The Culturagram: An Educational Tool to Enhance Practice Competence With Diverse Populations

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-63
Author(s):  
Jayshree Jani ◽  
Joshua Okundaye
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Immigrant Family ◽  
Diverse Populations ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Social Work Educators

For more than 25 years social work educators and practitioners have attempted to develop tools that would assist them in their efforts to work more effectively with people from different backgrounds. This issue is particularly important for students entering the profession. However, there has been little discussion in the literature about the developmental process of students and beginning practitioners and the effect of such tools on their attainment of practice competencies. This article discusses how the use of a culturagram influenced baccalaureate social work students’ ability to understand, assess, and plan an intervention with an immigrant family in a case scenario. We found that the culturagram augmented students’ learning and demonstrated the potential to move students and practitioners beyond cultural awareness to an ability to engage with difference.

Promoting Awareness and Understanding of Microaggressions in Social Work Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-169
Author(s):  
Jermaine J. Monk ◽  
Brenda Williams-Gray
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Work Education

BackgroundThis pilot study, conducted at a public univerisity in an urban community, collected the experiences of 42 social work students enrolled in a required course on diversity.ObjectiveThis research utilizes Critical Race Theory as a framework and expands on the themes experienced by recievers of microaggression insults, assaults, and invalidation (Sue et al., 2007).MethodsParticipants in this qualitative study completed three survey questions about: their microaggression experiences, immediate responses, and how they felt.ResultsStudent feelings provided beginning insights as to how they coped with their microaggression experiences.ConclusionSocial work educators may find this research supports the importance of cultural awareness and culturally responsive pedagogy.

Teaching Note: Infusing Diversity Content Into the BSW Curriculum: An LGBT Elders Example

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29
Author(s):  
Ginger Meyette
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Core Curriculum ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Diverse Population ◽  
Diverse Populations ◽  
The Core ◽  
Bisexual And Transgender ◽  
Diversity Issues

Diversity is a topic that is increasingly important in BSW curriculum content. Social work students are going into practice in a multicultural milieu, and there is not enough room in the core curriculum for BSW educators to add unlimited elective courses to cover every diverse population group. As one case example, Baby Boomers of all races and backgrounds are aging, contributing to an unprecedented growth in the aging population. Included in this group are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) elders. Diversity issues, including LGBT elder issues, cross all practice areas; therefore, infusion of content embedded in courses can at least introduce students to the needs of these diverse populations and assist them in envisioning possible solutions to address these needs. This article presents a rationale for the infusion of diversity content into the BSW curriculum focusing on the example of LGBT elders. Suggestions for pedagogical infusion strategies are included.

scholarly journals Using Portfolios: Integrating Learning and Promoting for Social Work Students

10.18060/59 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Schatz
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Graduate Social Work

Portfolios are a valuable educational tool to aid in the integrative experience for graduate social work students. Forty-one graduate students were asked to evaluate their portfolio experience. A Pearson correlation shows that graduate students find the experience of developing a portfolio to be reflective of their second year MSW program (r=.511; p

The Key to Learning: Engaging Undergraduate Students in Authentic Social Work Research

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 47-62
Author(s):  
Carol Hostetter ◽  
Sabrina Williamson Sullenberger ◽  
Leila Wood
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Millennial Students ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Student Grades

Social work educators highlight the value of research skills, and students often resist. Millennial students seek social connection and relevance in their educational experiences. The results of a study designed to investigate whether engaging students in authentic research increases their research knowledge and skills are reported. Forty-eight undergraduate social work students in a research method class conducted a study of adolescents’ views on poverty. In addition, students worked in teams to conduct quantitative surveys on a poverty-related topic of their choice. Three types of data were collected to evaluate the research question: student grades, a midterm evaluation of the team aspect, and an end-of-course reflection. Students’ grades were high, their perceptions of the course at midterm were predominantly positive, and their final reflection showed that the large majority (86%) thought the course design helped them improve their research knowledge and skills.

scholarly journals Applying anti-oppressive approach to social work practice in Africa: reflections of Nigerian BSW students

