Where can buy A Social Justice Approach to Survey Design and Analysis 1st Edition Llewellyn J. Cornelius ebook with cheap price
Where can buy A Social Justice Approach to Survey Design and Analysis 1st Edition Llewellyn J. Cornelius ebook with cheap price
Where can buy A Social Justice Approach to Survey Design and Analysis 1st Edition Llewellyn J. Cornelius ebook with cheap price
https://ebookultra.com
https://ebookultra.com/download/a-social-justice-
approach-to-survey-design-and-analysis-1st-
edition-llewellyn-j-cornelius/
https://ebookultra.com/download/world-criminal-justice-systems-a-
survey-7th-edition-richard-j-terrill/
ebookultra.com
https://ebookultra.com/download/site-analysis-a-contextual-approach-
to-sustainable-land-planning-and-site-design-2nd-edition-james-a-
lagro/
ebookultra.com
https://ebookultra.com/download/social-motivation-justice-and-the-
moral-emotions-an-attributional-approach-bernard-weiner/
ebookultra.com
https://ebookultra.com/download/latent-variable-models-and-factor-
analysis-a-unified-approach-3rd-edition-david-j-bartholomew/
ebookultra.com
Power System Analysis and Design Fifth Edition J. Duncan
Glover
https://ebookultra.com/download/power-system-analysis-and-design-
fifth-edition-j-duncan-glover/
ebookultra.com
https://ebookultra.com/download/mastering-the-instructional-design-
process-a-systematic-approach-5th-edition-william-j-rothwell/
ebookultra.com
https://ebookultra.com/download/expressive-form-a-conceptual-approach-
to-computational-design-1st-edition-kostas-terzidis/
ebookultra.com
https://ebookultra.com/download/analysis-of-survey-data-wiley-series-
in-survey-methodology-1st-edition-r-l-chambers/
ebookultra.com
A Social Justice
Approach to Survey
Design and Analysis
1
1
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of
Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research,
scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.
With offices in
Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece
Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore
South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgments ix
v
vi Contents
Glossary 191
Notes 197
References 203
Index 225
Preface
vii
viii Preface
explore any aspect of survey design discussed in the book in more depth,
an extensive set of references is provided, and selected resources most
relevant to the topics addressed in the respective chapters are highlighted
at the end of each chapter. Finally, we include a glossary of the major
terms used (terms included in the glossary will appear in bold italics the
first time they are used in the text).
Because it is helpful to anticipate issues at the beginning of a project,
we encourage you to read the whole book before planning your project.
Some of the issues discussed in the data cleaning and analysis chapters
are particularly important to address at the beginning of the project. For
example, we introduce keeping a lab notebook in Chapter 6 because it
is very relevant to data analysis, but ideally, the notebook should start at
the very beginning of your project so you have documentation of all your
decisions and methods. We also discuss levels of measurement, data han-
dling, and the types of data analysis you can use to answer your research
questions. Considering these issues at the beginning of the project can
increase the likelihood that you have the data you need to address your
goals and research questions later in the project.
Acknowledgments
ix
A Social Justice Approach to
Survey Design and Analysis
Introduction to Part I:
Social Justice Research
The first five chapters of this book focus on the survey design. We begin
with defining social justice research, discussing its relevance to social
work, and preparing to conduct social justice research in Chapters 1
and 2. Chapter 3 focuses on using a social justice framework to design
surveys, and Chapter 4 discusses social justice survey research indica-
tors. Chapter 5 presents a community inclusive process to foster survey
participation.
