Spring 2025 SOWK 460w Week 10 - Writing and Developing Your Methods Section

title: Spring 2025 SOWK 460w Week 10 - Writing and Developing Your Methods Section date: 2025-03-24 08:44:10 location: Heritage University tags:

  • Heritage University
  • BASW Program
  • SOWK 460w presentation_video: > “” description: >

In week 10, we will be doing a variety of activities. First, we will spend some time peer-reviewing your agency logic models. We will be working on writing skills and discussing how to write a methods section for your executive summary. Students will learn some tips and ideas for writing their methods section, and a couple of activities are drawn from the APA-style website to help improve students’ academic writing. Students will read chapter 10 in Royse (2022) and consider how program fidelity and political challenges might arise in program evaluation. Students will also have an opportunity to work together in their groups

The agenda is as follows:

  • Logic Model Peer Review
  • Research article activity
  • Discussion and tips regarding writing your methods section
  • Time to work in your groups

Agenda: Week 10 for SOWK 460w

  • Logic Model Peer Review
  • Research article activity
  • Discussion and tips regarding writing your methods section
  • Time to work in your groups

Peer Review of Logic Model

[Small Group Activity] Working in your learning team, you will review to other groups logic models. Links to the assignment forum, and the rubric we created is in My Heritage.

Research Article Activity: from the APA Style Website

To get us started today, you are going to pick an article that is a study that you are going to cite in your final paper. As a group, go through and complete each of the parts. We will come back to this article later.

[Small Group Activity] Complete Research Article Activity

See form on APA Style Website.

  • Print 7 copies for class.

Why Does the Methods Section Matter

There are a number of reasons why the methods section is important in academic writing.

  • Make the study reproducible
  • It helps clarify and understand the results
  • Establishes the credibility of the research being reported

Consideration for Your Method Section

The Public Library of Science (PLOS, n.d.) provides some straight forward recommendations for writing a methods section

  • Imagine yourself replicating the study in the future and the information you would need.
  • Adhere to ethical standards and reporting guidelines
  • Remember, the dual purpose of methods is for understanding and replication.
  • Consider a visual aid such as a flowchart, decision tree, or checklist, as they bring clarity.

Reference

Public Library of Science (PLOS). (n.d.). How to write your methods. https://plos.org/resource/how-to-write-your-methods/

Methods Section Review

You are going to consider the article that you did your Research ARticle Activity on.

[Whole Group Activity] Whole Class Discussion:

What are things that stood out from the methods section from your first article you looked at this evening?

[Small Group Activity] Review and Discuss Real Research

Review Two Other Examples of Methods Sections and consider the following:

  • What stands do you notice about their methods sections?
  • What do you feel you learned by reading the methods sections?
  • What is something you could do in your methods sections based on reviewing these?

Tips for Writing Your Methods: (1 of 7) Overview

I want to talk through each of these tips a little bit, but here they are as an overview:

  • Use first-person pronouns
  • Write using past tense
  • Be precise and concise
  • Capture changes to protocols
  • Include ethical framework
  • Consider active versus passive voice

Tips for Writing Your Methods: (2 of 7) Use First Person

It is OK to use “I” or “We” in this section.

Generally, academic writing is done using the third person. The APA style guide does tell us, when we are talking about our work (e.g., the methods of our study) or personal reactions, to use first-person pronouns in our writing.

[Whole Group Activity] Discussion Regarding When First Person is Appropriate

The APA Style Guide has an article about using first person.

Tips for Writing Your Methods: (3 of 7) Use Past Tense

In your methods section you should use past tense.

Verbs are direct, vigorous communicators. Use a chosen verb tense consistently throughout the same and adjacent paragraphs of a paper to ensure smooth expression.

Different sections require different tenses.

The APA Style Guide has an article about verb tense

Tips for Writing Your Methods: (4 of 7) Be Precise and Concise

Encourage precision and conciseness. Every sentence should contribute to an understanding of what was done and why. Avoid unnecessary detail that does not contribute to the overall understanding of the methodology.

(PLOS, n.d.)

Tips for Writing Your Methods: (5 of 7) Capture Changes to Protocols

it is important to note any changes you made in your protocols.

Transparency between what you planned to do and what you actually implemented

(PLOS, n.d.)

Tips for Writing Your Methods: (6 of 7) Include Ethical Framework

The Methods section is where you can discuss how you handled your evaluation ethically

Required component of your final paper.

[Whole Group Activity] Discuss what examples of this might be

Tips for Writing Your Methods: (7 of 7) Consider Active vs Passive Voice

When possible, active voice is preferred.

Active Voice the subject of a sentence is followed by the verb and then the object of the verb (e.g., “the children ate the cookies”).

Passive voice the object of the verb is followed by the verb (usually a form of “to be” past participle the word “by”) and then the subject (e.g., “the cookies were eaten by the children”). If the subject is omitted (e.g., “the cookies were eaten”), it may result in confusion about who performed the action (did the children eat the cookies, or was it the dog?).

The APA Style Website has an article about active vs passive voice.

[Small Group Activity] Let’s Get Active: Active Voice Writing Guide

Complete worksheet

  • Print 7 copies for class.

Direction in the Template

Be sure to justify all of your data collection decisions.

  • Where did you get your data?
  • What new data was collected?
  • What secondary data was used?
  • What methods did you use to acquire your data?
  • Did you collect data from the entire population, or did you sample?
  • If so, how did you sample?
  • How did you identify or create your data collection instruments?
  • How did you test your instruments for readability, reliability, validity, and cultural appropriateness?
  • How did you determine the quality and utility of existing data?
  • From whom did you collect existing data?

Group Work Time

[Small Group Activity] Students can work on their methods section.