Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Social Work Licensure: An Exploratory Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jay Miller ◽  
Stacy M. Deck ◽  
Erlene Grise-Owens ◽  
Kevin Borders
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Dynamic Source ◽  
Social Work Licensure ◽  
Work Education

Professional regulation, namely licensing, has been a dynamic source of debate for the social work profession. Amid this debate, schools of social work are increasingly considering licensing factors as a mechanism to gauge programmatic outcomes. However, nominal literature exists on social work curricula and licensing. Further, few published articles explore social work licensing from the perspective of those most affected: social work students. This exploratory study used a scaled questionnaire, with supplemental open- ended questions, to examine undergraduate students' (N=207) perceptions about social work licensing. Data from this study suggest that although undergraduate students are confident in their ability to pass the exam, they are ambiguous about the process for taking the exam and need additional preparation. After a review of the literature, this article explicates key findings from the study, discusses implications for undergraduate social work education, and identifies relevant areas for future research.

IMPACTS OF SARS CRISIS ON SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS — REFLECTION ON SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

2004 ◽  
Vol 38 (01n02) ◽  
pp. 93-108
Author(s):  
CHING-MAN LAM ◽  
HUNG WONG ◽  
TSE-FONG TERRY LEUNG
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Direct Exposure ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The Relationship

The impacts of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) on the social work students were examined using a combined quantitative and qualitative method. A survey was conducted with 114 social work undergraduate students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong to assess their perception of the impacts of SARS on them at personal and professional level. Four focus groups had been conducted to examine the social work students' interpretation and their reflection of their experience. Results show that the SARS crisis has positive impacts on social work students. The findings indicate that students with direct exposure to SARS perceived themselves as becoming more appreciative in attitude and have greater involvement and devotion to the social work profession. Moreover, the result shows that three variables — recognition of risk, commitment and devotion, and professional reflection are positively correlated. The findings articulate the relationship between experience (risk), profession reflection and meaning generation (commitment and devotion). The findings of this study provide us with insights to rethink on our social work education.

scholarly journals The effects of an exclusionary bursary policy on student social workers: an exploratory qualitative study on the effects of the 2013 policy to cap the allocation of bursaries in England

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-110
Author(s):  
Thomas Considine ◽  
Kim Heanue ◽  
Paul Hollingdale
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Student Cohorts ◽  
Work Education

The social work bursary for England was introduced in 2003 for all students on qualifying degrees. Following a review of social work education funding, the bursary was capped in 2013. This meant that higher education institutions have had to develop policies for the allocation of bursaries and that student cohorts included students with a bursary and others who did not receive this financial support, thus creating an exclusionary system. This article presents the findings from an exploratory qualitative study that investigated the experiences of students who completed their placement under these new arrangements. The findings indicate that students who did not receive a bursary experienced additional stressors that had an adverse impact on their well-being. These findings may have significance for future research in light of considerations to abolish the bursary for all social work students.

scholarly journals GENERAL VALUES AND WORK VALUES OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS IN HONG KONG

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (01n02) ◽  
pp. 19-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHUI-WAI WONG ◽  
MANTAK YUEN
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Work Values ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Intellectual Stimulation ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
The Social ◽  
Self Transcendence ◽  
Work Education

This paper reports research that examines general values and work values held by university students studying social work in Hong Kong. Comparison is also made with values held by similar students studying in different majors. Results indicated that social work students rated general values such as benevolence, self-direction, universalism and tradition higher than their non-social work counterparts. They also rated work values such as altruism, creativity, supervisory relations, independence and intellectual stimulation more highly. However, the social work students held lower values associated with economic returns, thus supporting a view that students with an inclination towards social work tend to espouse self-transcendence and intrinsic work values, and are less influenced by material rewards. Among the social work respondents, gender differences were found in both general and work values. Differences were also noted between the groups with different modes of study. Implications for social work education and future research are discussed.

