Showing papers in "Journal of Social Work Education in 2002"
TL;DR: The Social Work Self-Efficacy Scale as mentioned in this paper assesses social workers' confidence regarding a broad range of social work tasks using pre-post data from two cohorts of Social Work students.
Abstract: This article describes the development and testing of the Social Work Self-Efficacy Scale, which assesses social workers’ confidence regarding a broad range of social work tasks. Pre-post data from two cohorts of social work students are presented showing significant positive change in MSW students’ self-efficacy, suggesting a new approach to outcomes assessment in social work education.
174 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present data from an exploratory study on class participation and student self-censorship, and the impetus for this research is concern that content on multiculturalism and oppression inh...
Abstract: This article presents data from an exploratory study on class participation and student self-censorship. The impetus for this research is concern that content on multiculturalism and oppression inh...
138 citations
TL;DR: This paper investigated the acceptance of lesbians and gay men among master's-level social work and counseling students at the onset of their academic programs and found that a small minority (6.5%, n = 184) of the 2,837 respondents expressed intolerant attitudes and predictors of acceptance included religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, and academic degree sought by the student.
Abstract: This study investigated the acceptance of lesbians and gay men among master’s-level social work and counseling students at the onset of their academic programs. Findings show that a small minority (6.5%, n = 184) of the 2,837 respondents expressed intolerant attitudes and that predictors of acceptance included religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, and academic degree sought by the student. Attitudes for which at least 15% of the sample expressed negativity are identified and used to suggest teaching strategies that not only help students accept gay and lesbian clients, but also provide further education for practice with this population.
122 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the reliability and validity of a measure to evaluate student field performance was examined, which demonstrated a consistent factor structure with excellent internal consistency, however, there was inadequate consistency between ratings of individual students in their first and second field education experiences.
Abstract: This study examines the reliability and validity of a measure to evaluate student field performance. Results demonstrated a consistent factor structure with excellent internal consistency, however, there was inadequate consistency between ratings of individual students in their first and second field education experiences. The measure had some predictive validity in that it could differentiate between students identified as having difficulty in Year 1 of the program, but not in Year 2. Scores were significantly associated with academic grades. Implications for future instrument development and the process of evaluation are considered.
111 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an analysis of disability theory and content in the social work curriculum and advance a theoretically expansive approach to disability that is consistent with social work's approach.
Abstract: This article presents an analysis of disability theory and content in the social work curriculum and advances a theoretically expansive approach to disability that is consistent with social work’s ...
107 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a telephone survey with 18 new social work educators who responded to questions about their perceptions of mentoring in their first years as faculty members, and found that they believed mentoring relationships provided them with multiple benefits, including improved teaching and research performance.
Abstract: In a telephone survey 18 new social work educators responded to questions about their perceptions of mentoring in their first years as faculty members. Results indicate that new social work faculty believe mentoring relationships provide them with multiple benefits, including improved teaching and research performance. Data also suggest that programs must be carefully developed and supported if proteges, mentors, and their organizations are to fully realize these benefits. Factors such as mentor-protege matching, mentor characteristics, the roles of mentors, organizational support, and the mentoring process must be considered if a successful mentoring program is to be implemented.
75 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a conceptual base for understanding this model, highlight those socio-political elements of the model that integrate clinical practice with social change, present examples, and discuss implications for social work education.
Abstract: The bifurcated structure of social work education, micro and macro, is often unwarranted and restrictive. This split forces a premature and unnecessarily narrow focus in study and practice. In order to adequately pursue social justice and deal with issues of power and oppression in a clinical context, this bifurcated structure of social work must somehow be unified. A narrative–deconstructive model of practice, nested in the postmodern–poststructuralist paradigm and embodied in the work of White and Epston offers a resolution to this dilemma. The authors provide a conceptual base for understanding this model, highlight those socio-political elements of the model that integrate clinical practice with social change, present examples, and discuss implications for social work education.
66 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a model for goal setting through a process of articulating and negotiating student needs and the expectations of others in authority is presented, where learning goals are evaluated at midterm by students and field instructors using the structured assessment format.
