Gaining qualitative perspective: A career interview with Roy Ruckdeshel

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-369
Author(s):  
Karen M Staller
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Faculty Position ◽  
Lutheran Education ◽  
University Politics ◽  
Life Philosophy ◽  
Life Path ◽  
Publishing Career

Qualitative Social Work has a tradition of publishing career interviews of distinguished social worker scholars who have been influential in conservations on qualitative inquiry. This career interview with Roy Ruckdeschel, an American social worker who held a faculty position at St. Louis University for 38 years, blends his personal, professional, and intellectual biography. It is based on an extended career interview with Professor Ruckdeschel and on his scholarly writing. Starting with his working class background and conservative Lutheran education, the article traces his advanced education decisions which were shaped by coming of age during a particularly turbulent era of American history. This included escalating American involvement in the Viet Nam War and widespread racial and civil unrest in major U.S. cities. Ruckdeschel studied both social work and sociology, choices largely driven by a quest for “rigor.” Although he started his career as a classic survey researcher, he was quickly disillusioned by its lack of attention to interpersonal interaction and context. As Ruckdeschel’s scholarship matured, he argued for a “qualitative perspective” as a way of melding theories of social action with strategies of qualitative inquiry. It was a synthesis that became a life philosophy influencing his understanding of research, practice, and university politics. In 2002, Ruckdeschel accepted Ian Shaw’s invitation to launch a new journal, Qualitative Social Work, in order to create an institutional home for scholars who choose a qualitative path but were largely shut out of mainstream social work institutions. Ruckdeschel offers advice for those who follow a qualitative life path.

Street-level bureaucracy revisited

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Monteiro
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Specific Task ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Street Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Way

In social work practice, keeping records of encounters with clients is a routinized practice for documenting cases. This paper focuses on the specific task of obtaining the prospective clients’ correct address for filling in a standardized personal report form. My analysis focuses in the way both the client(s) and the social worker cooperatively orient to the practice of writing addresses, showing how this apparently simple task is multimodally implemented within interaction, and how it can generate some complications and expansions. A special focus will be devoted to difficulties encountered by clients to give their address in an adequate way, as well as to the transformation of this activity from an individual to a collective task.

What's the problem with disaster? Anthropology, social work, and the qualitative slot

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1496-1516
Author(s):  
Tisha Joseph Holmes ◽  
John Mathias ◽  
Tyler McCreary ◽  
James Brian Elsner
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
The Social ◽  
Disaster Anthropology ◽  
Political Economic

On March 3, 2019, an EF4 tornado devastated the rural Alabama communities of Beauregard and Smith Station, killing 23 people and causing direct injuries to another 97. This storm was unusually devastating, with twice the predicted casualty rate based on the tornado’s power, the impacted population, and impacted housing stock. In this paper, we apply qualitative methods from anthropology, geography, and planning to better understand the social context of this unusually devastating tornado. Recognizing that there are multiple formulations of the problem of disasters, we aim to highlight how interdisciplinary qualitative research can deepen our understanding of tornado disasters. Combining policy analysis, political economic critique, and ethnographic description, we seek to showcase how qualitative research enables us to interrogate and reimagine the problem of disasters. Rather than simply juxtaposing qualitative and quantitative methods, we emphasize how the heterogeneity of qualitative research methods can strengthen interdisciplinary research projects by generating dialogue about the multiple contexts relevant to understanding a social problem. While problem definition remains a central challenge to establishing a dialogue between anthropology and social work, here, we intend to extend this discussion to larger interdisciplinary collaborations. Situating the issue of problem formation within a broader ecology of qualitative inquiry, we highlight how dialogue about problem definition can, itself, produce meaningful insights into how we understand disasters.

Modernité et néo-clercs

1982 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josianne Bodart
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Medical Field ◽  
Reference Models ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
And Training

While mutual aid is secular, social work as a profession is not yet a hundred years old, and training in this field only began at the turn of the century. Neither priest nor doctor, but equally devoted and competent, the social worker is half-way between the two. His relay function is mediatized by a salary received not from his client, but from an institution which acknowledges he has a cer tain effectiveness. Social work thus reminds us at one and the same time of the priest's priesthood and the doctor's specializa tion. This neo-cleric treats the soul as well as the body and he has ambiguous relations with spelialized institutions which are in pur suit of the sacred or in pursuit of health. The social worker tries to find reference models both in the religious world and in the medi cal world. Furthermore, an analysis of his discourse reveals that he mobilizes items of counter-legitimacy with respect to both the religious and the medical field. This intentionally marginal belonging to two worlds leads him to constantly have doubts about the objectives to be pursued and the decisions to be taken. It is probably in this perspective that the feeling of uneasiness which persuades the world of social work and which prevents these professionals from getting away from vagueness and uncertainty, should be understood.

