Same Old Story or a New Chapter? Social Work Dissertation Research Revisited

Abstract

Purpose

This study describes social work doctoral dissertation research over a 10-year period (2014–2024) and compares findings to a prior review (1998–2008) to characterize methodological and substantive shifts over time.

Method

A structured review of 525 dissertations was conducted. Data were independently extracted across research design, methodology, data source, practice area, and research populations, with chi-square analyses and odds ratios used to compare the two review periods.

Results

Dissertations in the current review period were approximately 37% less likely to employ quantitative methods and nearly twice as likely to utilize qualitative methods. Secondary data use more than doubled (OR = 2.13). Micro practice dissertations increased while dissertations focused on the social work profession declined. Research populations were otherwise relatively stable.

Discussion

These findings suggest meaningful methodological shifts consistent with broader theoretical trends towards postmodern and critical frameworks, with implications for social work doctoral education and research training curricula.

Keywords

doctoral dissertations social work research doctoral education

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Belkin, S., White, J., Burke, C. G., & Cepek, E. (2026). Transforming qualitative research: The AQUATIC approach to AI-driven data analysis. Digital Health, 12, 20552076261435085. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076261435085

Council on Social Work Education. (2022). 2022 educational policy and accreditation standards for baccalaureate and master's social work programs. https://www.cswe.org/getmedia/bb5d8afe-7680-42dc-a332-a6e6103f4998/2022-EPAS.pdf.

Council on Social Work Education. (2023). 2022–2023 statistics on social work education in the United States. https://www.cswe.org/getattachment/61b4f594-6109-43f7-9acd-49b6e9cd5131/cswe_2022-2023-summary-of-the-us-annual-survey-of-social-work-programs.pdf/.

Cucinotta

Vanelli

(2020). WHO Declares COVID-19 a pandemic. Acta Bio-Medica : Atenei Parmensis, 91(1), 157–160. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v91i1.9397

Donovan

Rose

Connolly

(2017). A crisis of identity: Social work theorising at a time of change. British Journal of Social Work, 47(8), 2291–2307. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcw180

Dotto

Lemes

L. T. O.

Spazzin

A. O.

Sousa

Y. T. C. S.

Pereira

G. K. R.

Bacchi

Sarkis-Onofre

(2020). Acceptance of systematic reviews as master/PhD theses in Brazilian graduate programs in dentistry. Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 13(2), 125–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/jebm.12382

Drake

Hodge

D. R.

(2022). Social work at the crossroads: The empirical highway or the postmodern/critical off-ramp? Research on Social Work Practice, 32(4), 363–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315221077450

Dunleavy

D. J.

Lacasse

J. R.

(2025). Is social work research in crisis? Research on Social Work Practice, 35(3), 264–276. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315231188684

Elaoufy

(2023). Bridging the gap between digital native students and digital immigrant professors: Reciprocal learning and current challenges. American Journal of Education and Technology, 2(2), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i2.1522

10.

Executive Order No. 14173, 90 Fed. Reg. 8633. (2025).

11.

Flexner

(2001, originally published 1915). Is social work a profession? Research on Social Work Practice, 11(2), 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315010110020

12.

Fogel

S. J.

Ersing

(2016). Macro-focused social work dissertations: A preliminary look at the numbers. Journal of Social Work Education, 52(2), 170–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2016.1151272

13.

Gambrill

(2006). Evidence-based practice and policy: Choices ahead. Research on Social Work Practice, 16(3), 338–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731505284205

14.

Gambrill

(2007). Views of evidence-based practice: Social workers’ code of ethics and accreditation standards as guides for choice. Journal of Social Work Education, 43(3), 447–462. https://doi.org/10.5175/JSWE.2007.200600639

15.

Gringeri

Barusch

Cambron

(2013). Examining foundations of qualitative research: A review of social work dissertations, 2008–2010. Journal of Social Work Education, 49(4), 760–773. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2013.812910

16.

Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education. (1997). Membership directory 1996–1997 [Unpublished archival document]. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SfnOSpiJgU8wkgOlX2L37XPHnPapRgEX/view?usp=sharing.

17.

Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work. (2023). Quality guidelines for PhD programs in social work. https://www.gadesocialwork.org/program-quality-guidelines .

18.

Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work. (2024). GADE annual report 2024. https://www.gadesocialwork.org/Files/Annual%20Newsletter/GADE%20Annual%20Report%202024.pdf.

19.

Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work. (2025). GADE annual report 2025. https://www.gadesocialwork.org/Files/Annual%20Newsletter/GADE%20Annual%20Report%202025.pdf.

20.

Haight

W. L.

Bidwell

L. N.

(2016). Mixed methods research for social work: Integrating methodologies to strengthen practice and policy. Oxford University Press.

21.

Harper

Kalfa

Beckers

G. M. A.

Kaefer

Nieuwhof-Leppink

A. J.

Fossum

Herbst

K. W.

Bagli

, & ESPU Research Committee. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on research. Journal of Pediatric Urology, 16(5), 715–716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpurol.2020.07.002

22.

Hendrix

Koelling

Barusch

Abu-Bader

Gringeri

(2025). Are we advancing the quality of social work research? An assessment of quantitative research published in social work journals. Journal of Social Work, 25(2), 143–159. https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173241283696

23.

Hensen

Mackworth-Young

C. R. S.

Simwinga

Abdelmagid

Banda

Mavodza

Doyle

Bonnell

Weiss

H. A.

(2021). Remote data collection for public health research in a COVID-19 era: Ethical implications, challenges and opportunities. Health Policy and Planning, 36(3), 360–368. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaa158

24.

