The Cultivation of Social Work Knowledge: Toward a More Robust System of Peer Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 104438942110122
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Dunleavy
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Recent Issue ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Robust System ◽  
Work Knowledge ◽  
Science Movement

In a recent issue of Families in Society, Caputo argues for the “centrality” of peer review in the cultivation of social work knowledge. Specifically, he favors the double-blind model of peer review. In this paper, I argue that social work should adopt a more dynamic set of reviewing practices. First, I define some terminology and discuss the limitations of the current double-blind model. Then, I describe recent trends in peer review, which I argue foster a more robust and open system. I frame this discussion within the context of the wider open science movement and urge social workers to engage with these scholarly practices. In line with these practices and values, a freely accessible preprint is available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/rvqze/

scholarly journals The Cultivation of Social Work Knowledge: Towards a More Robust System of Peer Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Dunleavy
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Recent Issue ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Robust System ◽  
Work Knowledge ◽  
Science Movement

In a recent issue of Families in Society, Caputo (2019) argues for the "centrality" of peer review in the cultivation of social work knowledge. Specifically, he favors the double-blind model of peer review. In this paper, I argue that social work should adopt a more dynamic set of reviewing practices. First, I define some terminology and discuss the limitations of the current double-blind model. Then, I describe recent trends in peer review, which I argue foster a more robust and open system. I frame this discussion within the context of the wider open science movement and urge social workers to engage with these scholarly practices. In line with these practices and values, a freely accessible preprint is available at: xxxxxxxx.

Political Social Work: An Essential Component of the Profession

2021 ◽  
pp. 359-381
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Social Work Faculty ◽  
Field Placements ◽  
High Level ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Work Knowledge ◽  
Initial Results

Social workers have played a key role in political settings from the profession’s historic roots to present day. Their knowledge, skills and values position social workers to practice in political settings. Social work faculty and students were interviewed to assess a) how field placements in legislative offices and participation in Campaign School and NASW-sponsored Legislative Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) impacted students’ professional development and perspectives on political social work, and b) social work faculties’ perception of these activities in students’ social work education and necessary political social work knowledge and skills. Initial results demonstrate a high level of support for these activities among faculty and students with opportunities to further include them in the explicit and implicit social work curriculum.

The Development and Initial Validation of the Empathy Scale for Social Workers

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve King ◽  
Michael J. Holosko
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Master Of Social Work ◽  
Initial Validation ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Student Training ◽  
Empathy Scale ◽  
Work Knowledge

Empathy is a core principle essential to social work. Despite this emphasis, minimal empirical research of empathy has been undertaken by social work researchers. The purpose of this study was to develop and initially validate the Empathy Scale for Social Workers (ESSW). The ESSW is a 41-item self-report inventory designed to assess empathy in social work practitioners. The sample ( N = 271) consisted of social workers who had attained the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. Findings revealed promising psychometric properties for the ESSW, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) demonstrated content, construct, and factorial validity. Results were encouraging and they lay the ground work for the continued development of the ESSW. This scale addresses a gap in social work knowledge regarding the empirical evaluation of empathy. Results have implications for social work as the scale may be used to assess student training needs and/or as a screening tool for social work supervisors and practitioners.

scholarly journals Practising social work

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 97-114
Author(s):  
Guy Shennan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Science Knowledge ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Interviews ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Work Knowledge

The chapter considers changes and developments in the content of social work education under the three headings of social science disciplines, understanding human development and relationships, and theories, approaches and methods for practice. At the start of the period under review, social science knowledge (primarily from sociology and social policy) and human development theories predominated, but as their research base and published literature have expanded, theories and methods for practice have become more prominent. The contribution to knowledge from research conducted by social workers themselves is acknowledged, as is the contribution made by experts by experience, both directly and through research interviews. The prominence of sequences on law for social workers is noted. The chapter concludes by asserting that the broad partnership of interests which should determine the content of the social work knowledge base is threatened by Government's much-expanded role, but that most social work programmes continue to ensure a balanced curriculum.

scholarly journals Open peer review: promoting transparency in open science

2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 1033-1051
Author(s):  
Dietmar Wolfram ◽  
Peiling Wang ◽  
Adam Hembree ◽  
Hyoungjoo Park
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Steady Growth ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
Review Reports ◽  
Science Movement ◽  
Different Levels

