Showing papers in "Journal of Social Work Education in 1996"
TL;DR: This article examined the impact of a fall 1993 course on societal oppression and found that students tended to accept the just world ideology and acceptance increased for students who took the course; self-reported advocacy behaviors also increased somewhat, though unevenly; and students who believed in a just world and engaged in fewer advocacy behaviors experienced more distress when confronted with evidence of injustice.
Abstract: This study, involving 222 MSW students from two universities, examined the impact of a fall 1993 course on societal oppression. Pre- and post-tests designed to measure belief in a just world and commitment to social justice were administered to two comparison groups before and after the course was offered; the post-test was also given to two other comparison groups. Results showed that students tended to accept the just world ideology, and acceptance increased for students who took the oppression course; self-reported advocacy behaviors also increased somewhat, though unevenly; and students who believed in a just world and engaged in fewer advocacy behaviors experienced more distress when confronted with evidence of injustice. Possible reasons for both expected and unexpected findings are explored, as are the implications for social work education.
125 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, BSW and MSW students in field placements and a group of recent MSW graduates were surveyed to assess the impact of personal attributes, supervisory characteristics, and 11 instructional skills on their evaluation of their field instructors.
Abstract: In the study reported here, BSW and MSW students in field placements and a group of recent MSW graduates were surveyed to assess the impact of personal attributes, supervisory characteristics, and 11 instructional skills on their evaluation of their field instructors. Results indicated that the most influential variables were those representing task-oriented, educational aspects of field instruction. In addition, field instructors' availability, their use of process recordings, and the amount of supervision they gave students also influenced respondents' evaluations.
72 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the extent and nature of available social work practica in government relations, electoral politics, and policy advocacy and development and found that less than 20% of undergraduate programs and less than 50% of graduate programs have such practica, and they are almost exclusively in government relation.
Abstract: Social workers have a history of ambivalence regarding the profession's involvement in the political process. Many argue that if social workers are to become more politically active, schools of social work must play a vital role. This article examines the results of a survey on the extent and nature of available social work practica in government relations, electoral politics, and policy advocacy and development. It was found that less than 20% of undergraduate programs and less than 50% of graduate programs have such practica, and they are almost exclusively in government relations. Recommendations are offered to alleviate the concerns raised by undergraduate programs about political practica.
63 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the responses of the author's students to his in-class disclosure that he is gay were examined in sections covering student awareness of gay and lesbian issues, reactions to the disclosure, and its effects on the learning environment, on recognizing homophobia and heterosexism, and on analyzing power.
Abstract: This article discusses the responses of the author's students to his in-class disclosure that he is gay. The responses of 71 BSW students, collected via questionnaires distributed to two classes in two consecutive years, are examined in sections covering student awareness of gay and lesbian issues, reactions to the disclosure, and its effects on the learning environment, on recognizing homophobia and heterosexism, and on analyzing power. Among the issues discussed are the classroom power balance, the relationship between personal and political actions, the students' failure to link homophobia and heterosexism with other forms of oppression, and the neglect of these topics in other social work courses.
59 citations
TL;DR: The authors analyzes the Council on Social Work Education's nondiscrimination standards and illustrates how submerged conflict between competing ideologies can result in irrational policy development and implementation, and suggests several open debate and potential resolutions are presented.
Abstract: As the profession most committed to serving oppressed groups in our society, social work can play a significant role in helping lesbians and gay men achieve greater social acceptance, civil rights, and effective social services. Although formal social work policies prohibit discrimination and seek to eliminate oppression based on sexual orientation, opposing ideologies about homosexuality within society and social work result in contradictory standards and inadequate results. This article analyzes the Council on Social Work Education's nondiscrimination standards and illustrates how submerged conflict between competing ideologies can result in irrational policy development and implementation. Key issues and questions are suggested for open debate and potential resolutions are presented.
