scholarly journals Cultivating reflexivity in social work students

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-74
Author(s):  
Grace S.M. Leung ◽  
Debbie O.B. Lam ◽  
Amy Y.M. Chow ◽  
Daniel F.K. Wong ◽  
Catherine L.P. Chung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Over Time

Social work educators are concerned about how best to equip social work students with the ability to self-reflect, because this is a core professional competence. The present study employed both quantitative and qualitative means to evaluate a course which set out to foster reflexivity among social work undergraduates. A quasi-experimental design was employed to examine the effectiveness of the course. Data were collected at pre-course, post-course, and 6 months after completion. We found that, over time, students in the experimental group gained more insight. The students disclosed in focus group interviews that the course had enhanced their understanding toward self, family, and society. The implications for social work education are discussed.

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.

scholarly journals “Theory’s Cool, But Theory With No Practice Ain’t Shit…”

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 672-689
Author(s):  
Dale Dagar Maglalang ◽  
Smitha Rao
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Cultural Wealth ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Critical Theories ◽  
Education Needs ◽  
Work Education

As it stands today, social work education falls short in providing critical theories and frameworks that reflect the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Such insufficiencies maintain racism and other forms of oppression that plague both social work pedagogy and praxis. To challenge and dismantle hegemonic curricula, social work education needs to do more to provide the knowledge and tools necessary for anti-racist social work. The purpose of this article is to present five critical theories and frameworks written by Indigenous and People of Color scholars that social work educators, researchers, and practitioners can integrate into their teaching and practice to raise the critical consciousness of social work students. These five postulations are Compa Love, Racial Triangulation Theory, Breath of Life Theory, kapwa, and cultural wealth. The article will also discuss implications for social work education and practice. Centering the voices of under-represented scholars whose epistemologies are rooted in the lived experiences and communities that the field of social work traverses provides a pathway for social work education and practice to be tailored towards self-determination for all.

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.

Many Hands Make Light Work: Team Teaching in Social Work Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-216
Author(s):  
Katharine Dill ◽  
Wes Shera ◽  
Jeanine Webber
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Team Teaching ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Team ◽  
Teaching Environment ◽  
Team Collaboration ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

Teaching is often a solitary endeavor, but teaching with others can enrich the educational experiences of faculty and social work students alike. This teaching note is a call to action for all social work educators to focus on the underlying tenets of the team-teaching environment as a mechanism for enriching the social work educational environment. Role modeling and educating students about team collaboration is an essential component of readiness for practice. This teaching note provides real world strategies for creating and enhancing the team-teaching environment in social work learning spaces that include the classroom and field placement.

scholarly journals Delivering social work education on inquiry reports addressing harm to vulnerable people: An exploratory study

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Houston ◽  
Mary McColgan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Work Education

Summary This article outlines a research study examining how social work education, in relation to case reviews and inquiry reports, was structured and delivered to a range of social work students in Northern Ireland. Adopting a qualitative design, nine social work educators in the region were interviewed and asked about their approach to presenting findings from the reports to social work students and the issues this raised for the research sample. The results revealed three key themes: the salience of the organizational context; how learning was structured and organized; and the various attempts to build social work competence. Findings These themes showed that the co-ordinators were delivering a complex area of knowledge. It was clear that they had given considerable thought to the essential messages from the reports even though the constraints of time and setting were apparent. Moreover, they employed a range of innovations in the way the reports were theorized and how the knowledge coming from them was disseminated. The importance of the ‘fear factor’ within students was a primary issue affecting teaching and learning strategies. Applications The findings can be used as a foundation for further research into this area, looking at student feedback, the attainment of learning outcomes and, importantly, ways of enhancing teaching and learning approaches on this sensitive area. The research can also contribute to the identification of social work educators' learning needs and how to approach emotionally laden case studies of significant harm to vulnerable individuals.

