Showing papers in "Journal of Teaching in Social Work in 2012"

Students' Participation in Social Networking Sites: Implications for Social Work Education

Abstract: Social work students have few guidelines to help them evaluate the implication of their posted information on Internet-based social networking sites (SNSs). There is a national trend among employer...

Using Experiential Exercises to Teach about Diversity, Oppression, and Social Justice

Abstract: Experiential exercises can be effectively incorporated into social work courses that focus on diversity, oppression, and social justice. This article describes three models of experiential activities, provides examples of exercises within the three models and empirical support for their effectiveness, and identifies criticisms surrounding their use in the classroom. The final section of the article offers general guidelines to instructors to prepare for experiential exercises, to implement them in the classroom, and to evaluate their impact on students.

Overcoming Graduate Students' Negative Perceptions of Statistics.

Abstract: Although there has been some attention in the literature to such issues as students' attitudes toward statistics, instructors are still constantly faced with the challenge to engage students; understand their perceptions, motivations, and interests; and deal with their reluctance and negative attitudes toward the field of statistics. The purpose of the present study was to (1) examine students' attitudes toward statistics; (2) identify characteristics of students with the most negative attitudes toward statistics; (3) determine methods of statistics instruction that students most prefer; and (4) present strategies to overcome fears, resistance, anxiety, and negative attitudes and enhance the learning environment. The findings from the study of 195 graduate social work students demonstrate that factors contributing to statistics anxiety include math phobia, lack of relevance to social work, instructor's characteristics, and classroom environment. Among the preferred instructional methods students identifie...

Using Critical Race Theory to Analyze How Disney Constructs Diversity: A Construct for the Baccalaureate Human Behavior in the Social Environment Curriculum.

Abstract: Utilizing the basic tenets of critical race theory, the authors draw upon the expertise of multicultural scholars to raise consciousness and facilitate BSW classroom dialogue about microagressions perpetrated in Disney animations. Microaggressions pervade our media partly because they typically operate outside the threshold of the dominant culture's conscious awareness. Our main consciousness-raising method is to expose social work students to microagressions depicted in Disney animations and then use the classroom as a counterspace to process the experience. We note that utilizing critical race theory to become conscious of microaggressions within Disney animations is the first step toward eradicating them.

Rubrics as a Tool for Learning and Assessment: What Do Baccalaureate Students Think?.

Abstract: Rubrics are increasingly used as tools to evaluate student work. This study examined BSW students' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of using rubrics. Pre- and posttest questionnaires were administered to 35 students in two sections of a diversity course. Students judged the use of rubrics favorably. Rubrics communicated the instructors' expectations, clarified how to write course assignments, explained grade and point deductions and, in general, made course expectations clearer. Students suggested that the rubric design should be self-explanatory and easy to follow. If carefully developed, rubrics may be a useful tool for advancing student learning in social work programs.

Cross-Cultural Service Learning with Native Americans: Pedagogy for Building Cultural Competence

Abstract: This paper articulates a curricular approach that centers on a Native American service learning course. Social work students engaged in cross-cultural immersion on a reservation in the United State...

Teaching Research to MSW Students: Effectiveness of the Team-based Learning Pedagogy

Abstract: Social work students often have been labeled as research-reluctant. Consequently, it is important to identify effective teaching strategies. One innovative strategy is team-based learning. The effectiveness of team-based learning has not yet been evaluated with a social work research class. As a result, the current study compared the effectiveness of team-based learning with that of other pedagogies. Findings suggest that team-based learning was not more effective than alternate pedagogies in increasing MSW students' intent to incorporate research into practice. Notably, the team-based learning approach was more effective in increasing research self-efficacy. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Integrating a Transcultural Perspective into the Social Work Curriculum: A Descriptive and Exploratory Study

Abstract: This paper describes a transcultural perspective, employed by one social work program, as an integrative framework for addressing diversity throughout the curriculum. The transcultural perspective incorporates five interrelated but distinct dimensions: (1) culture (recognizing the importance of culture at all levels of practice); (2) understanding dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression; (3) positionality and self-reflexivity; (4) respectful partnership; and (5) cultural competence (translating principles into culturally responsive practice). Also presented are findings from a study assessing student understanding after delivery of educational modules introducing the transcultural perspective.