43 citations
TL;DR: Students regard adjunct faculty as somewhat less effective teachers than full-time faculty, but appreciate their expertise on contemporary or specialized practices; administrators appreciate the financial benefits and flexibility associated with adjunct instruction; and the adjuncts themselves appreciate affiliation with academic programs.
Abstract: This pilot study of the practice of employing social work practitioners as adjunct faculty analyzes the results of questionnaires returned from 6 deans/directors, 43 adjunct faculty, and 175 students at 8 U.S. institutions offering BSW and/or MSW programs. The responses covered the teaching effectiveness of adjunct faculty (in 1992–93), their reasons for teaching, the support received from and expectations of the programs, and various pros and cons surrounding their employment. Among the findings: students regard adjunct faculty as somewhat less effective teachers than full-time faculty, but appreciate their expertise on contemporary or specialized practices; administrators appreciate the financial benefits and flexibility associated with adjunct instruction; and the adjuncts themselves appreciate affiliation with academic programs.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a psychotherapeutic model for practice and education that allows for balanced gender sensitivity and that can be readily superimposed on existing models for more effective assessment and intervention is presented.
Abstract: Many social work educators are in search of ways to integrate course content on women while preserving time-tested models of assessment and intervention. Although women comprise the majority of social work clients, most psychological models of assessment and intervention are based on male psychological development. In contrast, feminist theories and therapies have turned attention to female psychological development and how this differs from male progression. This article describes and discusses a psychotherapeutic model for practice and education that allows for balanced gender sensitivity and that can be readily superimposed on existing models for more effective assessment and intervention.
28 citations
TL;DR: In addition to acting as teachers, social work educators can play many other roles in relation to their students as discussed by the authors, including sexual partner, friend, therapist, or employer, which may lead to ethical violations and dilemmas.
Abstract: In addition to acting as teachers, social work educators can play many other roles in relation to their students—including sexual partner, friend, therapist, or employer. Combining the role of instructor with one of these other roles may lead to ethical violations and dilemmas. This article urges educators to consider their power differential and the potential for harm to their students before entering a dual relationship. It reviews the NASW Code of Ethics and relevant literature about dual relationships in practice and in academia; discusses examples of dual relationships in social work education; and formulates questions for educators to use in assessing ethical practice.
26 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors address the need for social work students to understand basic legal concepts and their application in social work and describe a flexible approach to infuse legal content into existing social work courses by focusing on six legal precepts: the definition and regulation of practice; client issues; privacy; advocacy; conflict/liability; and precedents.
Abstract: This article addresses the need for social work students to understand basic legal concepts and their application in social work. It begins with a review of recent literature on teaching law within the social work curriculum. It then reports on the authors' April 1991 survey of accredited MSW programs, which showed that few schools require MSW students to study law, but that curricula have little room to expand. Finally, the article describes a flexible approach to infusing legal content into existing social work courses by focusing on six legal precepts: the definition and regulation of practice; client issues; privacy; advocacy; conflict/liability; and precedents.
25 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the validity of student field performance evaluations in social work education has been investigated and the results revealed significant correlations between the supervisors' and the judge's ratings, providing evidence for the validity and validity of the supervisor's evaluations.
Abstract: Despite the importance given to student field performance evaluations in social work education, little empirical evidence has supported their validity. In the study described in this article, field supervisors' ratings of student performance in the field were compared to an independent judge's content analyses of tape recordings of their performance. The results revealed significant correlations between the supervisors' and the judge's ratings, providing evidence for the validity of the supervisors' evaluations. It is argued that the validity of the these evaluations may have been enhanced by the students' use of a well-specified intervention model and of structured recording forms.
23 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on maintaining a balance between educational integrity in social work programs and the needs and rights of students with disabilities, and encourage a proactive approach to meeting the needs of all students.