1
1
Why is there a need for a book about survey design and analysis using a
social justice approach? There are both historical and contemporary rea-
sons for conducting such research, including evidence of unreconciled
religious, racial, ethnic, gender, and economic exploitation and discrimi-
nation; violence; and medical experimentation on vulnerable populations
(Coleman & Bouësseau, 2006; Erinosho, 2008; Hastings Center, 1992;
Lurie & Wolfe, 1997; Marcia, 1997; Thomas et al., 2005; Whalen et al.,
1997). It also includes efforts to curb freedom of expression of vulnerable
groups (Fominaya, & Wood, 2011). All told, many studies suggest that
some groups or populations continue to be at risk for discrimination,
exploitation, and exclusion. In this book, we will make the argument that
social work’s governing principles lend themselves to the processes of
social justice advocacy, practice, and social action, as well as the use of
empirical methods for measuring the process and achievement of social
justice in society. Focusing on promoting equity and resolving inequities
for affected populations is a complex process because it involves seeing
3
4 Social Justice Research
these populations as both subjects of and agents in the social change pro-
cess. However, it is these processes that enable us to give voice to the
unheard. This book focuses on examining how one can conduct surveys
that profile inequities as well as document the barriers to participating in
society that populations encounter.
We will begin this chapter as we begin each chapter in the first part
of this book: with a vignette that illustrates examples of unheard voices
in social justice and how social justice research applies to them. The
case below is the first example of a still-unheard voice in social justice
research—in this case, women who do not receive equal wages for per-
forming equal work.
(continued)
Why Social Justice Research? Giving Voice to the Unheard 5
statutes/epa.cfm), which made it illegal to pay women lower rates for the
same job strictly on the basis of sex. The same Act required the collection
of data regarding the wages, hours, and other conditions and practices of
employment to be used to evaluate the adherence to the Equal Pay Act
and to assist in the enforcement of the act. The most recent iteration of
this legislation is the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, which
allows victims of pay discrimination to file a complaint with the government
against their employer within 180 days of their last paycheck.
In 2010, as part of the process of monitoring the implementation of the
Equal Pay Act, Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney and Robert P. Casey,
Jr., requested that the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) use data
from its Current Population Survey to analyze pay among women and
men, with a special emphasis on less-educated and low-wage workers. In
this report, the U.S. GAO (2011) conducted regression analyses to calculate
the pay differences between men and women, controlling for age, race,
ethnicity, state of residence, veteran status, high school degree, citizenship,
marital status, employment status, union membership, and number of
children in the household. An additional regression model was computed to
control for industry and occupation. Wage coefficients were computed for
the years 1980 through 2010. The report found that wage gaps still existed
after controlling for gender differences in labor market experiences and
the characteristics of jobs held by men and women. These gaps result in
long-term differences in lifetime earnings and Social Security benefits by
gender.
• Discussion: In relation to issues of social justice, the passage of the Equal
Pay Act, as well as the advocacy for the ERA and the CEA, focus on
treating women and men equally. As it stands now, the Equal Pay Act
can be repealed or diluted at any time, whereas if the CEA passes as an
amendment to the U.S. Constitution, further changes would require
another amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The CEA is different from
the ERA in that the legislation covers reproductive rights as well as rights
based on sexual orientation. This activity falls within the discussion of
theories that highlight the role of society in assuring a standard level
of resources for all, irrespective of gender and sexual orientation (see
the discussion of the social justice theories later in this chapter). This
vignette provides an example of how data from survey research such as
the Current Population Survey used in the U.S. GAO (2011) report can
be used to measure equity in wages by gender and therefore inform the
social justice discussion about this issue.
• Comments relating to the process of reducing inequities, discrimination,
etc.: This example reflects the need for continued research, monitoring,
and advocacy regarding the nation’s program on eliminating wage
discrimination.
6 Social Justice Research
it when we see it, but how is it actually defined? The website Dictionary.
com defines it as “the distribution of advantages and disadvantages
within a society” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/social+justice).
BusinessDictionary.com defines it as “the fair and proper administration
of laws conforming to the natural law that all persons, irrespective of
ethnic origin, gender, possessions, race, religion, etc., are to be treated
equally and without prejudice” (http://www. businessdictionary.com/
definition/social-justice.html). The National Association of Social
Workers (NASW) defines social justice as “the view that everyone
deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportuni-
ties” (http://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/features/issue/peace.
