Spring 2026 SOWK 460w Week 11 - Writing and Developing Your Methods Section

Spring 2026 SOWK 460w Week 11 - Writing and Developing Your Methods Section

title: Spring 2026 SOWK 460w Week 11 - Writing and Developing Your Methods Section date: 2026-03-30 14:40:25 location: Heritage University tags:

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

In week 11, we will be doing a variety of activities. I want to talk a little bit about your 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 discussion
• Research article activity
• Discussion and tips regarding writing your methods section
• Time to work in your groups

Learning Objectives this week include

• Explain the purpose and importance of a methods section in academic and evaluative writing.
• Apply APA style guidelines for writing a methods section.
• Identify and describe the key components that should be addressed in a program evaluation methods section.

Week 11 for SOWK 460w

Agenda

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

Learning Objectives

• Explain the purpose and importance of a methods section in academic and evaluative writing.
• Apply APA style guidelines for writing a methods section.
• Identify and describe the key components that should be addressed in a program evaluation methods section.

Logic Model Discussion

My note on grading…

I’m so confused by the logic models I reviewed. The logic model should focus on the agency and provide an overview of its work. All of your submissions appear to be logic models describing your evaluation project. The assignment is to create a logic model for the organization where you are conducting your program evaluation. I will discuss this further in our next in-person session. Because all of you submitted the same way, and if I were to grade you based on the rubric scores would not be good, I have elected to give full credit to everybody for the assignment. I feel like there must have been some sort of disconnect when I was teaching this content this year and so there is blame on me as well. I do expect that your logic models will be on the agency for the final submission of your papers so they will have to change for your final submission.

Simple HU Example

• Inputs
  • Faculty and staff
  • BSW/MSW students
  • University budget
  • Practicum partner agencies
  • Community relationships
  • Accreditation
• Activities
  • Delivering coursework
  • Supervising practicum education
  • Advising students
  • Partnering with community organizations
• Outputs
  • Number of graduates per year
  • Practicum hours completed
  • Number of practicum sites
  • Credit hours taught
• Outcomes
  • Short-term
    • Students gain SW knowledge/competency
    • Practicum partners placements
  • Medium-term
    • Graduates employment
    • Graduates gain licensure
  • Long-term
    • Increased diversity in SW
    • Improved service delivery in underserved communities
    • Stronger policy advocacy
• Impact
  • Greater social equity
  • Reduced disparities in access to mental health and social services
  • More culturally competent practitioners serving communities of color

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 4 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.

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 4 copies for class.

Consider Active vs Passive Voice - Answers from Worksheet (8 of 7)

1. Julian and Oliver assembled the toy.
2. Kia kicked the soccer ball after her teammate rolled it to her.
3. Mr. Mars, the baker, made four specialty cakes for his favorite customers.
4. The grandfather read a bedtime story to his grandchildren.
5. Last night, the musical duo Silk Sonic held a great concert downtown.
6. My mom drove the car to the grocery store.
7. Scientists conducted a sociological experiment to test their theory.
8. The American Psychological Association (APA) created the seventh edition style manuals.
9. The town council chose five community leaders to head the environmental committee.
10. The Miller family really enjoyed going to the beach every summer.

Direction in the Template

Be sure to justify all of your data collection decisions.

Report on the data sources used in the evaluation, including any new data collected and any existing or secondary data analyzed. Explain how the data were obtained, whether the full population or a sample was included, and how sampling decisions were made. Where relevant, briefly note how your data collection approach aligns with or differs from methods used in the literature and explain why those choices were appropriate. Describe how data collection instruments were selected or developed and how issues of reliability, validity, readability, and cultural appropriateness were addressed. Justify key 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.