Student-Directed Behavioral Community Interventions in Social Work Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 731-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Bördlein
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Behavior Analysis ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Community Interventions ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Social Work Interventions ◽  
Work Education

Behavioral social work is the application of behavior analysis to the field of social work. There are behavioral social work interventions for individuals, groups, and communities. Nevertheless, behavioral social work is far from a widely adopted approach among social work practitioners. A reason for the underuse might be seen in the fact that most interventions in behavioral social work aim at individual clients and groups. Social work could further benefit from the application of methods taken from behavioral community interventions. Behavioral community interventions modify the behavior of a larger group of people (e.g., pedestrians using a crosswalk, cafeteria patrons, students using a university building) with antecedent- and consequence-focused interventions. The article describes a training program for social work students in behavioral community interventions. Results of two projects, undergraduate students designed and performed, are presented. Behavioral community interventions are recommended as a valuable part of the education of social workers.

Marketing Status of Social Work Education: An Exploratory Study

2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan T. Dennison
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Promotional Strategies ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The University ◽  
University Setting

New competitive realities are necessitating that social work education programs design and conduct marketing as a part of their yearly departmental planning. This exploratory study identified marketing strategies most commonly used in social work education programs today. Critical findings regarding social work educators' perceptions regarding how much other disciplines understand their profession were discovered. In addition, the promotional strategies found to be most effective for student recruitment and for increasing departmental visibility within the university setting were revealed from the study. Implications for social work education are delineated along with future research needs.

scholarly journals Preferences and Orientations of Social Work Students towards Methods and Forms of Professional Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
Ginka Mehandzhiyska
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Research Data ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

This article presents results from research on preferences of social work students (n=60) towards particular methods and forms when practicing their profession. A conceptual model has been applied, where measurements and analysis lead to identification of two methodological orientations: micro- and macro-orientation. Based on research data conclussions are made about the profile of the students' interests for practicing the social work profession in particular areas and settings. Presented analysis concludes that social work education prepares professionals with profiles relevant to the needs of social work practice.

Valuing experience in a baccalaureate social work class on human behavior

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-85
Author(s):  
Trevor G. Gates
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Adult Learning ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

Social problems are best understood through active engagement in the community, experiences that bring to light the social problems at hand. Social work education lends itself especially to practical application and experience, as addressing social welfare problems can never be entirely theoretical. Experiential education offers social work students such an opportunity, and the social work field experience offers social work students an opportunity for applied learning.Kolb’s theory of experiential adult learning, which argues that adults learn through concrete experiences, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation, provides a useful framework for understanding the importance of experiential learning in social work education. In this paper, I discuss Kolb’s contribution to adult learning theory, particularly how his theory built upon previous conceptual frameworks for understanding the adult learner. I also apply Kolb’s theory to my own learning and social work education practice. Finally, I reflect upon how my own learning experiences inform my understanding of Kolb’s experiential learning theory and my current perspective as a social work educator in a baccalaureate social work human behavior class in the United States.

scholarly journals An educational intervention focused on teaching Qualified Empathy to social work students in Finland

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eija Raatikainen ◽  
Leigh Anne Rauhala ◽  
Seija Mäenpää
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Educational Intervention ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