asp). Finally, the Center for Social Justice Research at the University of
Wyoming College of Education provides a longer definition:
Social justice grows out of the history of the civil rights movement and
draws on decades of work in anti-racist, black and ethnic studies, and
women’s studies (see also Adams, Bell, & Griffin, 1997). Social justice
utilizes a vocabulary and framework that considers the dominant or tar-
geted social group identities of participants within an analysis of social
hierarchies. Many social justice scholars bring a level of analysis includ-
ing (but not limited to) a) attention to understanding the social forces
and institutions that support inequity in social systems as well as the
interpersonal behaviors, individual attitudes, or beliefs that reflect and
also help to perpetuate unequal social relationships; b) acknowledge-
ment of the inter-relatedness of phenomena and thereby employ mul-
tiple lenses including historical, political, cultural, economic, legal, etc.;
and c) value and affirmation of multiple perspectives and points of view
including the use of counter-narratives. Social justice research attends
to problems of oppression and generates strategies for working toward
their resolution. Social justice research also requires scholars to attend to
modes of inquiry as well as their implementation. (See www.uwyo.edu/
sjrc/whatissocialjustice/index.html.)
(continued)
Table 1.1 (Continued)
Author Rights Deserts/Benefits
Galston’s Individuals make claims on each other based on membership In this theory, the greatest benefit is determined
“Liberal Justice” in a community and contributions to that community. These by individual contribution (as determined by
are all based on the voluntary distribution of resources in sacrifice, effort, productivity, and duration) to
that community. create opportunities for a good life.
Martha Society should be committed to the provision of a minimum In this theory, benefits are equally distributed
Nussbaum’s set of capacities in ten areas: (1) life; (2) bodily health; based achieving an acceptable level of the central
“Central (3) bodily integrity; (4) senses, imagination, and thought; human capabilities.
Human (5) emotions; (6) practical reason; (7) affiliation; (8) to be
Capabilities” able to have concern for animals, plants, and nature; (9) play
and an ability to enjoy recreational activities; and (10) to
have political and material control over one’s environment.
Sen’s “Human Differences in the capability to function can arise due to In this theory, benefits are equally distributed
Rights and differences in physical or mental health, societal cohesion, accounting for individual differences.
Capabilities” environmental diversities, varying threats from epidemic
diseases or crime, or social position. Capabilities and
opportunities have to be supplemented by considerations
of fair processes and the right of individuals to use these
fair processes. The goal of society is to balance out these
resources accounting for individual differences.
Powers and Social justice requires states (either through intermediary In this theory, each of these dimensions requires a
Faden’s social institutions or directly) to provide for a minimum, different minimum level of sufficiency that needs
“Moderate but sufficient, level of six basic dimensions of human to be attained.
Essentialism” well-being: health, personal security, reasoning, respect,
attainment, and self determination.
Sources: Ackerman, 1980; Dworkin, 1981; Power & Faden, 2006; Galston, 1995; Hume, 1740/1978; Nussbaum, 1995; Nussbaum, 2000; Nussbaum, 2003; Rawls,1999; Sen, 1999;
Sen, 2005.
Why Social Justice Research? Giving Voice to the Unheard 11
meeting the needs of the population. Two typologies have emerged that
describe the continuum of involvement of the state in the welfare of its
citizens: (1) Esping-Andersen (1990) and (2) Navarro and Shia (2001).
In his book The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, Esping-Andersen
(1990) classified 18 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) countries according to the level of involve-
ment of their central governments in administering social programs,
ranging from liberal/libertarian to conservative to social-democratic.
The welfare states he called “liberal/libertarian” were nations that used
means-tested programs with modest benefit that were targeted to a small
segment of the population based on need and merit (e.g., Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families [TANF] and Food Stamps in the United
States). He included the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada,
and Australia as welfare states that use this approach to develop social
programs. The welfare states he called “conservative” were nations that
provide access to services based on place of employment. As such, the
benefits were accrued at one’s place of employment and distributed by the
employer. He includes Germany and France as examples of welfare states
that used this approach to provide social programs. Finally, the welfare
states Esping-Andersen called “social democratic” were nations where
the central government distributed benefits as well as fostered policies
that focused on full employment and income protection. He included
Demark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway as examples of welfare states that
used this approach.
