The current status of social work research

This article reviews the range of research relevant to social work. It suggests a tentative framework within which different studies can be wiewed, and particular emphasis is placed on the importance of exploratory research. There is an evaluation of the contribution of research findings to current thinking in casework, and it is argued that the researcher's task is to compel the practitioner, the teacher, the student, the administrator, always to redefine aims and activities in the light of accumulating knowledge.