HMPYC 80 –
Research Methodology
Section E – Chapter 22 –
Intervention Research
, 1. Introduction:
► Intervention research can be introduced as a type of research used for conceptualizing and
testing innovations, such as training programs, therapeutic interventions, as well as
programs in social sciences that requires such interventions.
- This type of research can be applied in a variety of contexts, including social work, nursing
and psychology.
► Intervention research can make use of different designs and methods to achieve the
objectives of a particular stage in the design and development process, depending on what
you want to achieve and how far the development is taken within a research project.
- A systematic review design, for example, can be used to conduct a state of the art
analysis of existing interventions, and a randomized control trial (RCT) experimental design
can then be used to test the efficacy of the intervention in practice.
2. Definition of Terms:
► In the context of intervention research, there is a distinction between intervention and
program.
► Intervention describes a series of planned actions that, when combined in a certain order
and with the specific, informed plan, will enable change to the outcome of a social condition
that is to the benefit of those receiving the intervention.
- The emphasis of an intervention is to bring change to a person or persons through active
participation in the intervention.
► Program describes a series of organizational plans, procedures and strategies, including
interventions designed to promote or enhance change in people.
- Programs have strong administrative components and represents an agency's package of
services, whereas interventions have theoretical foundations that inform the way change in
the individual is facilitated.
► A family reinforcement program may include a social support group intervention for
adolescent children and a parenting skills training intervention for parents.
► Grinnell, Gabor and Unrau regarding intervention as part of a program, defined as specific
plans with the general intention of solving identified social problems.
► Interventions or intentional change strategies or purposeful actions that can operate at the
individual, family, organizational, neighborhood, regional, national or international level.
- Some interventions can be focused and are narrowly defined, whereas others can be
broad approaches involving a variety of stakeholders and actions.
- It helps to differentiate these by viewing the intervention as ‘the heart of the matter’ or the
actual ‘change mechanism’, and programs as containers for supplementary items that are
not directly linked to the change mechanism but support the intervention.
, ► Elements such as participation eligibility criteria, application and assessment guidelines,
administrative and logical arrangements, training requirements for facilitators and quality
assurance methods are all contained in a program.
► Intervention research is defined as research carried out for the purpose of conceiving,
creating and testing innovative Human Services approaches.
- Intervention research often involves creativity and innovation, by designing programs that
add new perspectives, strategies and approaches that could be unique or offer new
solutions to persistent problems in society.
► Something is regarded as innovative when it dramatically disrupts the way things are
currently done by introducing something that is considered new – i.e., a solution that did not
exist before.
- Innovation improves the efficiency of the efforts applied to achieve change goals or
impacts people in more dramatic and life changing ways.
► Intervention researchers need to think innovatively in designing interventions, as there is a
need to identify novel and contextually relevant interventions.
3. Development of Intervention
Research:
3.1. Historical Overview:
► Intervention research grew from the collaboration between two pioneers in the field of
developmental research, namely Edwin J. Thomas and Jack Rothman
.
► Early approaches to this type of research were introduced by Rothman in his book, Social
R&D: research and development in the Human Services, which was followed by Thomas in
his consideration of Designing interventions for the helping professions.
► Their combined efforts led to the publication of their seminal work titled Intervention
research: design and development for Human Services, in 1994, in which they integrated
their individually developed models into a new model to guide intervention research D&D.
► Gitlin and Czaja contributed to the intervention research framework by adding perspectives
and applications from the healthcare field, arguing that most health care issues contain
behavioral elements requiring interventions.
- They argue that the context plays an important role in effective intervention development,
therefore it is best to include the multiple layers of the context from the start.
► The commonality in all the adaptations is that they have developed from the original model
by Rothman and Thomas or at least have a lot in common with this framework.
- As such, social workers internationally seem to still find the original framework of much
value.