AbstractOpen peer review (OPR), where review reports and reviewers’ identities are published alongside the articles, represents one of the last aspects of the open science movement to be widely embraced, although its adoption has been growing since the turn of the century. This study provides the first comprehensive investigation of OPR adoption, its early adopters and the implementation approaches used. Current bibliographic databases do not systematically index OPR journals, nor do the OPR journals clearly state their policies on open identities and open reports. Using various methods, we identified 617 OPR journals that published at least one article with open identities or open reports as of 2019 and analyzed their wide-ranging implementations to derive emerging OPR practices. The findings suggest that: (1) there has been a steady growth in OPR adoption since 2001, when 38 journals initially adopted OPR, with more rapid growth since 2017; (2) OPR adoption is most prevalent in medical and scientific disciplines (79.9%); (3) five publishers are responsible for 81% of the identified OPR journals; (4) early adopter publishers have implemented OPR in different ways, resulting in different levels of transparency. Across the variations in OPR implementations, two important factors define the degree of transparency: open identities and open reports. Open identities may include reviewer names and affiliation as well as credentials; open reports may include timestamped review histories consisting of referee reports and author rebuttals or a letter from the editor integrating reviewers’ comments. When and where open reports can be accessed are also important factors indicating the OPR transparency level. Publishers of optional OPR journals should add metric data in their annual status reports.

The nature of practice wisdom in social work revisited

2008 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C.K. Chu ◽  
Ming-sum Tsui
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Travail Social ◽  
Trabajo Social ◽  
Work Knowledge ◽  
Forms Of Knowledge

English Social work knowledge cannot be adequately articulated by the positivistic epistemology. It arises from the judgements rather than the techniques. Forms of knowledge acquisition and utilization must be reinvented so that there is a close and equal partnership among the profession, practitioners and students. This will enable social workers to discover, articulate and use their knowledge most effectively. French L'épistémologie positiviste ne permet d'articuler adéquatement le savoir en travail social. Celle-ci découle davantage des préjugés que des techniques. Les façons d'acquérir et d'utiliser le savoir demandent à être repensées de manière à établir un partenariat serré, sur une base d'égalité entre la profession, les practiciens et les étudiants. Les travailleurs sociaux pourront ainsi découvrir, articuler et exploiter le savoir de façon plus efficace. Spanish El conocimiento de trabajo social no puede ser adecuadamente articulado por la epistemología positivista. Ya que este conocimiento surge de opiniones, criterios más que técnicas. Formas de adquisición y utilización de conocimiento debe ser reinventada de tal manera que exista una colaboración igualitaria entre la profesión, practicantes y estudiantes. Esta colaboración ayudara trabajadores sociales a descubrir, articular y usar nuestro conocimiento más efectivamente.

Social Work in Islam, Socio-Religious Revelations, and Conflicts

2020 ◽  
pp. 187-200
Author(s):  
Naila Iqbal Khan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Client Characteristics ◽  
The Social ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Work Knowledge

To provide effective social services to different cultural groups requires cultural understanding which is often missed in recent social work education programs and textbooks. The use of fundamentally different social work knowledge and a different approach in every different cultural group is the key to effective social work in different areas. How to adopt social work in working with Muslim communities is an unresolved question so far. It can be done only by focusing on possible client characteristics, understanding the level of difficulties, and requirements from the perspective of the social workers. Issues of spirituality, different levels of understanding and working knowledge of working professionals, and understanding expectations of clients are relevant. All the educational institutions, agencies, and social workers must put up coordinated efforts to achieve the objective of localized social work for Muslim clients.

Virtue epistemology and epistemic humility: national and international implications for social work

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 69-84
Author(s):  
Martyn Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Virtue Epistemology ◽  
Epistemic Humility ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
Work Knowledge ◽  
Original Approach

This paper adopts an original approach to social work by using virtue epistemology to analyse critically contemporary social work knowledge and practice. There is an epistemic danger that social workers are using knowledge in an overconfident and uncritical way.  It is argued that this epistemic confidence is linked to the narrow and at times authoritarian practices of contemporary social work. The paper reviews the concept of virtue ethics and connects it to epistemology and the virtues needed to apply knowledge ethically. Epistemic humility is seen as a key epistemological virtue in social work and its implications for social work nationally and internationally are considered. The key message of this paper is that virtue epistemology provides a way to explore how we can be before we decide what to do

Redeeming the rejected: Curious George and evidence-based approaches

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 671-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron PB Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Complete Rejection ◽  
Work Knowledge

The author’s recent participation in a doctoral course on epistemology and the nature of social work knowledge produced an inner struggle regarding the validity of positivist and evidence-based approaches to social work practice and research. This article seeks to share some of this struggle as many social workers, students, and researchers have and continue to encounter debates regarding the use of evidence-based approaches in social work practice and research. The dichotomous nature these debates often take has often resulted in the exclusive embracing, defending and perpetuation of evidence-based approaches or the complete rejection and discarding of such approaches. The author suggests in this article that social workers, researchers, and academics consider an alternative approach to the debate.

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