Abstract
Reviewed by: Wulf Livingston, Glyndwr University, Wales DOI: 10.1177/1468017317719961
Cognitive behavioural therapy and similar interventions, community development, network sustainability and service user involvement are all examples of aspects of modern social work practice that can necessitate substantive working with groups. The strive for evidence-based practice requires that social workers also therefore understand the process of, and utilise, such group work techniques within research and evaluation methodologies. Garvin et al.’s focused text, a part of the extensive and informative ‘Pocket Guides to Social Work Research Methods’ series, is a useful compendium for understanding approaches and techniques for such group work research.
This book interestingly and unusually for a research text does not follow a slavish adherence to a structure that follows the typical research process or divisions of methodological elements. This, in part, assumes some prior knowledge on behalf of the readership of the core constructs that form pre, active and post data collection process considerations. Instead, it is constructed around building upon these givens and provides a guide across a number of, but not all, thematic deliberations. In doing so, this book successfully speaks to as potentially polarised approaches as running an experimental control trial on group therapy or a highly participative action-orientated project.
Exploring the potential broad range of applications of group work with research practice is Garvin et al.’s starting point. From this broad landscape sweep, they then enable the reader to reflect upon which of the diversity of approaches might most effectively support chosen areas of inquiry. The depth of the potential appeal is quickly established as both quantitative (positive) and qualitative (interpretivist) applications are presented. What subsequently follows is then some focus on measurement and design, before three chapters that examine the nature of group work process within knowledge creation and social change. These explorations consistently seek to straddle the duopoly of which groups out there can, or should, be studied and how the study of groups helps us understand experiences.
Notwithstanding the attempt for universality of appeal, I was nonetheless left with a sense that the book still chimed to some dominant discourses. There is a strong North American feel, and this reflects the location of the three authors. The third chapter with its focus on measurement speaks predominantly to the quantitative half of the possible discussions about capturing an understanding of what took place. A more equal consideration of qualitative data collection tools and analysis would have been more helpful here. The consideration of those who work with as full and equal members in the research process is only taken up in places and towards the end of the book, and perhaps, given an increasing policy, practice and research understanding of the value of moving away from expert diagnosis, might have been more equally and actively explored throughout the chapters. In this sense, it also feels like the intervention discourses are more focused on treatment rather than co-production or recovery.
However, and as with the series as whole, Garvin et al. provide something that is far more useful than it is not. Consistent with a pocket guide, it does not and cannot provide a panacea, rather a complimentary adjunct. This is a text that will appeal to, and should be utilised by, practitioners, researchers and students alike, whether embarking on small scale evaluation or larger research projects that have within them the study of and/or the use of groups.