Abstract: As more students with various visible and invisible disabilities enter higher education, the need increases for faculty development and educational advocacy to address the unique challenges these students present. This article focuses on maintaining a balance between educational integrity in social work programs and the needs and rights of students with disabilities. It encourages a proactive approach to meeting the needs of all students. Among the topics explored are defining essential standards, reasonable accommodation, testing, accommodating learning and hearing disabilities, and incorporating disability issues into courses.
TL;DR: Jones as mentioned in this paper argued that social workers must adhere to their long-standing values and ethi cal standards regarding nondiscrimination, advocacy for oppressed groups, and social justice, and the line must be drawn when programs that blatantly discriminate against any group of people seek to be legitimized.
Abstract: are social workers will no doubt partici pate in and learn from these important debates, the social work profession, and CSWE as its educational arm, must ad here to its long-standing values and ethi cal standards regarding nondiscrim ination, advocacy for oppressed groups, and socialjustice. The line must be drawn when programs that blatantly discrimi nate against any group of people seek to be legitimized. Linda E. Jones
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether undergraduate social work students deepen their professional foundation knowledge as a result of completing the field practicum and two additional social work foundation courses and found that no differences were found between these groups related to performance on the overall ACAT or in four individual content areas.
Abstract: This study investigates whether undergraduate social work students deepen their professional foundation knowledge as a result of completing the field practicum and two additional social work foundation courses. The Area Concentration Achievement Test in Social Work (ACAT), which tests knowledge of the social work professional foundation, was administered to 70 students in the BSW program at the University of Texas-Pan American; 32 had nearly completed field instruction, and 38 were approved for field instruction but had not yet begun it. No differences were found between these groups related to performance on the overall ACAT or in four individual content areas. This counterintuitive finding challenges the assumption that knowledge deepens as students proceed through the curriculum and field instruction. Other variables that could affect performance on the ACAT are also explored.
TL;DR: The authors discusses the British training/accrediting system for field instructors, its impact on field education in the UK, and its implications for North American schools of social work, field education, and accreditation standards.
Abstract: A system recently introduced in Britain for training and accrediting social work field instructors addresses concerns about the quantity of competent field instructors and the quality of field education in social work programs This article discusses the British training/accrediting system for field instructors, its impact on field education in the UK, and its implications for North American schools of social work, field education, and accreditation standards
TL;DR: In this article, a study of the relationship between job satisfaction and intention to seek graduate education among human service workers tested the hypothesis that intention will be stronger among satisfied senior practitioners (those in their current job for three or more years) and among dissatisfied junior workers.
Abstract: This study of the relationship between job satisfaction and intention to seek graduate education among human service workers tests the hypothesis that intention will be stronger among satisfied senior practitioners (those in their current job for three or more years) and among dissatisfied junior workers. In November 1993, a questionnaire designed to measure various aspects of both job satisfaction and intent to pursue graduate education was distributed to all 83 bachelor-level human service workers in four agencies. Moderated regression analyses, with several control variables from background information about the 67 respondents, repeatedly supported the hypothesis. Discussion also covers secondary findings, limitations of the study, and implications of the principal finding for both educators and social service administrators.
TL;DR: This paper examined the academic status of a special group of social work faculty of color: former Council on Social Work Education Ethnic Minority Doctoral Fellows and found that a greater percentage of Hispanic-American respondents were full and tenured professors compared to African-American, Asian-American and Native American respondents.
Abstract: Although considerable attention has been given to the status of social work academics generally, scant attention has been given to the status of social work faculty of color. This study examines the academic status of a special group of social work faculty of color: former Council on Social Work Education Ethnic Minority Doctoral Fellows. Survey data collected from a national sample of 90 former Fellows revealed that (a) a greater percentage of Hispanic-American respondents, as compared to African-American, Asian-American, and Native-American respondents, were full and tenured professors; (b) a greater percentage of male than female respondents were tenured; (c) a vast majority of the respondents who applied were awarded promotion and tenure; (d) most of the scholarly productivity was attributed to a minority of the respondents; and (e) respondents' publication productivity was significantly related to gender and the age at which they received the doctorate. Implications for future research and m...