Like Esping-Andersen (1990), Navarro and Shia (2001) classi-
fied welfare states according to the degree of involvement of the state
in the provision of services for its citizens. In this case they classified
nations according to four types of governance: liberal Anglo-Saxon
(Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland), Conservative
(Spain, Greece, Portugal), Christian democratic (Belgium, Netherlands,
Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium), and social demo-
cratic (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Demark, and Austria). Similar to the
Esping-Andersen categories, the Navarro and Shia liberal or libertarian
welfare states include nations where the state has less direct involvement
in ensuing the achievement of equity in the receipt of services than social
democratic states. The gender pay equity case discussed at the begin-
ning of this chapter is consistent with the Esping-Andersen (1990) and
Navarro and Shia (2001) classification of the United States as a liberal/
Why Social Justice Research? Giving Voice to the Unheard 13
libertarian state because the U.S. government does not primarily focus
on playing a central role guaranteeing equal pay for equal work across
society.
Both of the Esping-Andersen (1990) and the Navarro and Shia (2001)
frameworks have been used to describe the degree to which the welfare
state has fostered the improvement of its citizens’ health, mental health,
and well-being. This work has used the social democratic approach
as a benchmark to compare how societies have fared on health, men-
tal health, and well-being outcomes. In a systematic review, Muntaner
and colleagues (2011) reported that 73 studies were conducted between
1948 and 2010 that look at the role of the welfare state in developing pro-
grams to address the needs of citizens. Fifty-six of these articles focused
on examining outcomes on the “macro” (i.e., the state) level, and 31 of
these of these articles focused specifically on comparing the generosity
of welfare state programs and population-based health outcomes across
countries. A subset of 19 of these 31 articles found that states with a social
democratic welfare orientation fared better on health outcomes than
those with a liberal/libertarian welfare state orientation.
Bambra’s (2007) study of the one-year infant mortality rate (IMR;
deaths of babies under one year of age per 1000 live births) in 1980
and 1998 in 18 countries provides one example of this type of analysis.
Bambra (2007) computed an index of unemployment benefits, sick-
ness benefits, and pensions to represent the degree to which individuals
are dependent on the welfare state for benefits. She then classified the
18 countries as liberal/libertarian, conservative, or social democratic in
their welfare state approach based on this index. Finally, she compared
the IMR for each of the 18 countries. In this descriptive comparison, she
found a lower IMR in 1980 and 1998 for social democratic countries than
for liberal/libertarian countries.
In a second example of this type of analysis, Chung and Muntaner
(2007) conducted multivariate analyses to look at outcomes of health
and well-being in 21 countries over a 40-year period. Similar to Bambra
(2007), Chung and Muntaner classified the countries along the liberal–
social democratic welfare state continuum. They then computed several
multivariate models that examined both the one-year IMR and the per-
centage of children born with low birth weight (LBW) across these coun-
tries, controlling for the gross domestic product (GDP) of each country
as well as the time period (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s). They found that,
14 Social Justice Research
controlling for time period and GDP, social democratic countries fared
better on IMR and LBW compared to other countries.
Although the liberal/libertarian–social democratic welfare state
typology has been used extensively to examine societywide outcomes,
it has also been extensively criticized over the years (Arts & Gelissen,
2002; Castles & Mitchell, 1993; Pierson, 1998). One of the main criti-
cisms of this classification has been its basis in the way that the countries
administer pension, sickness,4 and unemployment benefits, omitting
consideration of how nations deliver health care and other social ser-
vices. A second criticism of this approach is that analyses have focused
on outcomes in a subset of First World countries (e.g., the United States,
Canada, and Japan), while excluding the rest of Asia, Africa, Latin
America, and the Caribbean. A third criticism is that the approach does
not consider the role of gender, single parenthood, or immigration in the
delivery of welfare services (Bambra, 2007). In spite of these criticisms,
Bambra (2007, 2011) has noted that frameworks that examine the politi-
cal economy are still useful as an ideal approach to measure outcomes
based on examining the causes of inequities (e.g., the political system
and the labor market at the macro-level), examining differences due to
social structure or social class at the meso-level, or examining differences
due to the symptoms of inequities (e.g., stress or illness as a result of not
having access to services).