PurposeThe main goal of the one semester long intervention for first-year Bachelor of Social Services students was to enable them to increase their awareness of a variety of cultures and practices encountered in social pedagogical work and to support the development of their ability to interact empathically with clients.Design/methodology/approachThe aim of this article is to describe an educational intervention focused on teaching Qualified Empathic skills to social work students in higher education at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland. We introduce the concept of Qualified Empathy to describe professional empathic working skills and define it as: Qualified Empathy requires compassion for empathic action and it includes the ability for professional self-reflection, emotional skills and a healthy set of boundaries. Qualified Empathy encompasses the ability to tell the difference between sympathy and empathy, as it includes the capacity to use compassion to act in an empathic way in professional contexts (Raatikainen et al., 2017). The study was a case study, designed to explore the students' experiences of their one semester long educational intervention (n = 20). Our research question was: How do students construct Qualified Empathy as a dimension of their own professional expertise?FindingsThe results of the study demonstrate the progress areas of the students' Qualified Empathy skills. The development stages in the three progress areas are: (1) from emotional reaction to emotional response, (2) from understanding to empathic acting and (3) from client perspective to a more systemic approach. Implications of the results for Social Services students are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, as in all studies, some limitations need to be taken into account. One limitation of this study is the size and “nature of data”. Secondly, challenges with the concept of Qualified Empathy need to be addressed and more research is needed to define it more concretely. Even so, as it is a new concept, we need more discussion on the differences in the definition of empathy and Qualified Empathy. However, this study offers one new perspective for discussion which is the need for empathy training, in social work education practices and in the field. An important ethical aspect of research emphasizes that its implementation must not be to the detriment of the people being researched (Juuti and Puusa, 2020, pp. 168).Practical implicationsOur findings demonstrate that educational interventions can improve students' empathy skills to more qualified skills. We emphasized that maintaining the skill demands continuous reflection as a lifelong process. This article provides an overview of an educational intervention to improve students' Qualified Empathy skills and suggests a definition for educators to frame the teaching of professional empathy or empathy in a professional context – especially in the social work context. Furthermore, with this educational intervention in social work, we offer a way to support the students to – not only – have a more professional approach to empathy but also to find a way to establish a more emotionally sustainable environment for professionals in social services. It is essential for social work education to focus on the growth of Qualified Empathy in students through supervision and guidance which supports their professional competence. By doing so, we contribute to the development of more sustainable working environments in the social work context.Social implicationsProfessional empathy is seen as an important factor in building a socially sustainable society from the perspectives of employees, clients and patients. We noticed that it is important to allow time and space for the learners to internalize the concept of Qualified Empathy. When we allow for this, students begin to recognize and assign more value to it and, as we suggest, they become more adept in their interactions and work with clients.Originality/valueThe study was a case study, designed to explore the students' experiences of their one semester long educational intervention (n = 20). Our research question was: How do students construct Qualified Empathy as a dimension of their own professional expertise? The results of the study demonstrate the progress areas of the students' Qualified Empathy skills. The development stages in the three progress areas are: (1) from emotional reaction to emotional response, (2) from understanding to empathic acting and (3) from client perspective to a more systemic approach. Implications of the results for Social Services students are discussed.

Perceived Skills, Self-Efficacy, and Attitudes Toward Technology: A Pilot Study of BSW Students

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-81
Author(s):  
Laura Ting ◽  
Marcela Sarmiento Mellinger ◽  
Katherine Morris
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Attitudes Toward Technology ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Work Education

The Council on Social Work Education has called for the increased use of relevant technology; however, limited research is available on social work students’ perceived skills, self- efficacy, and attitudes toward technology. This study examined 215 BSW students’ perceived confidence, skills, attitudes, and self- efficacy regarding technology use before and after taking a social work and technology course. Significant differences were found in all factors except attitude. Age was negatively correlated with perceived skills and self- efficacy. Qualitative data on how students felt about technology in their future roles as social workers identified six themes: better service provision, changes in communications, improved access and productivity, client involvement, concerns with confidentiality, and role of technology. Recommendations for future research and implications for social work education and practice are discussed.

FIELDWORK SUPERVISION: MEETING REQUIREMENTS OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION THROUGH CRITICAL THINKING

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (01n02) ◽  
pp. 3-14
Author(s):  
SEEMA SHARMA
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Third World ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Structural Inequality ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

This paper highlights the process of supervision that aims to developing critical thinking amongst social work students by consciously creating spaces for them, so as to enable them to reflect upon their own position and the social context within which the individuals, groups and societies exist. It is hoped that the paper will generate debate as well as a critical and constructive evaluation of the role of supervision in the context of third world countries, which face the problem of structural inequality in their societies. The paper is also expected to provide insights for fieldwork supervisors who may wish to challenge their students to question the existing status quo in the society. The paper is based entirely on the author's experiences as a field work supervisor, her observations and discussions with students during individual conferences, group meetings, community field visits and through fieldwork reports of the students.

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