TL;DR: This article explored the issues unique to older people with developmental disabilities and their families using a model based on an ecological perspective, indicating appropriate content on OPDD for infusion into social work curricula at the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystem levels.
Abstract: Although older people with developmental disabilities (OPDD) are living longer than before and appearing more often as clients of social workers, this population has not been included in the growing effort to prepare social work students for practice with older clients. This article explores the issues unique to OPDD and their families. Using a model based on an ecological perspective, it indicates appropriate content on OPDD for infusion into social work curricula at the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystem levels. It also suggests relevant content for four foundation sequences.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that social service programs need to deal realistically with the oncoming changes, and that social work education will have to prepare students to function within this new social welfare system.
Abstract: The development of the information society will have important future ramifications for the U.S. economy and for the social welfare system. The nature of work, work organizations, government, and other institutions will be changed by the growth of the information sector. An important part of this sector will be the National Information Infrastructure, or “Information Superhighway.” This network will help to determine the winners and losers in the new economy and will have major consequences for the evolution of social policy. These ramifications are explored and implications for social work education are discussed. The article argues that social service programs need to deal realistically with the oncoming changes, and that social work education will have to prepare students to function within this new social welfare system.
TL;DR: In this paper, a spring 1995 study involving 78 female MSW students at the University of Georgia compared the degrees of satisfaction with field practicum supervision of those with female and male field instructors respectively, using previously published measures of supervision satisfaction.
Abstract: This report of a spring 1995 study involving 78 female MSW students at the University of Georgia compares the degrees of satisfaction with field practicum supervision of those with female and male field instructors respectively, using previously published measures of supervision satisfaction. One statistically significant but practically unimportant difference was revealed favoring male supervisors. The results are discussed in terms of past literature on gender in clinical supervision; areas for future research are also suggested. The little existing empirical research appears to support a gender-neutral policy for matching MSW students with practicum supervisors.
TL;DR: This paper conducted an exploratory study of the career paths of African Americans and Hispanics who had completed social work doctorates or had completed all requirements except the dissertation research (ABDs) and found that career selection and development among the majority of these individuals may not fit traditional career theory models.
Abstract: This article reports on an exploratory study of the career paths of African Americans and Hispanics who had completed social work doctorates or had completed all requirements except the dissertation research (ABDs). Results from 118 respondents indicate that career selection and development among the majority of these individuals may not fit traditional career theory models. Three career patterns are identified and discussed—careerists, educational aspirants, and vertical drifters—and implications for action are outlined.
TL;DR: A 1991 study based on a convenience sample of 136 MSW students at the University of Texas at Austin determined students' status as Adult Children of Alcoholics by self-reports and scores on the Children of alcoholics' Screening Test, and evaluated related mental health functioning with four standardized measures.
Abstract: Previous research showing that roughly half of social work students report a history of familial alcohol abuse—and proposing that such abuse might affect these students' current mental health and professional performance—relied on self-reports without standardized screening measures. This 1991 study, based on a convenience sample of 136 MSW students at the University of Texas at Austin, determined students' status as Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACAs) by self-reports and scores on the Children of Alcoholics' Screening Test, and evaluated related mental health functioning with four standardized measures. The results suggest that well under half of social work students are ACAs, and that not all (nor only) ACAs were vulnerable to mental health problems.
TL;DR: In this article, a survey of program deans and directors on liability issues in social work education was conducted, focusing on the use of field training agreements, legal actions involving students in field placements, and formal procedures for and litigation resulting from termination of students and faculty.
Abstract: This article reports on a spring 1995 national survey of program deans and directors on liability issues in social work education. Areas explored included programs' use of field training agreements, legal actions involving students in field placements, and formal procedures for and litigation resulting from termination of students and faculty. Court decisions and accreditation standards are linked to the findings, and comparisons are drawn to a 1988 study. Program size, rather than level or location, was found to be the key factor in the formality and use of established procedures.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that graduate students with fewer than two years of post-Msw practice experience should not be required to complete the coursework of a master's program.
