The literature review is an opportunity for you to accomplish two main objectives: establish a theoretical framework for your program evaluation and survey current literature to determine the best methodology and approach for your program evaluation. Prior to implementing a program evaluation, it is essential to review current scholarly literature to ensure that your approach to addressing your problem statement is sound and supported by research. You may need to alter your methodology or approach following the literature review.
By successfully completing this assignment, you demonstrate your proficiency in the following competency and specialized behaviors:
- Competency 4: Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- C4.SP.A: Apply leadership skills, decision making, and the use of technology to inform evidence-based research practice to develop, implement, evaluate, and communicate interventions across the specialization of advanced generalist practice settings.
- Related Assignment Criteria:
- 4. Create a selective summary of empirical literature.
- 2. Assess the guiding practice theory base connected to the described problem.
- 1. Analyze the problem presented in the case study.
- C4.SP.B: Apply leadership skills, decision making, and the use of technology to inform program evaluation to develop, implement, evaluate, and communicate interventions across the specialization of advanced generalist practice settings.
- Related Assignment Criteria:
- 3: Describe the program evaluation theory base connected to the proposed methodology.
- 5: Develop a problem statement and guiding research question for the program evaluation.
Assignment Instructions
Utilize at least five empirical articles published within the last 10 years in peer-reviewed journals. These articles should be program evaluations dealing with interventions for teen parents. (See the Teen Parenting Case Study given in the resources.) Organize the information into subheadings. The order of your literature review follows:
- Introduction: Orient the reader to the case study topic—teen parenting programs—and tell the reader what to expect in this section by identifying the major subsections that follow in your thesis statement.
- Nature of the problem: Address the prevalence of teen parenting, changes over time, and consequences of teen parenting.
- Causes of the problem: Apply theoretical and social work knowledge to this issue and explain some of the risks associated with teen parenting (for example, mental health outcomes for the parent and abusive parenting practices). The causes you describe here should be directly related to the proposed interventions.
- Interventions: This section should be the most substantive part of this literature review. Review interventions that have been utilized to serve teen parents. Note that this is a literature review, not an annotated bibliography, so you should be integrating your discussion of various studies. Include a paragraph about what is not known about solving the problem and current gaps in knowledge. Assess the guiding practice theory connected to the problem. Also, describe the program evaluation theory connected to the proposed methodology.
- Summary: This section should point out the major areas of knowledge that have yet to be developed regarding this topic and identify the unique contributions your study makes to this need; point out the importance of learning the new information your study will offer.
Problem Statement and Guiding Research Questions
What is the problem this program evaluation is trying to address?
Include your research questions. Since this is a program evaluation, you should have an independent variable and dependent variable clearly stated in your questions.
Additional Requirements
Your assignment should meet the following requirements:
- Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting standards.
- Cited resources: A minimum of five scholarly sources. All literature cited should be within 10 years of publication.
- Length of paper: 6–7 double-spaced pages
Teen Parenting Case Study Your agency is providing eight-week parenting classes for teen parents in an urban environment. Services are open to both teen mothers and teen fathers, and their children can be any age. You get referrals from local schools, hospitals, social service agencies, and the Department of Children and Family Services. The interventions of the program include a weekly parenting class, dealing with topics such as child development, effective communication with children, stress management, and compassionate behavior management strategies. The anticipated outcomes of the program include: • Increased knowledge about child development. • Increased sense of competence in parenting. • Decreased reported stress levels. • Beliefs in line with compassionate behavior management strategies rather than using corporal punishment.