One attempt to address the shortcomings of the liberal/libertarian–
social democratic welfare state typology has led to the presentation of
a typology of social welfare policy based on what Aspalter (2006) and
Croissant (2004) call the Confucian Welfare state. They suggest that
Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore are governed by a set of val-
ues that place a strong emphasis on the family, thrift, diligence, and work,
with a minimal investment of the government in providing a safety net
(Aspalter, 2006; Croissant, 2004). This typology suggests that in applying
a social justice approach one needs to be aware of the limits of any typol-
ogy for examining outcomes.
Given what we have presented regarding the complexity of applying
social justice theories to the assessment of equity in a society, can we
distill all this into a conceptual framework for conducting social justice
research? We can, with some important caveats. We have to caution the
reader that this framework is an ideal depiction of the elements of social
justice research. We need to account for complexities such as gender,
Why Social Justice Research? Giving Voice to the Unheard 15
book to discuss all of them, we briefly present two that are commonly
used: (1) the Commission on Social Determinants of Health Conceptual
Framework (CSDH, 2008; Solar & Irwin, 2007) and (2) Andersen’s
(1968, 1995) Behavioral Model of Access to Care. Both of these models
focus on health disparities and inequities and are therefore consistent
with the social justice principles presented above. We encourage read-
ers interested in other areas of research to look for other frameworks
or models in their content area that are consistent with social justice
principles.
The Commission on Social Determinants of Health Conceptual
Framework (CSDH, 2008; Solar & Irwin, 2007; see Figure 1.1) was based
on a series of ongoing efforts at the World Health Organization (WHO)
to develop an approach that local communities can use to reduce inequi-
ties. It is based on three principles:
The CSDH model includes a listing of variables that have been used to
measure inequities as well as the expected relationship between these
factors and well-being. The model also includes structural variables that
examine governance, policies, and cultural and societal norms. Factors
represent inequities (e.g., inequities due to social position, education,
occupation, income, gender, ethnicity, and race) as well as measures of
individual circumstances and the services that are provided by the sys-
tem to alleviate these inequities. The case example and the studies by
Bambra (2007) and Chung and Muntaner (2007) discussed earlier in
this chapter all used analyses that that are consistent with social justice
research approaches to examine inequities. For example, the case study
in the vignette at the beginning of the chapter used multivariate models
to examine the hourly wage rate, controlling for individual (e.g., gender),
Why Social Justice Research? Giving Voice to the Unheard 19
Socioeconomic &
political context
Social
Material circumstances Distribution
position
Governance of health
Social cohesion and well-being
Education Psychosocial factors
Policy
(Macroeconomic, Occupation Behaviors
Social, Health) Income
Biological factors
Cultural and Gender
societal norms
Ethnicity/
and values
Race
Health Care System
Perceived Health
Status
Health Care System Personal Health
Predisposing Enabling Need Practices
Evaluated Health
Characteristics Resources Status
External Environment Use of Health Services
Consumer Satisfaction
version of the model also includes the influence of the environment (the
health care system and the external environment) in reducing inequities
of access to care (Andersen, 1995).
The common theme in both of these models is the focus on the dis-
tribution of resources and the need to use research as a means to examine
the inequities, the contributions to inequities, and the ways in which the
inequalities can be reduced. Both the research trends and the analyti-
cal models presented in this section will be used as guides for locating
questions for surveys (to be covered in Chapter 4) as well as to guide the
analyses that are used for the data that come from these types of surveys
(to be covered in Chapters 6 and 7).
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
We began the chapter by highlighting the fact that social justice research
for social work focuses on providing a voice for the unheard. This requires
a familiarity with the range of principles of social justice theories and
how these principles can be used to evaluate the provision of services
based on the needs of under-resourced populations or targeted groups
that have been stigmatized by society. It also requires sensitivity to exam-
ining a society’s commitment to providing for the welfare of its citizens
because the principles that drive these welfare approaches have their own
historical and cultural legacy. To this end, we introduced the reader to
both theories (Table 1.1) and frameworks (Table 1.2 and Figures 1.1 and
1.2) that can be used to map out a framework for conducting social jus-
tice research that reflects the differential needs of under-resourced pop-
ulations or populations that have been stigmatized by society. We also
noted that the approaches used in this book will focus on the theories
that examine equity or disparity relating to needs and merits, or based on
evaluating the provision of a minimal level (i.e., a floor) of resources for
all persons in society. Finally, we noted that the frameworks presented in
this chapter are ideal frameworks that may require adaptation to meet
the cultural and historical needs of the population being examined as one
moves forward conducting social justice research.
