Research Methods critique of a qualitative journal Literature review

Research Methods critique of a qualitative journal - Literature review Example It is a concise title, which is free of extraneous words and or phrases. Abstract. The wide ranging approach of the article is confirmed in the abstract which stresses the â€Å"complex and multifaceted† way in which ideology affects people at various stages in their professional careers, and in different contexts. The abstract highlights the theoretical underpinning of the work by the work of Goffman on frame analysis (1974; 1981) and outlines how a grounded theory methodology was used to analyse the interactions between professionals and older people. There was some indication of the scope, the variables and the findings of the study in the abstract, but little in the way of detail. The most accurate description for the type of research that this study represents is a survey, with strong theoretical underpinning and a focus on linking ideology with practice. No direct interactions between social workers and clients were observed, and the information about such interactions w as second-hand via the interviewing process. Introduction The problem that the article addresses is was very clearly defined as a need to evaluate the success of the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act in meeting the needs of older people. This is not a new issue, since the Act had been in force for almost two decades at the the time of publication of the article, but the author demonstrates that the critical literature has produced very mixed evaluations. The complexity of the environment, with its conflicting demands such as professional standards, management directives, shifting ideologies, financial constraints and different individual values has led to a proliferation of research outputs which illuminate the detail, but do not address the more fundamental question of dominant ideologies. The background to the problem is described as â€Å"a practice context that has challenged well established modes of social work intervention, †¦ an emphasis on inter-professional workingâ₠¬ ¦ and ethical considerations surrounding service rationing and individual rights.† (Sullivan, 2009). The problem itself is clearly formulated as a need to â€Å"explore both the manifest content and the functional properties of dominant ideology in community care practice†. (Sullivan, 2009) Literature Review Sullivan cites a number of key studies in her description of the fundamental changes in the delivery of care to older people since 1990. These include the work of Postle (1999; 2000; 2002) on the changing role of social workers, and various studies on how bureaucracy affects the delivery of care, such as Lipsky (1980) in an American context and Ellis et al. (2007) in a UK context. Stereotypes of social worker description are listed with reference to Wilmot (1995) and Dalley (1991). A great many studies on organizational policy and its effects on professionals and older people are cited. The extensive quotation of other scholars gives the literature review the qual ity of a meta-analysis, and at the end of this the author homes in on the issue of how ideologies impact on practice delivery. The somewhat overpowering density of references is no doubt due to the fact that the article rests on the author’s PhD research. (Sullivan, 2003). Method procedure. The study proper begins with a reiteration of Goffman’