Abstract: Assessing student ability and setting goals for ongoing learning in the field practicum often present a challenge for students and field educators. This article presents a model for goal setting through a process of articulating and negotiating student needs and the expectations of others in authority. Once established, learning goals are evaluated at midterm by students and field instructors using the structured assessment format. Relative rankings are then compared. This assessment process has two main purposes: evaluating competencies and defining goals for the second half of placement. Results of an exploratory research project using this model are presented.
48 citations
TL;DR: The authors discusses nine obstacles to identifying a disciplinary-specific body of knowledge underlying social work and suggests that a more worthwhile goal for social work educators, practitioners, and researchers is the development of problem-specific knowledge useful across the human service disciplines.
Abstract: This article discusses nine obstacles to identifying a disciplinary-specific body of knowledge underlying social work. It suggests that a more worthwhile goal for social work educators, practitioners, and researchers is the development of problem-specific knowledge useful across the human service disciplines.
48 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a longitudinal study of the 1990s revealed that 12 of 61 doctoral faculties (20%) were responsible for 43% of journal articles published and that publication rates of these faculties appeared to accelerate in 1990s and correlated positively with measures of program size and longevity.
Abstract: Results of this longitudinal study of the 1990s revealed that 12 of 61 doctoral faculties (20%) were responsible for 43% of journal articles published. Publication rates of these faculties appeared to accelerate in the 1990s and correlated positively with measures of program size and longevity. However, when all variables were controlled, the perceived academic quality of MSW programs was the sole correlate of faculty publication. Overwhelmingly, faculties of US News and World Report’s most highly rated MSW programs at the end of the decade were also the most frequently published. Implications of these findings are identified and discussed.
46 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of a study investigating social work students' and professionals' perceptions of social work entrepreneurship (SWE), and make a case for including entrepreneurial training in the social work curriculum.
Abstract: This article presents the results of a study investigating social work students’ and professionals’ perceptions of social work entrepreneurship (SWE). A purposive sample of 52 social work professionals and 82 social work students was selected to participate in a survey that used a two-item closed-ended and five-item open-ended questionnaire. Despite the study limitation imposed by self-selection of the sample, the findings help to define and conceptualize social work entrepreneurship. The author makes a case for including entrepreneurial training in the social work curriculum.
TL;DR: A refined instrument for scoring social work school applicants’ personal statements was tested, and its effectiveness measured against field outcomes of admitted students, suggesting that it did not promote consistent ratings among paired raters.
Abstract: In this study a refined instrument for scoring social work school applicants’ personal statements was tested, and its effectiveness measured against field outcomes of admitted students. Inter-rater reliability of the instrument was below .70, the lower bound of recommended reliability, suggesting that it did not promote consistent ratings among paired raters. Field outcomes were not found to be highly correlated with personal statement scores or with undergraduate GPA. Undergraduate GPA was found to be positively related to graduate GPA. Implications for specifying valid and reliable suitability criteria and for using personal statements in admissions decisions are explored.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine current ethical guidelines affecting the use of videoconferencing in the supervision of students nationally and internationally and suggest protocols to address ethical and professional practice issues that are likely to arise as a result of using videoconference to conduct supervision across international borders.
Abstract: Increasing numbers of social work training programs are offering international field practicum placements. However, because it is difficult to provide appropriate, high quality supervision that is needed over large distances, many educators and researchers are calling for the greater use of Internet based videoconferencing to deliver remote supervision. This article examines current ethical guidelines affecting the use of videoconferencing in the supervision of students nationally and internationally. The authors suggest protocols to address ethical and professional practice issues that are likely to arise as a result of using videoconferencing to conduct supervision across international borders.
TL;DR: In this paper, a critical overview of clinical trials and research strategies involving conventional and atypical drugs is presented, and 14 distinct methodological and conceptual failings and neglected research directions are identified.
Abstract: Social work authors have presented superficial appraisals of atypical neuroleptic (antipsychotic) drugs used to treat schizophrenia. This article presents a critical overview of clinical trials and research strategies involving conventional and atypical drugs. It identifies 14 distinct methodological and conceptual failings and neglected research directions. These flaws raise serious doubts about the scientific justifications for the widespread use of neuroleptics. Implications for a critical social work education stance about psychopharmacology are discussed. Findings from psychopharmacotherapy studies cannot be taken at face value: social work educators must scrutinize the adherence of the research enterprise to the scientific method and situate its findings in their historical, ideological, and political-economic contexts.
