL METHODOLOGIES EX: INQUIRY, DIRECTIVE INTERVIEW, OBSERVATION, SCALES, …

• CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGIES EX: ECOMAPS, GENOGRAMS, FOCUS-GROUP, COMMUNITY OF PRACTICES, WORDCAFE, BIOGRAPHIC ATELIERS, PHOTOVOICE, PARTICIPATORY OBSERVATION,…

THE UTILITY AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THESE INSTRUMENTS (IN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE) ARE THE SAME? ARE THEY DIFFERENT? WHICH ARE THE COMMONALITIES?

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COMMON DEMANDS COMPETENCES • SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE • SCIENTIFIC RIGOUR • INTELECTUAL HONESTY • CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK • COMPLEMENTARITY OF INSTRUMENTS, DATA AND PERSONS • EXEQUIBILITY • CONSISTENCY • VALIDITY • IMPACT

AUTONOMY CREATIVITY INNOVATION ANALISYS CRITICAL THOUGTH REFLEXION PLANING EVALUATION WRITING ARGUMENTATION 10

REALITY AND EXPECTATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH IN PORTUGAL • BEGINNING: AFTER DECADES OF FIGHT…MASTER DEGREE (INSTITUT OF SOCIAL WORK OF LISBON IN CONSORTIUM WITH THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF S. PAULO –BRASIL); MINISTERY OF EDUCATION RECOGNIZES THE LEVEL OF LICENCE IN SOCIAL WORK (THE SAME GRADUATION LEVEL OF SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, MEDICINE…1989- 5 YEARS); MASTER AND DOCTORAT DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK IN PORTUGAL (1991…. AND 2004-05...TILL TODAY) • WITH BOLOGNE: BACHELOR DEGREE (6 OR 7 SEMESTERS); MASTER DEGREE (3 OR 4 SEMESTERS); DOCTORATE (6 SEMESTERS) • ACCESSING GRANTS FOR RESEARCH – EX: FOUNDATION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (FCT) • AUTONOMY OF SOCIAL WORK AS SCIENTIFIC FIELD INCLUDED IN SOCIOLOGY (2014-2015)

• PARTICIPATION OF 2 SOCIAL WORK PHD (UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS) IN THE EVALUATION PANEL FOR DOCTORAT AND POS-DOCTORAT GRANT SUBMISSIONS • EXPECTATIONS: INCREASING GRANTS FOR SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH

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WHAT CAN BE DONE ? RECOMENDATIONS • INCREASE SUBMISSIONS WITH QUALITY

• RIGOUR IN WRITING THE CURRICULA VITAE • PROPOSE PROJECTS WITH PRAGMATIC COHERENCE (LINK BETWEEN RESEARCH PROBLEM (SCIENTIFIC, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RELEVANCE), OBJECTIVES, CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND METODOLOGICAL OPTIONS, TRIANGULATION OF DATA

• EXEQUIBILITY AND VALIDITY OF PROPOSALS (COLLECTION AND DATA ANALYSIS IN TIME, WITH INSTRUMENTS AND ADEQUATE PERSONS) • PREVISION OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT’S IMPACT (PRODUCTS) • INCREASE TRAINING WRITING SINTESYS AND PAPERS OR ARTICLES IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS • INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION IN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONNAL CONGRESS 12

PITFALLS AND CHALLENGES INCLUDING PARTICIPATIVE METHODOLOGIES • TO REFLECT ABOUT THE ROLE OF RESEARCHER AND PARTICIPANTS • TO BALANCE THE CONCEPTION FRAMEWORK OF PARTICIPATION • TO DEFINE WHAT KIND OF PARTICIPATION WILL BE CONSIDERED

• TO ASSURE THE ACESSIBILITY OF DATA IN ACTION-RESEARCH CONTEXT (WHERE? HOW? WHEN?...) • TO GO DEEP IN ANALYSIS OF DATA (VALIDITY OF INSTRUMENTS AND PROCEDURES) • TO CO-WRITING REPORTS IN ACTION-RESEARCH (INTERMEDIARY AND FINAL REPORT) 13

FINAL REMARK IT IS NECESSARY TO SEE THE REALITY UNDER THE PRISM OF OPPORTUNITIES. THIS MAY ALLOW MAKING LIGHT GAPS, EVEN IF REMAIN CLOSED DOORS AND WINDOWS SEEM CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATENTION

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