Social work dissertation topics and research directions

¶ … students have a strong interest in a particular area but have difficulty narrowing down the area into a suitable topic that can actually be researched. For instance, suppose you are interested in how education legislation impacts the lives of American children. How might you narrow this area down into a researchable topic? You could choose one particular piece of legislation (e.g., No Child Left Behind Act) and assess its impact on a specific subpopulation of children (e.g., elementary school children attending Title I schools).

For this Discussion, you identify a particular area of interest and narrow it to 4 -- 5 specific topics. Before you begin, consider the following questions: What course/subject area in your program, and in particular your specialization, resonate with you the most? What subject area might hold your interest for a long period of time? What knowledge do you already have regarding this subject? What aspects of this subject might be researchable?

With these thoughts in mind:

Post a description of an area related to your program, and in particular your specialization, that you wish to explore for your dissertation and explain why. Then briefly describe 4 -- 5 specific and narrow topics under the area you chose that could be researched.

My Response:

A dissertation in sociology truly prepares one to tackle many of the challenges that confront the human race and the issues that confound the human experience. A dissertation which focuses on the human services end of sociology has a wealth of subjects to choose from. Human services in sociology looks at crime, criminal behavior, the citizen and the law, gender and the law, race and the law, criminal investigation, juvenile delinquency, and general human behavior and the social environment. This paper will look at the field of how environment impacts human behavior and then examine four of the most compelling but narrower topics under this subject and discuss them in terms of a potential dissertation as a means of overturning the multiple assumptions which many sociologists hold (Useem, 1997).

The impact of environment on human behavior should not be underestimated. This dissertation will explore how each of the pillars of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs may or may not be met by the environment (Ashford, 2009). At the bottom are all physiological needs -- food water and shelter. Subsequently safety is next. Belonging and love is the next human need, as is self-esteem. At the very top of the pyramid is self-actualization. This dissertation will look at the numerous ways that the environment can fulfill those needs or not fulfill those needs of a given individual and how such elements can impact development. Thriving, success and reaching one's potential for self-actualization is far more complex than simply having all of one's needs met. For example, there are hosts of individuals who come from the best families, are given solid primary and secondary school educations, and fail to achieve or grow independent. Surely thriving and becoming a successful adult is not as simple as just having one's needs met throughout one's development. This dissertation will examine on the other hand, all the manifestations that can occur when a child's needs are not met, from the most basic, to the most nuanced, looking at a range of circumstances, data and manifestations.