Inspiring and Training Students for Social Action: Renewing a Needed Tradition

Abstract: In social work, it is believed that certain knowledge and skills are learned more effectively through experience than through didactic classroom content. Members of the faculty of a school of social work have developed a Social Action Day to reinforce curriculum and translate into practice material about advocacy and ethical responsibilities for social action; show the breadth of social work practice; and enhance the school's sense of community. The authors share their experience to inspire other social work faculty, so that they are better able to foster student interest and passion for political action that may generate social change.

Overcoming Barriers in Intimate Partner Violence Education and Training of Graduate Social Work Students

Abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a highly prevalent problem detected frequently in the social work field, and also extends to the personal lives of social workers and students, with compelling evidence that professionals and students are often victims of IPV. However, students continue to lack substantive knowledge of IPV. This article addresses the need for increased IPV education and training for social work students and professionals by measuring IPV education, knowledge, and attitudes among students, while also examining the incidence of student personal experience with IPV and exploring the role this experience plays in identifying and safely intervening in IPV situations.

Implementing Service Learning into a Graduate Social Work Course: A Step-by-Step Guide

Abstract: Service learning is a powerful pedagogical tool linking community service to academic learning. Several steps are necessary to implement service learning effectively into the curriculum. This study uses a case example as an exploratory study to pilot-test data on how service learning impacts student outcomes. The paper will (1) provide an overview of the literature on service learning, (2) explain a model for incorporating service learning into graduate social work courses, (3) identify specific student issues in implementation, and (4) demonstrate how service learning can enhance the outcomes for educational policy and accreditation standards competencies in an advanced organization and community practice course.

Creating Space for Marginalized Voices: Re-focusing Service Learning on Community Change and Social Justice

Abstract: Although service learning was established as a method for combining relevant student learning opportunities with community engagement, recent critiques highlight the shift from achieving community-defined goals towards a predominate focus on assessing student learning. Focusing on a community's decision-making process regarding a homeless shelter, this article describes a cross-curricular project that combines critical service learning with participatory action research. Using community and participant defined goals and interactions to steer the research process enabled achievement of both student learning and attempts at community transformation.

Implementing a Service Learning Model for Teaching Research Methods and Program Evaluation

Abstract: In an effort to teach students the basic knowledge of research methods and the realities of conducting research in the context of agencies in the community, faculty developed and implemented a service learning model for teaching research and program evaluation to foundation-year MSW students. A year-long foundation course was designed in which one instructor taught a research methods course (scientific methods in social work) and an evaluation course (evaluation in social work) consecutively with the same group of students. The primary focus of these courses was on student group research projects with agencies in the community. This design was developed to deepen students' learning of research by (1) promoting continuity in instruction, (2) removing redundancies in content between two research courses, and (3) extending the time needed for rigorous program evaluation projects with community agencies. The strengths and challenges in implementation are discussed.

The Meaning of Service Learning in an MSW Course

Abstract: Service learning is an educational practice that bridges the gap between academics and the real world. Knowledge generated within educational institutions is offered to a community with the goal of strengthening student learning and increasing students' civic engagement. There is a pedagogical congruence between service learning, civic engagement, and the educational and professional values of social work given the field's commitment to social justice and the empowerment of oppressed groups at the macro-level. Though social work may hold an affinity for service learning, there has not been a corresponding connection to research regarding service learning's impact on civic engagement. The following research contributes to knowledge by understanding the experience of a group of graduate-level social work students who demonstrated civic engagement after the completion of a service learning experience.

Service Learning in an Undergraduate Social Work Research Course

Abstract: The current study examined student experiences (n = 111) in an undergraduate social work (BSW) research seminar in which a service learning (SL) project was the primary focus. Student groups of approximately six or seven worked with local agencies to develop a research plan for the agency. Students found the SL project to be a positive experience. The SL outcomes resulted in a greater appreciation of research, including a greater interest in and comfort with conducting research. Results also are compared to a similar SL project in which the entire class, rather than a small group, worked with one agency. The implications are discussed.