Abstract: (1996). Should Doctoral Programs Graduate Students with Fewer than Two Years of Post-Msw Practice Experience? Yes! Journal of Social Work Education: Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 161-167.
TL;DR: The Writer's Guild model as discussed by the authors is a non-hierarchical approach to supporting scholarship in social work at a Midwestern university that encourages the creation of writing barriers among junior faculty.
Abstract: The retention and promotion of social work faculty is partially dependent upon their success in publishing. Because of a perception among junior faculty at one Midwestern university that writing barriers posed a threat to their career development, they developed a Writer's Guild. The Guild model represents a collaborative, non-hierarchical approach to supporting scholarship. In this article, the authors describe the model, discuss some of the challenges involved in its formation, and offer recommendations for transplanting the model to other schools.
TL;DR: The Clubhouse Model of community support is enjoying renewed interest among social workers and social work educators concerned with alternatives to traditional forms of community mental health treatment and rehabilitation as mentioned in this paper, and its underlying congruence with social work theory and practice.
Abstract: The Clubhouse Model of community support is enjoying renewed interest among social workers and social work educators concerned with alternatives to traditional forms of community mental health treatment and rehabilitation This article describes the model and its underlying congruence with social work theory and practice Findings of the National Task Analysis Study of Social Work Practice are presented that suggest an increasingly important role for social workers and social work educators in the continued growth of this practice model
TL;DR: In this article, an institutional political process model for studying social welfare policy in Sweden and the U.S. is presented, where the principal elements of the model include each country's societal values, government institutions, policy goals and system implementation.
Abstract: Courses in international or comparative social welfare have many benefits, but require a framework for systematic comparisons between countries. This article presents an institutional political process model for studying social welfare policy comparatively. The principal elements of the model include each country's societal values, government institutions (operationalized as the role of interest groups), policy goals, and system implementation (type of welfare system). The model is demonstrated through a comparison of the dissimilar social welfare systems of Sweden and the U.S.
TL;DR: In this article, an assessment tool that students in field practica and their field instructors can use to evaluate student progress over a semester, a process that benefits both groups, is presented.
Abstract: This research note presents an assessment tool that students in field practica and their field instructors can use to evaluate student progress over a semester, a process that benefits both groups. The development and sustained use of this system is discussed, as well as its strengths and weaknesses.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that graduate students with fewer than two years of post-Msw practice experience should not be admitted to a doctoral program, and they propose to drop them from the program.
Abstract: (1996). Should Doctoral Programs Graduate Students with Fewer than two Years of Post-Msw Practice Experience? No! Journal of Social Work Education: Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 167-172.
TL;DR: The authors places the history of anti-Semitism and its current manifestations within the context of the profession's explicit commitment to multiculturalism and anti-racism in social work and social work education.
Abstract: Anti-Semitism has existed for over 3 millennia and has expressed itself through extensive social and economic discrimination and systematic attempts at genocide. Yet, anti-Semitism has been almost completely excluded from discussions of racism and from anti-racism efforts (such as curriculum changes) within U.S. and Canadian schools of social work. This article places the history of anti-Semitism, and its current manifestations, within the context of the profession's explicit commitment to multiculturalism and anti-racism in social work and social work education. It then offers concrete suggestions on how content on anti-Semitism can be integrated with other anti-racist course content and initiatives already underway in North American schools of social work, and makes recommendations for policy development within CSWE.
TL;DR: Examination of data from a national sample of over 2,500 master's degree social workers suggests that specialization by field of practice is less useful than supposed, and concludes that the “advanced generalist” model is more congruent with the actual tasks performed by MSW workers.
Abstract: This article uses data from a national sample of over 2,500 master's degree social workers to examine the relevance of “field of practice” as an organizing principle for the advanced social work cu...