Comparison of Social Work Practice in Teams Using a Video Vignette Technique in a Multi-method Design

Abstract

English This article focuses on the use of the vignette method in social worker teams and thereby collective or shared aspects of practice, which cannot be reached through a presentation of a vignette separately to the individual members of the team. A video vignette case was presented to four social worker teams in connection with a focus group session in order to compare the teams’ assessment of the client. The negotiations in the focus groups accentuate how teams interpret the same client in different ways and actualize questions as to where these differences stem from and what they are related to. The results support two methodological conclusions that we discuss in the article: that it is beneficial to use vignette in a multi-method design when comparing teams and that a focus group context is an advantage, when the characteristics of the team should be accentuated, while individual differences become secondary. Danish Denne artikel sætter fokus påbrug af vignettemetoden i socialarbejderteam og dermed kollektive aspekter af praksis, der ikke kan studeres ved at præsentere en vignette separat for enkelte medlemmer af et team. En videovignettesamtale mellem socialarbejder og klient blev præsenteret for fire socialarbejderteam i forbindelse med et fokusgruppeinterview med henblik påat sammenligne teamenes vurderinger af klienten. Forhandlingerne i fokusgrupperne synliggjorde, at teamene fortolker den samme klient forskelligt og førte til spørgsmål om, hvor disse forskelle stammer fra og hvad de er relateret til. Resultaterne understøtter to metodologiske konklusioner, som vi diskuterer i artiklen. For det første er det gavnligt at bruge videovignettemetoden i et multimetodedesign, når sigtet er at sammenligne teamenes vurderinger. For det andet er fokusgruppemetoden en fordel, når interessen er rettet mod at studere karakteristika ved teamene i stedet for individuelle forskelle.

What (a) Difference a Degree Makes: The Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree in England

“…While there are many advantages in using vignettes to research topics that might not necessarily be accessible to the researcher, the most frequently identified limitation surrounds the distance between responses to vignettes and social reality (Eskelinen and Caswell, 2006). There is no guarantee that the responses given will mirror behaviour of respondents in their professional practice (Wilks, 2004, p. 82).…”

“…The benefits of the use of vignettes in this study are that they are administered across a wide range of settings; will elicit responses at time one and time two (beginning and end of degree-level study); and results will be available for comparison with other studies (Benner, 1984;Fook et al, 2000). Eskelinen and Caswell (2006) found that vignettes created a shared point of departure and, by following up observations and discussions, they could discern differences in approach that could be attributed to institutional and social contexts. By focusing on responses that will reflect developments in professional approaches, it is anticipated that the analysis of the vignettes will produce rich data on differences that emerge as a result of degree-level study which will also be considered in the light of data from questionnaires to practice teachers/assessors, interviews with key informants such as employers and self-reports from students in focus groups at the case study sites and in the online survey.…”

“…Vignettes are variously described as brief cases-simulations of real events depicting hypothetical situations (Wilks, 2004), often developed from an amalgam of case examples. Effective vignettes are those with which participants can identify; the scenarios are trustworthy and believable (Hughes and Huby, 2004;Eskelinen and Caswell, 2006). Vignettes are therefore not real cases but their use presents participants with real-life decision-making situations (Soydan and Stal, 1994;Taylor, 2006).…”

“…In research, vignettes are employed as elicitation tools, focusing on responses to these hypothetical situations (Wilks, 2004). They facilitate study of sensitive areas of enquiry (Barter and Renold, 1999) and can be administered in a variety of ways, presenting the material in written form or using videos (Eskelinen and Caswell, 2006) to present scenarios. Elicitation of responses is usually undertaken in interviews or focus groups, which means that the number of participants is small, but the resulting information can provide rich data.…”

Legal norms, Profesional values, and practical ethics in local government: Elderly care in Latvia, Lithuania, and Norway

“…The most frequently identified limitations to vignette studies are related to the distance between the responses to vignettes and social reality, since there is no guarantee that the responses will mirror the behavior of the respondents in their professional practice (Eskelinen & Caswell, 2006;Wilks, 2004:82). However, in this study the vignettes create an important shared point of departure and may reveal differences in approach that could be attributed to institutional and social contexts (Soydan, 1995;1996;Eskelinen & Caswell, 2006).…”