Small Change, Big Difference: Heightening BSW Faculty Awareness to Elicit More Effective Student Writing

Abstract: Concerns about social work students' writing are well documented, but the cost of specialized writing programs leaves budget-stressed programs confronting a problem they may feel they have few means to address. However, a valuable resource is already available: faculty expertise in social work writing. The challenge is helping faculty realize their knowledge is not transparent to students; it must be taught, intentionally and explicitly, in undergraduate social work classrooms. Engaging faculty in a process of articulating their expectations will help them elicit more effective student writing and change their attitudes toward student writing from frustrated to excited and optimistic.

Social Work and Criminal Justice: Are We Meeting in the Field?.

Abstract: Social workers are needed but infrequently involved with criminal justice systems. One way to increase the number of social workers in the criminal justice system is by exposing students to work in these settings. This study examined the number, types, and utilization of criminal justice field placements in MSW programs by surveying field education directors. On average, 7.73% of field placements were in criminal justice settings. When asked about barriers to criminal justice placements, the most frequently identified challenge was a lack of MSW supervisors. Implications for future research and education are discussed.

Teaching Inferential Statistics to Social Work Students: A Decision-making Flow Chart

Abstract: Given that social work research courses are typically built on modernist principles of teaching and content, it is not surprising that the majority of social work students dread these courses. Few attempts have been made to better align the modernist content of quantitative research with the postmodern philosophy and values inherent in current social work. This article presents a decision-making flow chart in conjunction with a problem-based learning framework so that students can be self-directed in the process of determining which inferential statistic to use when given a case example.

An Educator's Guide to the Development of Advanced Practice Competencies in Clinical Social Work.

Abstract: The 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards identified 10 core competencies that all social work graduates should master. MSW programs found themselves with a need to identify knowledge, values, and skill statements that reflected what concentration-year students were expected to know and be able to do. In 2009 a group of educators convened at the Council on Social Work Education in Alexandria, VA to develop a model of advanced practice in clinical social work. This article describes the work group's process; identifies and describes the resulting advanced clinical knowledge, values, and skills statements; discusses the key debates and issues that arose during the development of the statements; and concludes with the implications for social work education and practice.

Teaching Community Organizing in a BSW Curriculum

Abstract: The article describes a community organizing course that was as dynamic as community organizing itself. By employing a combination of teaching approaches, community organizing philosophy, and pedagogical and andragogical techniques for student training, the course challenged students to discover their beliefs and the role of the community and the community organizer in promoting social change. Though focused on the community organizing course, the article offers insight into the broader potential of the teaching approach for social work educators.

Exploring Baccalaureate Social Work Students' Self-Efficacy: Did it Change over Time?

Abstract: This study explored baccalaureate social work students' self-efficacy at a rural southern university. Bandura's concept of self-efficacy is used as a theoretical base for the study. Students (N = 43) in introductory social work courses and in the field practicum course completed the Foundation Practice Self Efficacy Scale. Following The Council on Social Work Educations 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, which recognizes field education as the signature pedagogy of social work education, field students were hypothesized to have higher levels of self-reported self-efficacy than entry-level students. Results suggest that senior level students were more confident in their abilities to practice social work than those students enrolled in an introductory social work course. Implications of this research for social work education are discussed, including the value of using self-efficacy scales in evaluating social work educational program outcomes.

A Longitudinal Study of Assessing APA Writing Competence at a BSW Program.

Abstract: Presented is a longitudinal study evaluating a Bachelor of Social Work writing program. The independent variable is a BSW curriculum in which social work courses include American Psychological Asso...

Enhancing Critical Reflection and Writing Skills in the HBSE Classroom and Beyond

Abstract: Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) is an ideal location in which graduate social work students can enhance their critical reflection and writing skills while integrating social work theories with practice, research, and policy. A writing-intensive, learner-centered model using specific strategies is described via a framework of critical pedagogy. In addition to its application within HBSE, this model can be adapted across the social work curriculum. The article is situated within ongoing debates concerning the relevance of social constructionism and postmodernism to social work.

Teaching Master's and Doctoral Social Work Students to Systematically Evaluate Evidence-Based Interventions.