Hodge

D. R.

Drake

(2025). The end of quantitative research in social work? The threat posed by postmodern/critical theory's increasing colonization of academia. Research on Social Work Practice, 35(2), 121–128. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315241288113

25.

Horton

E. G.

Hawkins

(2010). A content analysis of intervention research in social work doctoral dissertations. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 7(5), 377–386. https://doi.org/10.1080/15433710903344066

26.

Houston

(2012). Response: Reviewing the coming crisis in social work: A response to Longhofer and Floersch. Research on Social Work Practice, 22(5), 520–522. https://doi.org/10.1177/104973151244126

27.

Iñiguez-Jarrín

Panach

J. I.

López

O. P.

(2020). Improvement of usability in user interfaces for massive data analysis: An empirical study. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 79(17), 12257–12288. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-019-08456-6

28.

Lekwa

Ysseldyke

(2010). Dissertation research in school psychology: Changes in topics and methodology over the past 25 years. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 26(1), 17–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377900903386047

29.

Levy

P. S.

Lemeshow

(2008). Sampling of populations: Methods and applications (4th ed.). Wiley.

30.

Longhofer

Floersch

(2012). The coming crisis in social work: Some thoughts on social work and science. Research on Social Work Practice, 22(5), 499–519. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731512445509

31.

Madanchian

Taherdoost

(2025). The impact of artificial intelligence on research efficiency. Results in Engineering, 26, 104743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2025.104743

32.

Maynard

B. R.

(2025). Research synthesis methods: A guide for conducting rigorous and relevant reviews. Research on Social Work Practice, 35(6), 607–620. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315251334150

33.

Maynard

B. R.

Vaughn

M. G.

Sarteschi

C. M.

(2014). The empirical status of social work dissertation research: Characteristics, trends and implications for the field. British Journal of Social Work, 44(2), 267–289. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcs123

34.

Mirick

R. G.

Davis

Wladkowski

S. P.

(2017). Understanding sampling and recruitment in social work dissertation research. Advances in Social Work, 18(2), 415–436. https://doi.org/10.18060/21167

35.

Mor Barak

M. E. M.

Levin

Nissly

J. A.

Lane

C. J.

(2006). Why do they leave? Modeling child welfare workers’ turnover intentions. Children and Youth Services Review, 28(5), 548–577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.06.003

36.

Moylan

C. A.

Derr

A. S.

Lindhorst

(2015). Increasingly mobile: How new technologies can enhance qualitative research. Qualitative Social Work, 14(1), 36–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325013516988

37.

National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of ethics. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics.

38.

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. (2023). Doctorate recipients from U.S. universities: 2022 (NSF 24-300). National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf24300.

39.

National Institutes of Health. (NIH). (2006). Dissemination and implementation research in health (R01 program announcement). http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-06-039.html.

40.

Office of Science and Technology Policy. (2013, February 22). Increasing access to the results of federally funded scientific research [Memorandum]. Executive Office of the President. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/ostp_public_access_memo_2013.pdf.

41.

Ouzzani

Hammady

Fedorowicz

Elmagarmid

(2016). Rayyan — a web and mobile app for systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 5(1), 210. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-016-0384-4

42.

Pederson

L. L.

Vingilis

Wickens

C. M.

Koval

Mann

R. E.

(2020). Use of secondary data analyses in research: Pros and cons. Journal of Addiction Medicine and Therapeutic Science, 6(1), 058–060. https://doi.org/10.17352/2455-3484.000039

43.

Pierce

B. J.

Muzzey

F. K.

Bloomquist

K. R.

Imburgia

T. M.

(2022). Effectiveness of family centered treatment on reunification and days in care: Propensity score matched sample from Indiana child welfare data. Children and Youth Services Review, 136, 106395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106395

44.

Puljak

Sapunar

(2017). Acceptance of a systematic review as a thesis: Survey of biomedical doctoral programs in Europe. Systematic Reviews, 6, 253. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-017-0653-x

45.

Rusk

S. A.

Anjur-Dietrich

S. P.

Magalona

Wang

Hong

Mirolli

Pearson

Zuckerman

Wang

(2026). A longitudinal study of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on medical and mental health care encounters in the Boston birth cohort. Journal of Women's Health, 15409996261428521. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/15409996261428521

46.

Sackett

D. L.

Rosenberg

W. M.

Gray

J. M.

Haynes

R. B.

Richardson

W. S.

(1996). Evidence based medicine: What it is and what it isn't. BMJ, 312(7023), 71–72. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.312.7023.71

47.

Spellecy

Eve

A. M.

Connors

E. R.

Shaker

Clark

D. C.

(2018). The real-time IRB: A collaborative innovation to decrease IRB review time. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 13(4), 432–437. https://doi.org/10.1177/1556264618780803

48.

ten Ham-Baloyi

Jordan

(2016). Systematic review as a research method in post-graduate nursing education. Health South Africa Gesondheid, 21, 120–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hsag.2015.08.002

49.

Thyer

B. A.

(2025). Don’t waste your time doing social work research!. Research on Social Work Practice, 35(3), 251–260. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315241304763

50.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. (2019, April 15). Making electronic health record (EHR) data more available for research and public health. https://aspe.hhs.gov/making-electronic-health-record-ehr-data-more-available-research-public-health.