Development of Innovative Group Work Practice Using the Intervention Research Paradigm

When people feel beleaguered by life crises, social support groups can help them increase their resilience and resourcefulness. In developing support groups, social workers need to integrate knowledge from theory and research with practice wisdom to develop innovative and effective interventions that address the specific needs of particular populations. They also need to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of their interventions. Experimental and quasi-experimental designs using large sample sizes provide the most persuasive evidence of intervention effectiveness. Social work research has been criticized because researchers have not used these more rigorous designs. However, these designs are not used frequently because experimental research methodologies require a level of control over the conditions of research that makes them poorly adaptable to often uncontrollable practice settings. Recognizing this, Rothman and Thomas (1994) proposed an alternative--"developmental"--research methodology, namely the intervention research (IR) paradigm. Their nonexperimental approach is more flexible, capitalizes on the availability of small samples, and accommodates the dynamism of practice conditions. It also explicitly values practitioners' insights. In this article, the IR paradigm is illustrated in two case studies. These studies used a face-to-face support group for people with sickle cell disease (SCD) and an Internet-mediated, stress management support group for social workers. These studies are presented as a demonstration of the processes and applicability of IR methodologies in diverse contexts. We also summarize some of the useful insights that the use of this kind of methodology yields about newly developed interventions and about intervention research itself. Intervention Research Paradigm The IR paradigm was designed to provide an integrated perspective for understanding, developing, and examining the feasibility and effectiveness of innovative human services interventions (Bailey-Dempsey & Reid, 1996; Rothman & Thomas, 1994). Intervention research is typically conducted in a field setting in which researchers and practitioners work together to design and assess interventions. All parties involved in the research are vitally interested in intervention effectiveness. However, large-scale experimental studies are expensive and difficult to carry off successfully; therefore, prudence dictates that the parties must also do their best to ensure their studies produce reliable and valid findings. Rothman and Thomas's IR paradigm offers a six-stage intervention process--referred to as design and development methodology--researchers and practitioners might use for achieving methodological rigor and producing credible findings. When applying design and development methodology, researchers and practitioners begin by selecting the problem they want to remedy and identifying a range of possible strategies for achieving their goals. In the second stage, they review the literature and consult with professional experts, as well as people who have lived with the problem. The two goals of this stage are to improve researchers and practitioners' understanding of the issues and to identify criteria for appropriate and effective interventions. Any new information is then integrated into plans for the intervention. In the third stage, researchers and practitioners specify the elements of the intervention and draw up detailed plans for implementing a pilot version to determine whether it is feasible. During the fourth stage, they pilot test the intervention. These initial pilot studies reveal the intervention's strengths and flaws and suggest modifications to make it more accessible, effective, and satisfying to participants. If the pilot study indicates that the intervention is feasible, researchers then conduct further small-scale studies to ensure that all elements of the intervention can be implemented reliably under real-life conditions. …