At the micro-level, social workers might study the inner workings of a specific gang, communication styles, and what everyday life is like for gang members. Gang activity has been a topic of interest to social workers for many years and has been studied from each of the levels of inquiry described here. The choice depends on the specific interest of the researcher, the approach she would like to take and the sorts of questions she wants to be able to answer about the topic. While it is true that some topics lend themselves to a particular level of inquiry, there are many topics that could be studied from any of the three levels. Ruppanner found that as women’s parliamentary representation increases, so does men’s participation in housework.
In another macro-level study, Leah Ruppanner (2010) studied how national levels of gender equality in 25 different countries affect couples’ divisions of housework. By comparing laws across a number of countries over a period of many years (1945–2005), Frank learned that laws regulating rape, adultery, sodomy, and child sexual abuse shifted in focus from protecting larger entities, such as families, to protecting individuals. These researchers examined worldwide changes over time in laws regulating sex. One example of macro-level research can be seen in a recent article by David Frank and colleagues (Frank, Camp, & Boutcher, 2010). Social workers who conduct macro-level research study interactions at the broadest level, such as interactions between and across nations, states, or cultural systems. These two studies, while very different in their specific points of focus, have in common their meso-level focus. Messner studied interactions among parent volunteers, among youth participants, and between league organizers and parents and found that gender boundaries and hierarchies are perpetuated by the adults who run such leagues. In a much different study of group-level interactions, Michael Messner (2009) conducted research on children’s sports leagues. These researchers found that stereotypes about refugees being unable or unwilling to assimilate and being overly dependent on local social systems are unsubstantiated. In a recent book based on their research with Somali immigrants, Kim Huisman and colleagues (Huisman, Hough, Langellier, & Toner, 2011) examine the interactions between Somalis and Americans in Maine. Both of these studies fall within the category of micro-level analysis.Īt the meso-level, social scientists tend to study the experiences of groups and the interactions between groups. For men, having leisure time with their nuclear families was important, and role balance decreased as work hours increased (Marks, Huston, Johnson, & MacDermid, 2001).
For women, having more paid work hours and more couple time were among the most important factors. They found that different factors are important for different genders. In another study, Marks and colleagues examined the conditions under which husbands and wives feel the most balance across their many roles. In this study, the researchers found that people who experience balance across their multiple roles and activities report lower levels of depression and higher levels of self-esteem and well-being than their less-balanced counterparts. In one study, Marks and Shelley MacDermid (1996) draw from prior micro-level theories to empirically study how people balance their roles and identities. Work by Stephen Marks offers an excellent example of research at the micro-level. The particular level of inquiry might shape a social worker’s questions about the topic, or a social scientist might view the topic from different angles depending on the level of inquiry being employed.įirst, let’s consider some examples of different topics that are best suited to a particular level of inquiry. Some topics are best suited to be examined at one specific level, while other topics can be studied at each of the three different levels. Let’s take a closer look at some specific examples of social work research to better understand each of the three levels of inquiry described previously. As you’ll recall, micro-level research studies individuals and one-on-one interactions, meso-level research studies groups, and macro-level research studies institutions and policies. In Chapter 1, we reviewed the micro, meso, and macro framework that social workers use to understand the world. Describe a macro-level approach to research, and provide an example of a macro-level study.Describe a meso-level approach to research, and provide an example of a meso-level study.Describe a micro-level approach to research, and provide an example of a micro-level study.
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