RESOURCES
Two resources you may wish to consider as you proceed in this area are
the work of the International Society for Justice Research (ISJR) and the
efforts at the University of Wyoming College of Education Social Justice
24 Social Justice Research
Preparing to Conduct
Social Justice
Survey Research
25
26 Social Justice Research
Vignette: Joint African American, Asian American, and Latino American consumer
and researcher engagement in the development of a consumer cultural competency
assessment tool1
• Affected populations: African Americans, Latinos, Vietnamese, persons in
recovery
• Type of inequity/exclusion/discrimination: Perceived discrimination,
governance, exploitation
• Social justice research issues: Survey design, questionnaire development,
question validation, data analysis, collaboration, transparency,
community partnership
• Case description: In 1997, Maryland implemented a new managed-care
mental health system. Consumer satisfaction, evaluation, and cultural
competency were considered high priorities for the new system. Although
standardized tools for measuring consumer satisfaction were readily
available, no validated, reliable, and standardized tool existed to measure
the perception of people from minority groups receiving mental health
services. The Mental Hygiene Administration/Maryland Health Partners
Cultural Competency Advisory Group (CCAG) formulated a partnership
that resulted in the design and dissemination of a consumer assessment
tool for cultural competency. The CCAG is an independent advisory
group of people in recovery, clinicians, and administrators who advise
the state regarding the delivery of public mental health services. In 1997,
they began a multi-year process of designing and validating a cultural
competency assessment tool. During this time, the CCAG revised the
instrument nine times based on concepts from the literature on cultural
awareness and consumer satisfaction with services, as well as based on
the methods of examining the wording of questions, the placement of
questions, and so on.
(continued)
Preparing to Conduct Social Justice Survey Research 27
instrument. This resulted in the generation of a report from the factor and
correlation analyses that noted that the questions in the cultural competency
questionnaire aligned (“loaded”) on six factors along with the finding
that the scale had a Cronbach’s alpha of .92 (Cronbach’s alpha is used to
examine the internal-consistency reliability of an instrument). Following
the publication of the empirical work on the instrument, the CCAG
witnessed both acceptance within the consumer and mental health research
communities as well as criticism from other mental health researchers
who had not been involved in the instrument development process. This
led to development of a second study between 2004 and 2010 to document
the validity of the original study findings. The core findings of the original
assessment were affirmed in this second report.
• Discussion: This case highlights multiple issues that are central to the
process of becoming a social justice researcher. Critical to the success
of this initiative was the creation of a process where persons in recovery
carried the same and sometimes even more weight than the investigators
in the design and implementation of the project. That led to greater
investment by them in the process, as well as greater dissemination of the
results of the project across the community. There is also an implied issue
about the time required to conduct this type of process; it took eight years
for the project to reach its full level of maturation, the first four of which
occurred without the involvement of the researchers. This raises the need
to be aware of the possibility that social justice research may follow a
different timeline and path than the standard academic model.
• Comments relating to the process of reducing inequities/discrimination,
etc.: This example also provides an example of using Community Based
Participatory Research (CBPR) to foster processes that give voice to
experiences of felt stigma and discrimination.
needs. In order to achieve this goal, it was necessary for the researchers
to become immersed in the specific challenges encountered by the men-
tal health consumers as they entered the behavioral healthcare delivery
system. For the consumers and administrators, this educational process
required that they become immersed in principles of survey design, data
analysis, and report dissemination. Although the vignette is an example of
a successful researcher–stakeholder research collaboration, the important
takeaway message is that by expanding the team involved in the design of
a study, you increase the chances that the community becomes involved in
the research collaboration process, as well as increase the chances that the
findings will be disseminated to a broader audience.
the findings to other, similar situations (Morris, Leung, Ames, & Lickel,
1999). We are suggesting that, in order to move to developing and execut-
ing research using the Etic perspective, researchers must first engage in
a process wherein they are influenced and shaped by the contingencies
that create the need for such a study. Thus, before engaging in social jus-
tice research, we may want to develop and undergo our own social justice
clarification exercise. We will also want to go through a process that will
assist us in clarifying the theories, conceptual models, and frameworks
that we choose as the foundation for conducting social justice research.