Students and Faculty as Co-Teachers: Processes of Self-Efficacy and Educational Empowerment

1996 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marceline M. Lazzari ◽  
Nancy A. Banman ◽  
Robert L. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Qualitative Research Study ◽  
Professional Experiences ◽  
Work Education

When students and faculty share teaching roles and responsibilities, an innovative and challenging learning environment emerges. This paper presents findings from a qualitative research study that sought to explicate the meaning of co-teaching from the perspectives of student co-teachers. Thirty-six undergraduate social work students were interviewed. Student co-teachers reported that their social work education, knowledge, values, and skills were positively affected and their relationships with faculty and students enhanced. The data hold relevance for all social work educators who are interested in creating learning opportunities that more closely replicate the world of practice. In so doing, it appears that processes of self-efficacy and educational empowerment become reciprocally engaged and result in personal/professional experiences that expand the boundaries of traditional educational approaches.

Personality Type Preferences of Social Work Students: Enhancing Education through Understanding Personality Variables

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan J. Dettlaff ◽  
Linda S. Moore ◽  
Tracy J. Dietz
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Personality Type ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Myers Briggs Type Indicator ◽  
Personality Preferences ◽  
Personality Variables ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Work Education

Social work education emphasizes the development of self-awareness and the effective use of self One component of self-awareness is the understanding of personality variables and how these variables can affect relationships with others. Social work educators have the responsibility of helping students understand their own personality preferences in order to work effectively with clients of differing personality types. The purpose of this study is to identify the personality type preferences of social work students, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and to determine if there are significant differences between social work students and students in other disciplines. Results of this study reflect significant differences between social work students and students in other disciplines in the Sensing-Intuition and Thinking-Feeling dimensions of personality type. Implications for education and practice and discussed.

Developing Professional Competence in Graduate School: Student Experiences of the Social Work Curriculum

Public Voices ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Kessen ◽  
Kielty Turner
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
The Social ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Work Education

This qualitative study explores the development of professional competence in masterslevel social work students at a faith-based university in the northeastern United States. Through focus groups, students discuss aspects of the implicit and explicit curriculum that helped them develop mindfulness, self-compassion, and empathy – qualities thought to contribute to professional competence in social work practice.Considering their years of study, students identified specific course topics, activities and assignments as well as relationships with students, advisors, and internship supervisors. Support of fellow students and unconventional experiences such as meeting a homeless man on the street had a strong impact on students’ development of the qualities being studied. Implications for social work education and professional training for the helping professions are discussed. These preliminary results are part of a larger longitudinal study in progress.

An Early Planning Model for Increasing International Content in Social Work Education

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Joanne Riebschleger ◽  
DeBrenna LaFa Agbényiga
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Curriculum Planning ◽  
Planning Model ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Planning Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Globalized World

Social work educators are challenged to prepare social work students for practice in an increasingly globalized world. They may respond to this situation with a broad-spectrum planning approach, but knowledge is limited about how to begin. This conceptual analysis proposes an early curriculum-planning model that can be used to increase international content within social work education programs. Educators can prepare, scan, and plan for increasing international curriculum content. They can consider student learning opportunities within classrooms and field sites of their institutions, as well as those of international host institutions, as shown in examples drawn from the social work education literature. The model provides a place for social work educators to begin the journey of international curriculum planning and enhancement.

scholarly journals Relational Learning and Teaching with BME Students in Social Work Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Jean Dillon ◽  
Diana J Pritchard
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Academic Experience ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Student Relationship ◽  
Work Education

Given the imperative to redress the education inequalities between Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and White students, this contribution explores advances and challenges from within Social Work education (SWE) in relation to the experiences of Black social work students. Drawing on critical race theories and the concept of racial battle fatigue, it explores the impacts of race and racism on students’ academic experience and wellbeing. It proposes the significance of relational wellbeing which has been a constant strand within Social Work education and comprises a valuable approach to the decolonisation process within higher education (HE). Linking this to critical pedagogy, it highlights the role of staff to build safety, confidence and trust to support students to overcome prior education experiences of under-attainment, disadvantage and social marginalisation. Despite the pervasiveness of managerialism within HE, which compromises the teacher-student relationship and emphasises measured changes in student ‘outcomes’, Social Work educators are invited to nurture safe and transformational learning environments.

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