scholarly journals Disability Competency in Social Work Education: Tools for Practice Teaching

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-77
Author(s):  
Ami Goulden
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Disabled Persons ◽  
Student Evaluations ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Work Education

Social work education has been slow to integrate the intersectionality of disability, even though the prevalence of social work practice with disabled persons is increasing. The profession has historically prescribed to a medical model of disability and struggles with how best to support service users in the disability community. Social workers’ attitudes toward disabled persons is an essential component to the rapport and working relationship with persons with disabilities. As most social work graduates will encounter persons with disabilities in their practice, training and field education must incorporate assessment tools to assist in student evaluations with this population. Evidence suggests that field instructors need additional assessment tools for evaluating students’ preparedness for the field (Vinton & Wilke, 2011). This paper has three objectives: 1) to review disability competence within the social work profession in the North American context, 2) to compare the validity, practicality, and theoretical frameworks of two disability attitudinal scales as potential assessment tools for student evaluations, and 3) to offer recommendations for the implication of social work education and practice.

Assertiveness and Field Education: An Exploratory Study

1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-94
Author(s):  
Alonzo Cavazos ◽  
Dolores Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Field Instruction ◽  
Assertiveness Training ◽  
Work Education

This study examines the effect of field instruction on assertiveness and tests the effectiveness of an assertiveness training program that was delivered concurrently with field education. Undergraduate field interns (N=27) were pre-post tested with the Assertiveness Self-Report Inventory during the first and last weeks of field education. Approximately half of the interns (n=13) received assertiveness training during the university-based field instruction seminar. Surprisingly, assertiveness scores did not change statistically from pretest to posttest, and the assertiveness training program failed to raise assertiveness. These counterintuitive findings are explored, and implications for social work education and practice are discussed. Social workers are expected to advocate for their clients, particularly in situations where people are discriminated against and oppressed because of ethnicity, gender, religion, age, socio-economical status, sexual orientation, or physical disability (Council on Social Work Education, 1994). Social workers, “... must exercise [themselves] assertively in order to fulfill nearly all social work roles and functions” (Cournoyer, 1998, p. 11). Pardeck, et al. (1991), posit that social work education should increase a students assertiveness because increased assertiveness is critical to effective social work practice. Without an adequate repertoire of assertive skills, social workers will be prevented from affecting change and demonstrating the value of the social work profession (Eldridge, 1983). Although these are deeply held beliefs, the relationships between field education, assertiveness and advocacy have not been studied. This study explores two research questions: 1) does assertiveness increase as a result of field education; and 2) whether an assertiveness training program, which is delivered concurrently with field education, can increase assertiveness.

Visions of community

1999 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-38
Author(s):  
Pauline Jivanjee ◽  
Susan Tebb
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Women's Movements ◽  
Work Education

Experiences traveling in Kenya provide a backdrop to an examination of the principles and practices of the Harambee and women’s movements in Kenya as they compare with feminist social work practice in the United States. Concluding remarks address the implications of our learning for our work in social work education.

scholarly journals Editorial

2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulina Green
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Curriculum Renewal ◽  
Work Education

The articles in this issue of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk cover topics related to the innovative utilisation of approaches and methodologies for teaching and learning in social work education and for intervention in social work practice. The first two articles examine the incorporation of technology-enhanced teaching and learning in social work education in the digital era. The first article provides insights into the emerging developments of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, especially for curriculum renewal to prepare prospective practitioners to operate in both online and offline environments. The second article describes how an authentic e-learning framework can provide a pedagogically improved method of course design for groupwork education.

scholarly journals Critical Language Awareness: A beckoning frontier in social work education?

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-68
Author(s):  
Clement Mapfumo Chihota
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Language Awareness ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Critical Language Awareness ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Responsive Communication

INTRODUCTION: Effective social work practice is predicated on empowering, inclusive and culturally responsive communication, and yet, there appears to be very limited focus on language awareness, let alone critical language awareness, in contemporary social work education—both within and beyond the Australasia context. This gap is more worrying against a background where neoliberal and instrumental discourses (Habermas, 1969; O’Regan, 2001) have freely proliferated, and now threaten to colonise virtually all areas of private and public life (Chouliaraki Fairclough, 1999). In response, this article advocates the inclusion of Critical Language Awareness (CLA) in contemporary social work education.APPROACH: This article initially maps the broad scope and historical emergence of CLA, before surveying its key political and theoretical influences.FINDINGS: The key outcome is that CLA—as delineated—clearly shares significant overlaps with social work co-values, particularly: justice, equality and a commitment to anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice (Dominelli, 2002; Payne, 1997). More importantly, CLA provides conceptual and analytical resources that promise to significantly sharpen students’ abilities to recognise, question and ultimately challenge, oppressive discourses (Fairclough, 2011; Manjarres, 2011; Wodak, 2006).CONCLUSION: It is recommended that CLA strands be woven into existing social work themes and topics. The final part of the article offers some practical suggestions on how this could be done.

scholarly journals In defence of a university social work education

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
June Thoburn
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
University Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the particular characteristics and strengths of mainstream undergraduate and postgraduate university education for social workers. Design/methodology/approach A brief summary of the establishment of the honours degree or M-level qualification as the requirement for registration as a social worker in England is followed by a summary of the main aspects of “mainstream” social work courses. The values underpinning a “student” rather than a “trainee” route into social work are explored and some limited comparisons made with recently introduced fast-track specialist programmes. Where relevant, the student experience is contrasted with that of fast-track specialist trainees. Findings The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential impact on the social work profession and on agencies providing social work services of the cuts over the past few years in the numbers of students on “generalist” mainstream social work programmes. Research limitations/implications This is a conceptual paper. It recognises that more information is available on long-established university programmes than on the more recently available fast-track routes into social work and cites relevant research. Practical implications The paper points to the changing balance between numbers entering social work in England via mainstream and fast-track specialist programmes and argues for a fuller debate amongst all stakeholders as to whether this change is in the interest of the profession and those who need social work services. Social implications The author argues that the unequal level of funding between the different entry routes into social work is distorting choice (for students and future employers) between fast-track specialist and mainstream social work education. It is hypothesised that differences between the curricula and learning experiences of the two routes may have an impact on the social work service available to vulnerable people across age and needs groups. It also points to a potentially negative impact on social work education and the knowledge base of the reduction in numbers of academics with both social work practice experiences and research qualifications. Originality/value This is an original paper that draws on the author’s experience and the published research and grey literature cited.

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.

Death and Dying Content in Undergraduate Social Work Education: Student Views of Their Preparation for End-of-Life Practice

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
End Of Life Issues ◽  
Work Education

The majority of the literature specific to end-of-life content within social work education has pertained to master's level students. This descriptive study examined how prepared 272 BSW students from Pennsylvania colleges and universities felt they were for addressing end-of-life issues in social work practice, regardless of setting. This study identified that students did not feel prepared to assist clients with end-of-life situations. Students provided a list of recommendations for the types of end-of-life content they thought should be included in the social work curriculum. Strategies for including end-of-life content into the baccalaureate social work curriculum are included.

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