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Amadasun ◽  
Tracy Beauty Evbayiro Omorogiuwa
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose As the next generation of social workers in a continent bedecked by oppressive customs, it is cardinal that the voices of social work students be heard. This study aims to share the reflections of Nigerian BSW students about anti-oppressive approach to professional practice. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted among fourth-year social work students at one of the elite universities in the southern region of Nigeria. Findings Results reveal that, although willing to challenge oppressive practices, social work students are ill-equipped to apply anti-oppressive approach to social work practice in Nigeria. Research limitations/implications This study makes an important contribution to the field and to the existing literature because the findings have broader implications for social work education in Nigeria. Practical implications In enforcing the suggestions of this study, it is expected that social work education will become able to produce competently trained students who are only knowledgeable about anti-oppressive social work but are equally prepared to address Nigeria’s myriad oppressive practices that have long undermined the nation’s quest for social development. Social implications The application of the anti-oppressive approach to social work practice is integral to ridding society of all forms of overt social injustice and other forms of latent oppressive policies. Originality/value Suggestions are offered to Nigerian social work educators toward ensuring that students are not only well equipped in the understanding of anti-oppressive social work but also ready to apply this model to professional social work practice following their graduation.

People First: A Case Study in Partnering with the Community

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D. Bordelon
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Community Organization ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Macro Practice ◽  
People First

This case study demonstrates the process by which a class composed of senior social work students learns macro practice values and skills by partnering with a community organization. The products of this collaboration emerge from the real-life problem scenario in which students, community partners, and the social work educator collaborate to develop the skills necessary to resolve problems. Through community partnership, social work educators are in the position to expand the opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills, and provide opportunities to practice community organization within the classroom setting.

Performance Evaluation Using a Rubric: Grading Student Performance in Practice Courses

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Eileen Widerman
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Use Of Self ◽  
Performance Expectations ◽  
Social Work Educators

This article promotes performance evaluation using a rubric as a useful approach to assessing the extent to which social work students meet the complex learning objectives of practice courses. This approach permits assessment of qualitative competencies, such as use-of-self, and facilitates the reduction of multiple evaluation criteria to a single grade. It guides students in completing assignments, details performance expectations, and provides meaningful feedback to both student and instructor. Using a process recording as an example, the article describes how to construct, introduce, apply, and evaluate a rubric. The importance of grounding the rubric in the knowledge base of the course and submitting its content for student and peer input are stressed as a means to enhance its validity and address some of the disadvantages associated with its use. The author encourages social work educators to develop, explore, and empirically assess this, and other, nontraditional approaches to assessment.

scholarly journals Enhancing Self-Awareness: A Practical Strategy to Train Culturally Responsive Social Work Students

10.18060/482 ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nalini J. Negi ◽  
Kimberly A. Bender ◽  
Rich Furman ◽  
Dawnovise N. Fowler ◽  
Julia Clark Prickett
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Culturally Responsive Practice ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Competence Training ◽  
Self Discovery

A primary goal of social justice educators is to engage students in a process of self-discovery, with the goal of helping them recognize their own biases, develop empathy, and become better prepared for culturally responsive practice. While social work educators are mandated with the important task of training future social workers in culturally responsive practice with diverse populations, practical strategies on how to do so are scant. This article introduces a teaching exercise, the Ethnic Roots Assignment, which has been shown qualitatively to aid students in developing self-awareness, a key component of culturally competent social work practice. Practical suggestions for classroom utilization, common challenges, and past student responses to participating in the exercise are provided. The dissemination of such a teaching exercise can increase the field’s resources for addressing the important goal of cultural competence training.

scholarly journals Professional Socialization and Attitudes Towards Interprofessional Collaboration Among Graduate Social Work and Health Professions Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison West ◽  
Shari Miller ◽  
Judith Leitch
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Professional Socialization ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Implicit Curriculum

Although there is an aggressive push towards interprofessional collaboration in higher education as well as in practice, the traditional culture and organization of higher education, as well as the need for and history of disciplinary distinction, may impede these efforts. Using an online survey, this study explored the relationship between professional socialization of 157 graduate students in four disciplines and their perceptions and attitudes about interprofessional collaboration. Results indicate that first year students had more positive perceptions and attitudes about interprofessional collaboration than more advanced students. Furthermore, social work students perceived themselves as having lower prestige than graduate-level nursing, pharmacy, and medical students. These findings suggest that, unless managed strategically, professional socialization may diminish positive perceptions and attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration. Thus, social work educators should pay careful attention to the role of professional socialization and how it is manifest in both the explicit and implicit curriculum.

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