A social worker reads a journal article discussing a quantitative survey on social work students' attitudes. What type of article is this?

The article is classified as empirical because it discusses original research that involves the collection and analysis of quantitative data focused on social work students' attitudes. Empirical articles report on studies that utilize methods such as surveys, experiments, or observations to gather data, and then present findings that contribute to the body of knowledge in a specific field, in this case, social work education.

An empirical article typically includes sections detailing the methods used for data collection, statistical analyses, results, and discussions that interpret the findings. This type of research is foundational for informing practice, policy, and education within the social work profession, making it particularly relevant for understanding the attitudes of social work students based on data.

Other types of articles, such as theoretical articles, focus on developing concepts or frameworks without presenting new data. Literature reviews summarize existing research on a topic but do not present new empirical findings. Editorials express opinions or perspectives rather than contributing original research, making them distinct from empirical articles as well.