This assignment invites you to integrate your learning from the course by reflecting on how research informs ethical, culturally
responsive, and evidence-based social work practice. You will revisit a social issue you care about, explore how research supports
action, and outline a plan for staying engaged with research throughout your career.
Note: FirstPass, an AI-powered feedback tool, is available to use as you draft this assignment. The FirstPass tool for this
assignment is available in the Weekly To-Do List and includes directions on how to upload your draft to receive real-time feedback
before you submit for a grade.
Instructions
Write a 3–4 page paper (not including title or reference pages) that uses the headings and addresses the components given below.
Reflection on Learning and Professional Identity
Reflect on how your understanding of the role of research in social work has evolved during this course.
In your reflection, explain how your growth connects to social work values, ethics, and your identity.
Describe how research supports ethical social work practice and connects to key values from the NASW Code of Ethics.
Consider the role of social justice and culture in your ethical social work practice.
Explain how becoming research-minded enhances your professional identity and ability to advocate for clients and
communities.
Include strategies and goals for ongoing research engagement in a thoughtful and realistic plan.
Research-Informed Practice Application
Revisit the social problem or practice issue you explored in your first assignment and complete the following:
Summarize the key research findings you discovered and how they expanded your understanding of the issue.
Discuss how research can inform real-world decision-making and intervention related to this issue.
Address how ethical considerations, cultural responsiveness, and social justice relate to using this research in practice.
Lifelong Learning and Research Engagement
Identify strategies you will use to stay informed about research in your area of interest.
Include two strategies such as subscribing to a journal, joining a professional organization, attending workshops, et cetera.
Describe a long-term professional goal related to research-informed practice.
Reflect briefly on how you will continue to grow as an ethical, evidence-informed social worker.
Additional Requirements
Your assignment should also meet the following requirements:
Written communication:
Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.
5/11/26, 7:06 PM [u10a1] Week 10 Assignment: Becoming a Research-Minded Social Worker
https://courseroom.capella.edu/courses/60023/assignments/1094102?module_item_id=3022815 1/5
Apply the standard writing conventions for the discipline, including structure, voice, person, and tone.
APA formatting: Use Academic Writer (https://lat.strategiced.com/redirect?linkid=4472) for guidance in citing sources and
formatting your paper in proper APA style. See the Writing Center (https://lat.strategiced.com/redirect?linkid=1541) for more
APA resources specific to your degree level.
Number of resources: Identify at least four recent (within the last 7 years) scholarly sources that support your positions and use
them throughout your paper using appropriate APA citations.
Use the Social Work Master’s Program (MSW) Library Guide (https://capellauniversity.libguides.com/msw) for research
resources and library tools.
Length of paper: 3–4 typed, double-spaced pages, excluding title and reference pages, and 1-inch margins.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Review the Becoming a Research-Minded Social Worker rubric to see the criteria by which your assignment will be evaluated
before submission.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and
rubric criteria:
Competency 1: Apply research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and programs. (C4.GP.A)
Reflect on how your understanding of the role of research in social work has evolved during this course. (C4.GP.A)
Summarize the key research findings you discovered and how they expanded your understanding of the issue. (C4.GP.A)
Discuss how research can inform real-world decision-making and intervention related to this issue. (C4.GP.A)
Identify strategies you will use to stay informed about research in your area of interest. (C4.GP.A)
Describe a long-term professional goal related to research-informed practice. (C4.GP.A)
Reflect briefly on how you will continue to grow as an ethical, evidence-informed social worker. (C4.GP.A)
Competency 2: Identify ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for
use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work. (C4.GP.B)
Describe how research supports ethical social work practice and connects to key values from the NASW Code of Ethics.
(C4.GP.B)
Explain how becoming research-minded enhances your professional identity and ability to advocate for clients and
communities. (C4.GP.B)
Address how ethical considerations, cultural responsiveness, and social justice relate to using this research in practice.
(C4.GP.B)
Competency 3: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the
social work profession.
Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.
Apply the standard writing conventions for the discipline, including structure, voice, person, and tone.
View Rubric
Week 10 Assignment: Becoming a Research-Minded Social Worker