Teaching Research Methods to MFT Master’s Students: A Comparison between Scientist-Practitioner and Research-Informed Approaches

Abstract

The current study compares a traditional “scientist-practitioner” and a “research-informed” approach utilizing a sample of students from a COAMFTE accredited master’s program. Students were enrolled in a research methods course with either a “scientist-practitioner” or a “research-informed” focus. Results from both self assessment of core competencies, as well as basic research knowledge, found that both course types led to significant improvements; however neither course emerged as more significant than the other. Implications for best practices in teaching research methods in MFT training programs are discussed.

Appendices

Appendix 1 Description of Assignment for Research-Informed Course

Research to Practice Project (150 Points)

Students will provide and discuss an example of using research to guide your clinical work. Students will utilize the Williams et al. (2006) article (Panning for Gold: A Clinician’s Guide to Using Research) as a guide in completing the assignments. Choose a client that you are working with in your practicum experience this semester (community placement or clinic) as a case example. You discuss the presenting issue/clinical topic, provide a mini-literature review on the clinical topic, provide rationale for and detailed information about the research-based clinical intervention, client’s response to the intervention, and your personal experience of the exercise. Discuss the clinical issue- what data was present that informed your use of the research-based clinical tool? Discuss the research-based clinical tool? What course topic of research was it connected to? What was the client’s response to the research-based intervention? What was your response to the research-based intervention? What were your apprehensions? What were your strengths? What were your challenges in completing the research-based clinical intervention? What are the future clinical implications of this exercise for you? Please see the grading rubric for specific information regarding the assignment.

Research-to-practice project grading rubric

Component	Max. pts.
1. The student provides a synopsis of the clinical case example; which includes type of client (individual, couple, family), therapeutic phase (assessment, treatment, termination), and data about the clinical issue. Data about the clinical issue should follow a clear developmental trajectory that leads the audience/reader to understand the need for the research-based intervention. Discuss the multiple points of data used to reach said conclusions regarding the presenting problem	30
2. Complete a mini- literature review consisting of 5 recent (2007–2012) peer reviewed journal articles, then synthesize and report the latest clinical findings regarding the clinical issue. In this section, students will explain how they followed step 1 through step 5 of the Williams et al. (2006) model. Students must describe the search processes (databases used, etc.), how they selected the articles, and a brief discussion regarding the quality of each research article they selected for the mini- literature review. Student must reflect upon whether the articles selected adhere to AAMFT ethical standards for research as well as state and federal laws related to confidentiality, anonymity, and protection of research subjects. Students must utilize research concepts from the course to evaluate the quality of the articles selected	50
3. What research-based intervention did you use? Report your rationale for picking this intervention. What course topic of research is this intervention related to? Provide details about this intervention. Details may include theoretical model and key concept information, psychometric properties, intended purpose of intervention, etc.	20
4. What was the client’s response to the intervention? What is your assessment of the client’s response based on? Do you feel that it has made a positive difference in the direction of therapy? How was this intervention useful/not useful for this case? How might contextual factors of the client impact the response to the intervention?	20
5. What is your personal experience of administering this intervention? What are the future clinical implications of this exercise for you? What other benefits manifested as a result of this exercise?	20
6. Students present the final project to the class. This includes a description of the case, the process of determining the clinical intervention/tool of choice, the quality and information gathered from the literature review, the application of the intervention, the client’s response, and the personal experience and reaction to the overall project. Students are expected to use power point and arrive prepared and ready to present on the assigned day	10

Appendix 2 Description of Core Assignment for Scientist Practitioner Course

Research Proposal Assignments and Presentation (150 Total Points)

Throughout the semester, students will develop an original research project proposal. The proposal should be such that, if you choose to, you can complete the project in independent study with an instructor. Students will present an overview of their research proposals to the class on an assigned date. This presentation is included as part of your grade for this research proposal. Throughout the semester you will be completing assignments that are designed to assist you in developing this research proposal. The assignments will be broken into smaller portions and students are encouraged to discuss the research proposal during class each week. Students are required to work on these assignments in groups of 2–3. The assignments will culminate in the following*:

• 1. Introduction

• a. Statement of problem

• b. Rationale for the research

• c. Research Questions

• d. Hypothesis

• 2. Literature Review

• a. Current status of the topic

• b. Relationship between literature and the problem statement

• 3. Methods

• a. Research design (including a discussion of strengths and weaknesses of chosen design)