Social workers’ attitudes toward human rights in a sample from Taiwan

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 295-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Yi Chen ◽  
I-Chen Tang
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Educational Training ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Protests ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

The human rights concept is that everyone is entitled to enjoy those rights inherent to being human, without distinction. However, should human rights be considered a self-evident value for the social work profession? This study was to explore how social workers in Taiwan perceive the human rights concept. Responses from 276 social worker participants were analyzed by using a self-administered questionnaire. This study showed that social workers had a general knowledge of human rights. Receiving human rights educational training and engaging in social protests were important variables in increasing human rights awareness for social work practitioners.

scholarly journals Social pedagogy vs social work in Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Odrowąż-Coates ◽  
Katarzyna Szostakowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Associate Professor ◽  
Screening Procedure ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Social Pedagogy ◽  
Literary Sources

This article is a descriptive review of the historical and theoretical conditions of social pedagogy and social work in Poland. It pertains to the definition, tradition and development of social pedagogy and social work in Poland. Using the insiders’ expert overview of the latter, it identifies the disciplinary boundaries, commonalities and differences that shape both social work and social pedagogy today. The authors present the academic roots, methodology, research scopes, theoretical framework for practitioners and finally, the practical application for both disciplines. The discussion is based on literary sources and extensive experience in the field presented by an associate professor of social pedagogy and a qualified social worker, both employed at a social pedagogy department. This combination ensures scientific honesty and a double-screening procedure of the content from the perspective of practitioners representing both disciplines. This approach provides a balanced view, since the interdependency and separation of the two fields may be seen as an area of potential negotiation.

scholarly journals Dynamics of assertive behavior in the social work students

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (28) ◽  
pp. 14-21
Author(s):  
Anton Stoykov
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Life Situation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Assertive Behavior ◽  
Personal Skills ◽  
Main Components

The article deals with the dynamics of assertive behavior in the Social Work students as assertiveness is one of the most important personal skills needed for the successful interaction between them and their Clients who face a difficult life situation. The characteristics of assertiveness have been theoretically determined paying special attention to the specifics of its manifestations in the interaction between the Social Worker and the Client. On the basis of the conducted empirical study involving Social Work students, analyzed is the dynamics of their assertive behavior based on some of its main components and on their integrity as a personal quality. Considering the research results, justified is the need of including in the educational process specially elaborated programmes with a main focus on the development of assertive behavior.

scholarly journals METHODS OF SOCIAL WORK MANAGEMENT IN THE ACTIVITIES OF A SOCIAL WORKER

2021 ◽  
pp. 51-61
Author(s):  
Maryna Lekholetova
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Management

The article presents an analysis of different approaches of domestic scientists to the interpretation of the concept of «social work management». The author surveys the features of management as an object of governance in the activities of a social worker. Features include the social nature of management information; the need for motivation methods that effectively influences and motivates professionals to better results in social work; availability of social workers' professional competence; the presence of problems with forecasting the results of management in the social sphere; the importance of current and final management results. The author proves the necessity of social workers' self-management skills (time management, motivation, stress resistance and recuperation, development of emotional intelligence) for the effective performance of management tasks in professional activities.  The article highlights the principles that should be followed in solving organizational and managerial tasks in social work management (purposefulness, ability of realization, adaptability, efficiency). The researcher presents the structure of social work management methods in the study (economic, administrative, social counselling, psychological and pedagogical influence, social influence). Research characterizes the methods of social work management while working with recipients of social services (methods of individual social work, methods of group social work, methods of community work, methods of social service design).

scholarly journals Construction of Reflexivity in Social Workers Working with Vulnerable Children in the Czech Republic

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Kateřina Glumbíková
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
The Impact

Social work in the Czech Republic is confronted with the impact of global neoliberalism, which is manifested by privatisation of social services, individualisation of social risks and economisation. Reflexivity of social workers working with vulnerable children and their families has the potential to lead to a higher quality of social work, strengthening of social workers' identity, and empowering social workers to promote changes in everyday practice. Meeting this potential requires an understanding of constructing reflexivity by social workers, which is the objective of this paper. We used a qualitative research strategy, particularly group and individual interviews with social workers and their analysis using current approaches to grounded theory. Concerning data analysis, we found out that constructing reflexivity (nature and subject of reflexion) derives from the perceived roles of social workers (social worker as an ununderstood artist, social worker a as mediator between social and individual, social workers as an agent of a (society) change, social workers as an agent of normalisation and reflexive professional). The acquired data, within the situational analysis, was inserted into a position map on the scale of holistic and technical reflection. The conclusion discusses the implication for practice and education in social work.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document