Abstract: Evidence-based research relevant to social work practice has grown dramatically. This article describes a method that was implemented to teach master's and doctoral social work students how to synthesize and evaluate evidence-based interventions for social work–related problems and populations. The method includes eight steps: conceptualize the problem and define the research question(s); conduct a systematic search; define study inclusion and exclusion criteria; identify and categorize types of interventions and outcomes; rate the studies' methodological rigor; determine outcome attainment; combine outcome attainment and study rigor, and compare the evidence across studies. Two examples are presented of the implementation of this approach along with a discussion of the challenges and limitations.

“I Thought I Hated Data”: Preparing MSW Students for Data-driven Practice

Abstract: Social work is an applied profession using a combination of theory, research, and practice to meet the needs of client populations. First-hand experiential learning is central to social work education. Just as students learn clinical skills by interacting with clients in a practice setting, students need a forum to use real data to develop their skills in accessing, understanding, interpreting, and presenting answers to pertinent social work research questions. This paper describes one university's efforts to design and implement coursework opportunities for students to integrate the use of actual data to answer pertinent real-world research and evaluation questions.

The Construction of Social Class in Social Work Education: A Study of Introductory Textbooks

Abstract: Social work introductory textbooks reflect myriad practical interests, pedagogical concerns, and theoretical considerations. However, they also present students with accepted views, dominant perspectives, and main discourses of knowledge. In light of this centrality, the present article examines the representation of the concept of “social class” in introductory textbooks as a way to look at the construction of the concept in social work education. Based on the content analysis study of 50 introductory textbooks, the article suggests that social work education has overlooked or even denied the relevance of social class. Class differences, as part of other categories of power such as race, ethnicity, and gender are crucial factors in explaining diversity and inequality. As social justice is one of the main premises of social work, the question of how to prepare students to deal with class issues as future practitioners seems to be very important, especially in light of increasing social class gaps.

African American Female Faculty in Predominantly White Graduate Schools of Social Work.

Abstract: This study of African American female faculty in predominantly White schools of social work was designed to examine the unique experience of these faculties. The examination also aimed to develop a better understanding of the challenges and the experiences of these faculty members. This exploratory study sampled African American female social work faculty from predominantly White schools of social work in the United States. The authors were specifically interested in identifying psychosocial factors that undergird the nature of the experiences of these women. The special challenges of these women are discussed from the framework of Kanter's theory of proportional representation and the tenets of relational/cultural theory.

Integrating Education on Addressing Health Disparities into the Graduate Social Work Curriculum

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to propose an elective social work course as a means of better preparing social workers entering practice in healthcare to meet the challenges of promoting health and reducing health disparities in minority and underserved communities. Course offerings specifically targeting health or medical social work training vary widely. The additional training provided at places of employment and through continuing education after the master's degree is often inadequate for competently addressing the issues clinicians face in practice.

PUSH(ing) Limits: Using Fiction in the Classroom for Human Behavior and the Social Environment

Abstract: The use of fiction and autobiography in social science course work has been shown to enhance students' learning experience. Using the novel PUSH, by Sapphire, we designed a curriculum supplement for the social work course, human behavior and the social environment (HBSE) that encourages students to integrate course content in an innovative way and enables them to apply the material to life-like situations. The HBSE supplement allows students to explore poignant and problematic issues that push them past intrapersonal and interpersonal limits. Classes are infused with energy and the critical consciousness of the students. Final projects are a systematic case study of a chosen character (or characters) in the book and are a testament to student critical thinking and creativity. Methods, assignments, and student experiences in an introductory BSW course are described.

Harm Reduction in MSW Substance Abuse Courses

Abstract: Professional social work largely has endorsed the empirically supported paradigm of harm reduction in relation to substance abuse issues. Despite literature detailing similarities between social work and harm reduction, little is known about its presence in MSW substance abuse coursework. A purposive sample of 133 social work faculty from accredited MSW programs in the United States provided an exploratory, qualitative web-based survey. Findings indicate harm reduction varies in scope and nature and that faculty relate it to quality of life yet differ on its goals. Some faculty and students hold predisposed negative views toward harm reduction; students' views are influenced by professional and personal experiences yet also become more accepting with exposure. Implications for social work education and subsequent research are discussed.