• b. Participants (including a description and selection procedures)

• c. Assessment measures (including reliability & validity)

• d. Procedures for collecting data

• e. Randomization procedures (if applicable)

• f. Treatment (if applicable)

• 4. Data Analysis Plan (developmentally appropriate, we will not spend a great deal of time with statistics so this aspect of your proposal will be limited)

• a. Statistical procedures

• 5. Presentation of Research Proposal (power point)

Although the assignments during the semester will not follow this outline, students are expected to submit a final proposal in this format the day of the presentation. The instructor will provide feedback on your final proposal.

Assignments are expected to conform to APA standards! (Double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins).

Research proposal assignment

Component	Max. pts.
Assignment #1: Final research proposal topic	10
A brief summary of research topic you have selected (1 paragraph–narrative format)
Assignment #2: Introduction to Proposal I	20
Statement of the problem (2 citation minimum–1 paragraph–narrative format)
Description of the current state of the problem
Provide information regarding the number of people it affects/impacts
For example: Every year 600,000 children experience abuse and neglect (citation)
Rationale for the research (2 citation minimum–1 paragraph–narrative format)
Explaining why it is important to study your topic
Provide information regarding how the problem affects individuals, families, couples, society, economy, etc
For example: Abuse and neglect leads to increased risk of mental health difficulties, such as depression and PTSD, in children (citation)
Assignment #3: Introduction to Proposal II	20
Research questions (1 paragraph–bullet points acceptable)
Questions that narrow the topic and identify the primary interest of the researcher
For example: Is there a link between experiencing abuse/neglect as a child and later problems in romantic relationships?
Hypotheses (1 paragraph–bullet points acceptable)
Prediction based on your research questions (each research question should have a corresponding hypothesis)
Should suggest directional or non-directional relationships between groups
For example: Individuals who have experienced abuse/neglect as a child will report increased emotional reactivity and decreased satisfaction in romantic relationships as an adult
Assignment #4: Literature Review	35
Describe current status of the research topic (5 citations minimum–narrative format)
Explain the relationship between current status of the research topic and your problem statement
Include a discussion of how your study will add to the existing literature
2 full pages MAX (make the most of this space!)
Assignment #5: Methods I	20
Research design (1 paragraph–narrative format)
Explain in detail the type of design chosen (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods; cross-sectional or longitudinal)
Describe whether the study is correlational or experimental (if applicable)
Discuss strengths and weaknesses of chosen design
Participants (1 paragraph–narrative form)
Describe the target sample and any inclusion/exclusion criteria for the study
Explain the selection procedures you will utilize to obtain this sample
Assignment #6: Methods II	20
Assessment measures (1 paragraph–bullet points & narrative format)
Report the variables (IV, DV, control/extraneous) and the corresponding measure (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio; continuous or categorical)
Describe in general the format of each assessment
Identify the level of measurement for each measure (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio; continuous or categorical)
Briefly discuss reliability and validity of each assessment
Data collection plan (1 paragraph–narrative format)
Briefly explain how the measures will be given and collected from the sample
Randomization procedures & Treatment (1 paragraph–narrative format)
Describe the method of randomizing participants and the treatment (only if using an experimental design)
Assignment #7: Data Analysis Plan (1 paragraph, narrative format)	10
Describe what type of data analysis you plan to use
Explain how descriptive and inferential statistics would be utilized in your study
Assignment #8: Presentation	15
Use power point to create a thorough presentation of your research proposal
For example: Individuals who have experienced abuse/neglect as a child will report increased emotional reactivity and decreased satisfaction in romantic relationships as an adult
Organize the power point presentation slides by the major topics identified in each section (Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Data Analysis plan)
Provide handouts for other students in the class

1. Students who wish to go on to further academic careers (Ph.D.’s. teaching, etc.) should do this with a presentation or publication in mind. For example, the Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy allows students who complete research in their programs of study to submit the research as a poster to be presented at the conference. If accepted, the student is invited to the main conference free of charge. If any student wishes to devote extra time to conducting this study, they may enroll for an elective, MFST 697–Special Topics in Marriage and Family, and I will guide them through the process. By using measures that are already collected at the clinic, the research proposals could easily become full research projects with possible poster presentations and publications!