This course is ultimately about acquiring knowledge that can be applied to practice. As a
social work professional, how do you know what you know? It can be difficult to pinpoint,
particularly if you have years of experience in a given field. You might gather knowledge
from a supervisor or a more seasoned colleague, from what has happened in the past,
from intuition, or from logic, among other sources. All of these ways of knowing can inform
the decisions and actions of a social work professional and feed into evidence-based
practice (EBP). What EBP demands also, though, is “evidence,” meaning the documented
findings of scientific research studies.
In this Discussion, you explore different ways of knowing and their relationship to EBP in
social work.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources introducing the research process and evidence-based
practice.
Consider the many ways of knowing and determine which way(s) you rely on most in your
personal or professional life.
Assignment below
Describe two different ways of knowing. Which of these do you rely on and why? Provide an
example. Then, describe the danger of professionals relying on just one way of knowing.
What might be a consequence of this reliance?