TL;DR: In this article, the results of a survey of 378 MSW students that asked about their attitudes regarding the efficacy and the ethics of online psychotherapeutic services (e-therapy) were reported.
Abstract: This study reports on the results of a survey of 378 MSW students that asked about their attitudes regarding the efficacy and the ethics of online psychotherapeutic services (e-therapy).The student...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the ways in which social work educators who are interested in Web technology but not expert in its applications can use the World Wide Web and discuss current opportunities and challenges in integrating technology into social work education.
Abstract: This article examines the ways in which social work educators who are interested in Web technology but not expert in its applications can use the World Wide Web. Current opportunities and challenges in integrating technology into social work education are discussed, and future directions in the use of technology are explored.
TL;DR: This paper used nationwide data to examine how schools assess educational outcomes and integrate evaluation data into MSW program and curriculum development, identifying key difficulties which programs report having encountered in addressing the Council on Social Work Education's former Evaluative Standards 1.4 and 1.5 concerning outcome evaluation and program improvement.
Abstract: This study uses nationwide data to examine how schools assess educational outcomes and integrate evaluation data into MSW program and curriculum development. This article also identifies key difficulties which programs report having encountered in addressing the Council on Social Work Education’s former Evaluative Standards 1.4 and 1.5 concerning outcome evaluation and program improvement. The authors present strategies for overcoming these difficulties and for responding to assessment mandates.
TL;DR: The role of theory in social work research has been discussed in this paper, where the authors discuss the role of theories in the development of social work education and its application in social welfare research.
Abstract: (2002). The Role of Theory in Social Work Research. Journal of Social Work Education: Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 461-470.
TL;DR: Developing and exploring Internet-based exercises designed to promote interaction in a distance education environment and the results of a student survey about the application of mutual aid in distance education are presented.
Abstract: The purpose of the study is to examine the use of instructional technology in creating a mutual aid environment in the classroom. By developing and exploring Internet-based exercises designed to promote interaction in a distance education environment, the authors tested the hypothesis that instructional technology offers opportunities to promote mutual aid among students. This article describes these exercises and presents the results of a student survey about the application of mutual aid in distance education.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a class session aimed at increasing the comfort and competence of students with computer-based client and task groups.
Abstract: Given the increasing use of technology for linking individuals and groups, it is imperative that educators consider how to teach students about the potential of computers for conducting social group work practice. This article describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a class session aimed at increasing the comfort and competence of students with computer-based client and task groups. The session was centered on a simulation of a computer group, supplemented with lecture, class discussion, and readings. Results indicated that this combination of experiential and cognitive instruction increased students’ knowledge, comfort, and likelihood of using computer groups.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: A Human-Centric Alternative to Diversity and Multicultural Education is a human-centered alternative to diversity and multicultural education, which is based on the work of.
Abstract: (2002). A Human-Centric Alternative to Diversity and Multicultural Education. Journal of Social Work Education: Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 17-36.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, Popper, Positivism and Practice Research, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 471-474, is used as a starting point for the present paper.
Abstract: (2002). Popper, Positivism, and Practice Research. Journal of Social Work Education: Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 471-474.
TL;DR: Cohen as mentioned in this paper argues that the medicalization of human problems (e.g., troubled or troubling behaviors) has long been questioned, and that it is the political task of the social scientist to translate personal troubles into public issues, and public issues into the terms of their human meaning for a variety of individuals.