Any science may be likened to a river. . . . It has its obscure and unpre-
tentious beginning; it quietly stretches along with its rapids; its periods
of drought as well as its fullness. It gathers momentum with the work of
30 Social Justice Research
Rachel Carson received the New York Times Best Seller book award,
the Albert Schweitzer award from Animal Welfare Institute, and the
American Academy of Arts and Letters award for her book Silent Spring.
It remained on the New York Times’s bestseller list for 31 weeks. Her find-
ings resulted in the publication of more than 50 newspaper editorials and
20 columns, as well as the introduction of more than 40 bills in state
legislatures governing the regulation of pesticide use (Litmans & Miller,
2004; Van Emden & Peakall, 1999). Along with praise for her work came
intense criticism. This criticism included verbal abuse, character assassi-
nation, and debates regarding whether science should be used for advo-
cacy. Nonetheless, 50 years later her work is still praised (Wharton, 2012).
Carson’s scholarship seems to fit the classic quote “No good deed goes
unpunished.” It serves as a reminder that sometimes the pursuit of social
justice research will bring more attention than a publication in a peer
review journal. Some may argue that researchers such as Rachel Carson
are an exception to the rule. However, in fact, this level of dedication
to social justice research may be more normative. For example, dispari-
ties research was conducted for decades before its elevation to a national
research priority. Likewise, as noted by the case vignette in Chapter 1, the
Preparing to Conduct Social Justice Survey Research 31
issue of pay equity for women is an old concept, yet we have not achieved
the goal of closing the gap. These examples remind us that the motivation
for engaging in social justice research is not fame or notoriety; rather, is
it commitment to the principles of social justice.
As noted by Rountree and Pomeroy (2010), we may have two roles to
perform as researchers: (1) as a front-line practitioner witness to injustices
experienced by the oppressed, and (2) as an empiricist who documents these
transgressions. These two roles may create a need to balance several issues at
once. First, it may require that we clarify what we personally and profession-
ally mean by “social justice.” Second, we need to emulate the social justice
principles that were presented in the last chapter (or that fit with one’s own
social justice principles). Third, we need to discover and understand our
intention for conducting research in general. Is it our intention to engage
in research because we are fascinated with the plight of the population we
are studying, or because we have easy access to that population? Are we
serving our own interests, or trying to serve those of the population we are
asking to participate in the research? Are we prepared to do the work of get-
ting to know how to form a transparent partnership with the community?
And, even more important, are we are ready to bear the brunt of criticism or
opposition from power brokers who are displeased with our research find-
ings, in spite of the quality of the work? Fourth, we need to conduct the
research. Fifth, we need to examine and analyze the data. Finally, we need to
report the findings in a socially responsible and just manner.
These issues suggest that becoming a social justice researcher may
require a process of self-reflection. It may also require a self-assessment
of where you are on a continuum between thinking about becoming such
a researcher and engaging in social justice research. A model one can
use to think about the process of moving from thinking about change
to engaging in a new endeavor is the concept of readiness for change
that is part of the Transtheoretical Model of Intentional Behavior Change
(DiClemente, Schlundt, & Gemmell, 2004). This model is based on the
idea that there are five stages of the change process. DiClemente and col-
leagues believe that being motivated or ready to perform a behavior is
critical to performance and outcome. The five stages of change are:
Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also
govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most
countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the
United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the
terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying,
performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this
work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes
no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in
any country other than the United States.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form,
including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you
provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work
in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in
the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or
expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or
a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original
“Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must
include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in
paragraph 1.E.1.
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1.F.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of
other ways including checks, online payments and credit card
donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.