Assessing Critical Thinking: The Use of Literature in a Policy Course

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-104
Author(s):  
Shari Miller ◽  
Diane Harnek Hall ◽  
Carolyn Tice
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
White Students ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Thinking Skill ◽  
Critical Thinking Skill ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Work Education

This article presents results from a pre- and posttest study designed to assess the degree to which students' critical thinking skill levels changed as a result of enrollment in a one-semester undergraduate social policy course that employed literary works to enhance critical thinking. Data were gathered from 124 students over the course of two years. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, a standardized instrument, was used to operationalize the construct. No significant differences were found in the sample from pre- to posttest. Differences in mean scores were found between White students and students of color. Implications for social work education and for the defining and measuring of the critical thinking construct are discussed.

A Comparison of the Critical Thinking Skills of BSW and MSW Students

2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh G. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Thinking Skill ◽  
Critical Thinking Skill ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Msw Students ◽  
Work Education

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.

Social work academia and policy in Sweden

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina H. Thorén ◽  
Pia Tham
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Policy Engagement ◽  
The Welfare State

This chapter examines the engagement of social work academics in the policy process in Sweden. It begins by presenting an overview of social policy and the welfare state in Sweden and by discussing the emergence of the social work profession in that country. The development of social work education in Sweden and its contemporary features are then depicted. Following these, the methodology and the findings of a study of the policy engagement of Swedish social work academics are presented. The findings relate to the levels of engagement in policy and the forms that this takes. The study also offers insights into various factors that are associated with these, such as perceptions, capabilities, institutional support and the accessibility of the policy process. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the findings and their implications.

Social work academics and policy in Spain

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Asunción Martínez-Román ◽  
Miguel Ángel Mateo-Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Policy Engagement

This chapter examines the engagement of social work academics in the policy process in Spain. It begins by presenting an overview of social policy in Spain, particularly in the post-Franco era, and by discussing the emergence of the social work profession in that country. The development of social work education in Spain and its contemporary features are then depicted. Following these, the methodology and the findings of a study of the policy engagement of social work academics in Spain are presented. The findings relate to the levels of engagement in policy and the forms that this takes. The study also offers insights into various factors that are associated with these, such as perceptions, capabilities, institutional support and the accessibility of the policy process. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the findings and their implications.

Social work academia and policy in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoinette Lombard
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Policy Engagement

This chapter examines the engagement of social work academics in the policy process in South Africa. It begins by presenting an overview of social policy in South Africa, particularly in the post-Apartheid era, and by discussing the emergence of the social work profession in that country. The development of social work education in South Africa and its contemporary features are then depicted. Following these, the methodology and the findings of a study of the policy engagement of social work academics in South Africa are presented. The findings relate to the levels of engagement in policy and the forms that this takes. The study also offers insights into various factors that are associated with these, such as perceptions, capabilities, institutional support and the accessibility of the policy process. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the findings and their implications.

Social work academia and policy in Germany

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Herz ◽  
Stefan Köngeter
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Policy Engagement ◽  
The Welfare State

This chapter examines the engagement of social work academics in the policy process in Germany. It begins by presenting an overview of social policy and the welfare state in Germany and by discussing the emergence of the social work profession in that country. The unique features of social work education in Germany and the place of policy engagement in the social work discourse are depicted. Following these, the methodology and the findings of a study of the policy engagement of German social work academics are then presented. The findings relate to the levels of engagement in policy and the forms that this takes. The study also offers insights into various factors that are associated with these, such as perceptions, capabilities, institutional support and the accessibility of the policy process. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the findings and their implications.

Carlton, Thomas Owen

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans S. Falck
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Curriculum Development ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Work Education

Thomas Owen Carlton (1937–1992) was an expert in curriculum development in social work education as well as an author, an editor, and a scholar in health social work and social policy. He believed history influences social welfare planning.

Bridging the Explicit and Implicit Curricula: Critically Thoughtful Critical Thinking

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shari Miller ◽  
Carolyn Tice ◽  
Diane Harnek Hall
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Work Education

Critical thinking lies at the core of social work practice given that decision making often is swift and occurs in a climate of uncertainty. The recent changes to the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards developed by the Council on Social Work Education emphasize critical thinking by promoting an integrative curriculum design that distinguishes between explicit and implicit elements. This article presents critical thinking, embedded in critical theory, as a discipline-specific construct central to effective social work education and practice that links the explicit and implicit curricula. Definitions of critical thinking and their relationship to critical theory are discussed. The article argues that a critical theory framework can be applied to social work education via service learning to enhance critical thinking skills among undergraduates.

Social work academics and policy in Israel1

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idit Weiss-Gal ◽  
John Gal
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Policy Engagement ◽  
The Welfare State

This chapter examines the engagement of social work academics in the policy process in Israel. It begins by presenting an overview of social policy and the welfare state in Israel and by discussing the emergence of the social work profession and the place of policy engagement in social work in that country. The development of social work education in Israel and its contemporary features are then depicted. Following these, the methodology and the findings of a study of the policy engagement of Israeli social work academics are presented. The findings relate to the levels of engagement in policy and the forms that this takes. The study also offers insights into various factors that are associated with these, such as perceptions, capabilities, institutional support and the accessibility of the policy process. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the findings and their implications.

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