Abstract: Knowledge that may contribute to making well-reasoned decisions differs in how accessible it is to different groups. Faculty in professional schools occupy a key role as gatekeepers regarding what knowledge is shared with students and what is not. They assume a key censorship role if they omit certain kinds of knowledge that may influence services students offer to clients. Stu' dents, if they are to be educated rather than indoctrinated in professional education programs, should be alerted to controversies, including well-argued alternatives to popular views. As C. W. Mills suggests, \"It is the political task of the social scientist-as of any liberal educator-continually to translate personal troubles into public issues, and public issues into the terms of their human meaning for a variety of individuals\" (Mills, 1959, p. 187). Social workers provide most of the mental health services in the United States. Thousands of their clients are prescribed neuroleptic drugs, including the newer atypical antipsychotics. Given social workers' involvement with clients consuming such drugs, it is important that they and those who educate them are accurately appraised concerning related evidence. The invited essay in this issue by David Cohen presents a critique of related research. Use of medication to alter behavior implies a theory of causation. A recent article in the British Medical Journal argues that \"much of the expansion of psychiatry in the past few decades has been based on the biomedical model that encourages drug treatment to be seen as a panacea for multiple problems\" (Double, 2002, p. 900). Biological reductionism has been defined as \"explanations of phenomena occurring at several levels (e.g., social, psychological) that are sought at a single level (biology)\" (Cohen, 1993, p. 510). The medicalization of human problems (e.g., troubled or troubling behaviors) has long been questioned (e.g., Conrad & Schneider, 1992; Illich, 1976; Szasz, 1961). Many in social work have hitched their wagons to psychiatry with its relentless medicalization of complaints as psychiatric disorders requiring medication. The number of listings in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association continues to increase, and social workers are required by third-party payers to label their clients using this system to get reimbursed. Social work scholars have been in the forefront of describing the political and economic context in which this classification system emerged and
TL;DR: WWWRSW is updated daily, it is free, and it provides links to a wider range of materials than SWA, many of which are full text, but social workers need to assess the utility of the sources they use on a regular basis.
Abstract: TechNotes is designed to bring to readers’ attention new developments in technology of relevance to social work education. In this column the author discusses the World Wide Web Resources for Socia...
TL;DR: A survey was sent to 163 MSW programs in the United States and Canada that asked directors of fieldwork to respond to questions related to their school's policies on disclosure of student status in the field as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A survey was sent to 163 MSW programs in the United States and Canada that asked directors of fieldwork to respond to questions related to their school’s policies on disclosure of student status in the field. With a response rate of 66.3% (N = 108), most of the schools (68.5%, n = 74) reported policies requiring disclosure and most directors supported this position. The authors review the ethical and legal reasons in favor of disclosure. They strongly suggest that a pro-disclosure policy be written and adopted by social work programs and the discipline’s professional organizations.
TL;DR: Through this process, JSWE's statistical reviewers have developed a set of good practice guidelines, which fall into three general areas: description of the sample and data, and discus sion of statistical model choice and test statis tics used, and model interpretation and presentation of results.
Abstract: DURING THE LAST YEAR, articles submitted to the Journal of Social Work Education (JSWE) were not only reviewed through standard chan nels but, as is the custom of some medical journals (e.g., BMJ), the Editor-in-Chief asked that relevant submissions be statistically re viewed and detailed comments provided to the authors. Through this process, JSWE's sta tistical reviewers have developed a set of good practice guidelines, which are set forth below. The guidelines fall into three general areas: (1) description of the sample and data, (2) discus sion of statistical model choice and test statis tics used, and (3) model interpretation and presentation of results. It is the opinion of the statistical review ers that developing guidelines for good prac tice in empirical research is more relevant now than ever. The information technology revolution over the last 15 years has made available to researchers huge and complex administrative databases and an ever-grow ing arsenal of computer-intensive statistical procedures. Although these tools and data are becoming widely available and easy to use, it is critical to understand both the con tent of the data and the capability and limita tions of the statistical tools employed in or der to maintain the quality of social work research.
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of theory in the research of social work practice is discussed, and the authors make many constructive comments, most of which either expand on individual points of agree ment between Thyer and myself or selectively support some elements of our differing posi tions, and make some arguments for the legitimacy of "intuitive reasoning" in social work practices.
Abstract: Point/Counterpoint between Bruce Thyer and myself on the role of theory in the research of social work practice is welcomed. She makes many constructive comments, most of which either expand on individual points of agree ment between Thyer and myself or selectively support some elements of our differing posi tions, and makes some arguments for the legitimacy of "intuitive reasoning" in social work practice. Finally and most importantly, she uses the oft-preferred approach of social work, consensus seeking, in an attempt to reconcile two alternate approaches, in this instance two irreconcilable logical proce dures, induction and deduction. I will concentrate on her discussion of