scholarly journals Political Primacy and MSW Students' Interest in Running for Office

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 276-289
Author(s):  
Patrick Meehan

Although social workers are understood to participate in politics more than the general public, little is known about their interest in running for office. To understand how individuals in “helping” professions like social work may think about running for office, this study introduces the concept of political primacy. Political primacy refers to the value individuals assign to elected office’s ability to make a difference, relative to alternative ways of making a difference. Using data from the Michigan Law & Social Work Study, representing a sample of 545 MSW and 200 JD students across Michigan, political primacy was shown to significantly predict MSW students’ interest in running for office at the local level. Consequently, the more MSW students see elected office as a more effective way of making a difference than alternatives, the more interested they will be in running for office. Implications for social work education are discussed, including the socialization of social work students into politics.

2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh G. Clark

The Council on Social Work Education's standards requires the teaching and measurement of critical thinking skills at both the baccalaureate and masters level of social work education. How to measure those skills is a difficult question for educators. Equally difficult is determining whether the skills are being taught to social work students. This research is the result of a study begun in 1998 that compared scores on the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) of recently graduated BSW students and MSW students who had completed their degree or were in their last semester. Surprisingly, little difference seems to exist between the critical thinking skill levels of BSW and MSW students.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-56
Author(s):  
Helen M Burrows

There is a long policy and tradition of service users being involved in the education of social work students and post-qualifying candidates, and they are recognised as educators in their own right, however there appears to have been limited measurement of the impact of service user educator involvement in post-qualifying education on practice, and ultimately on outcomes for end service users. A collaborative partnership between service user educators, practitioners and academics carried out research in this area in four local authorities in the English East Midlands (Equally Experienced Research Group, 2011); whilst it was found that direct service user educator input had a positive impact on candidates’ practice, some unexpected and somewhat surprising responses arose. Interviews with candidates’ line managers identified that there appeared to be significantly less active evaluation of outcomes for service users than we had assumed would be the case.This paper initially sets the context for considering these responses by outlining the research undertaken, and considering how post-qualifying education as a whole might be evaluated as making a difference to practice. The second part of the paper looks at wider issues of evaluating practice and organisational service delivery. Methods used for measuring service user outcomes will be considered, alongside consideration of the active participation of service users in developing individual practice and agency service provision.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Wen Ying

Social work education is a disequilibrating experience that is stressful. The literature identifies religiosity, spirituality, and mindfulness as potential resources for coping in the general population. The current study examines their relationship with depressive and anxiety symptoms in social work students. A total of 65 MSW students participated in a paper-pencil survey. Only half claimed a membership in an organized religion. On average, students endorsed spirituality and mindfulness more strongly than religiosity. While religiosity and spirituality were highly correlated, mindfulness was not. Using multivariate analysis, it was discovered that mindfulness significantly reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms while religious strain increased anxiety symptoms. Implications of study findings for social work education are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 160940692098604
Author(s):  
L. Y. Saltzman ◽  
L. D. Terzis ◽  
T. C. Hansel ◽  
J. M. Blakey ◽  
D. Logan ◽  
...  

Project Title: Psychosocial Reactions to a Global Pandemic: A Diary Study During COVID-19. Design: The study uses a mixed methods design that includes both a cross-sectional quantitative survey and qualitative diary entries submitted online eight times by student participants. Context of Study: The study timeline spans the full shutdown, phase 1 reopening, and phase 2 reopening of New Orleans Louisiana. Objectives: The study has three primary objectives: (1) To better understand the experiences of Social Work Students during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) To explore risk and protective factors that influences Social Work Students’ ability to cope with stressors and changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) to track changes over time in coping among Social Work Students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Population: Current Master of Social Work (MSW) Students enrolled at Tulane University during the COVID-19 Pandemic will be invited to participate in this study.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan L. Neely-Barnes ◽  
Brittany G. Kirk ◽  
Susan Elizabeth Elswick ◽  
Laura C. Taylor ◽  
Elena Delavega ◽  
...  

Purpose: Cultural competency is a critical construct in social work education. This study investigated whether a grant-funded training program completed in tandem with second-year field placement and second-year Master of Social Work (MSW) curriculum could improve the cultural competence of MSW students. Method: Ninety-nine trainees completed the program over the 3-year grant period funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Cultural and linguistic competence was measured at the beginning and end of the training program for each cohort using a preexperimental design. Results: Findings suggest that MSW students saw improvement in their communication, values, and attitudes with respect to cultural and linguistic competence. Trainees did not report improvement on the Physical Environment subscale portion of the measure. Discussion: Results suggest that training can improve knowledge, values, and skills on cultural and linguistic competence. However, trainees may not have adequate authority to make an impact on the environment of their field placements.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 70-70
Author(s):  
Cathy Berkman

Abstract As the population ages and more people live longer with chronic and life-limiting illnesses, more healthcare professionals with palliative care skills are needed. Social workers are part of the palliative care team, but there is little, if any, content on palliative and end-of-life care in MSW programs. A 24-minute video featuring nine palliative and hospice social workers was produced with two goals: 1) increase knowledge of social work students about palliative and end-of-life care; and 2) interest social work students in a career in palliative social work. MSW students from three schools, in NY and Alabama, viewed the video. After viewing the video, 94 students participated in the mixed methods study, completing the brief, anonymous, online survey. The mean level of understanding about what palliative social workers do, rated from 1 (no understanding) to 5 (very good understanding), was 2.96 (SD=.99) before viewing the video and 4.31 (SD=.61) after, for an increase of 1.35 points (95% CI=1.14, 1.55) (p<.001). The mean level of interest in a career in palliative care social work and working with seriously ill persons and their family members, rated from 1 (Not at all interested) to 5 (Extremely interested), was 2.52 (SD=.99) before viewing the video and 3.45 SD=.80) after, for an increase of .91 points (95% CI=.79, 1.07) (p<.001). Qualitative data supporting the quantitative findings will be presented. This study suggests that a video intervention may be an effective tool to increase knowledge and interest in palliative and end-of-life care among social work students.


2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Maschi ◽  
Carolyn Bradley

Recreational music-making has been shown to decrease stress and increase feelings of well-being and empowerment among diverse groups. This study examined the impact of recreational drumming among social work students on measures of well-being, empowerment, and connectedness. It used a pretest-posttest design to evaluate outcomes among a sample of 31 participants in the 2-hour I–We Rhythm Program for recreational drumming. Results of paired t-test analyses revealed significant differences in levels of stress, energy, and feelings of empowerment and community. Using this creative-arts intervention can be an effective self-care strategy for BSW and MSW students, practitioners, and/or clients in educational or agency-based settings to increase feelings of well-being and interpersonal connectedness, which, in turn, may help to increase effectiveness in practice.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document