Showing papers in "Social Work Education in 2018"
TL;DR: In this article, the need for professionals to use reflection to learn about and develop their practice is now a universally stated goal, but there has been little research into whether and how reflection can be used in social work.
Abstract: The need for professionals to use reflection to learn about and develop their practice is now a universally stated goal. In social work however there has been little research into whether and how r...
96 citations
TL;DR: Significant multi-layered challenges with delivering quality practicum experiences to social work students have led field education coordinators to release a joint statement that social work field education coordinator as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Significant multi-layered challenges with delivering quality practicum experiences to social work students have led field education coordinators to release a joint statement that social work field ...
53 citations
TL;DR: Despite rapid growth in online learning in social work and a growing body of research showing comparable levels of effectiveness and student satisfaction, concerns about online social work education have been raised.
Abstract: Despite rapid growth in online learning in social work and a growing body of research showing comparable levels of effectiveness and student satisfaction, concerns about online social work educatio...
49 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a pilot study aimed to measure the impact of mindfulness on self-care and self-confidence in the context of self-awareness, and found that mindfulness is becoming more popular as emerging research demonstrates its benefits for self care, by cultivating calmness and decreasing stress or anxiety.
Abstract: Mindfulness is becoming more popular as emerging research demonstrates its benefits for self-care, by cultivating calmness and decreasing stress or anxiety. This pilot study aimed to measure the im...
37 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose social work education can learn from nurse and health programs to develop innovative simulation-based education, which can bridge the gap between knowledge and skills through interactive and immersive simulations facilitated by modern technology.
Abstract: Social work combines professional knowledge and practice skills. Current developments in UK social work education appear to prioritise work-place skills acquisition over traditional academic teaching methods, and this refocus may lead to a decline in UK university social work programmes. In this paper, we propose social work education can learn from nurse and health programmes to develop innovative simulation-based education. Modern technologies allow for interactive and immersive learning experiences, which enable students to develop practice skills safely. Through interactive and immersive simulations, facilitated by modern technology, we suggest social work education can bridge the gap between knowledge and skills.
34 citations
TL;DR: Work-integrated learning (WIL) provides students with an opportunity to integrate academic learning with real-world experiences to develop both valuable self-monitoring and professional self-constructive ability as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Interest in the reflective practitioner as a model of a ‘good professional’ has increased in several professional fields and is also valued within social work education as a key aspiration to address the uncertainties and challenges encountered in contemporary working environments. Reflecting on their own professional identity, as well as theories, values, and devices used in professional practice, can help practitioners deal with complex work demands and help students be better equipped to transition from university to work. Work-integrated learning (WIL) provides students with an opportunity to integrate academic learning with ‘real-world’ experiences to develop both valuable self-monitoring and professional self-constructive ability. This paper presents a case study in social work higher education in which WIL class-based teaching was combined with the use of reflective journals to explore the role of WIL in developing reflective practices for professional identity formation. 21 reflective jour...
27 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a study based on an interdisciplinary approach to research into reflection on identity construction, which explores the narrative of professional idei cation in the context of identity construction.
Abstract: The present article presents a study based on an interdisciplinary approach to research into reflection on identity construction. This multiple case study explores the narrative of professional ide...
26 citations
TL;DR: To help prepare students for the challenges of modern social work practice, a regional Australian University's social work teaching team developed a client-centered web-based digital storytelling c....
Abstract: To help prepare students for the challenges of modern social work practice, a regional Australian University’s social work teaching team developed a client-centered web-based digital storytelling c...
26 citations
TL;DR: The introduction of distance education in the 1990s sought to broaden the access to a social work qualification to Australians who are excluded from educational institutions which have high attenda....
Abstract: The introduction of distance education in the 1990s sought to broaden the access to a social work qualification to Australians who are excluded from educational institutions which have high attenda...
25 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have placed significant emphasis on healthcare integration, mental health parity, and implementation of team-based practice models in the US healthcare system, focusing on the integration and parity of mental health care.
Abstract: Over the last decade healthcare policies and practices in the US have placed significant emphasis on healthcare integration, mental health parity, and implementation of team-based practice models t
25 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative study, conducted in the United States, addresses the challenge of providing effective cultural competency training to social work students, which is a social work education struggle.
Abstract: Providing effective cultural competency training to social work students is a social work education struggle. This qualitative study, conducted in the United States, addresses this challenge by exa...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe and evaluate an educational experience in the US that prepares social work practitioners and students to run for elected office; to work in leadership positions at the local, state, and federal levels; and serve as effective advocates for social change.
Abstract: Training social workers for leadership roles in electoral campaigns and political offices increases the profession’s effectiveness in promoting public policy that reflects our professional values and commitment to social justice. This research describes and evaluates an educational experience in the US that prepares social work practitioners and students to run for elected office; to work in leadership positions at the local, state, and federal levels; and serve as effective advocates for social change. Participants’ plans for future political engagement before and after the training were compared. Following the training, participants are more likely to plan to be politically active in general. Their intentions to work on campaigns, run for office, and engage with elected officials increased. These results can inform education in other social work settings.
TL;DR: In this article, the experiences of students who have completed one social work placement and exami cation are analyzed. But the authors focus on the social work fieldwork placements as a key component of social work education.
Abstract: Social work fieldwork placements are recognised as a key component of social work education. This article analyses the experiences of students who have completed one social work placement and exami...
TL;DR: The neoliberal university is described as a space where there is an ever-present "scarcity of time" as faculty face increasingly high-paced demands for efficiencies and productivity as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The neoliberal university is described as a space where there is an ever-present ‘scarcity of time’ as faculty face increasingly high-paced demands for efficiencies and productivity. By this logic,...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report on how students and supervisors experienced their placement relationships in the context of a team-based rotation placement model where students routinely engaged in group and peer supervision as well as one-to-one supervision with various supervisors.
Abstract: Social work has historically privileged one-to-one supervision in field education. However, in recent decades, the relentless pressure on organisations to innovate for efficiency gain has created an impetus to explore alternative placement formats. This article reports on how students and supervisors experienced their placement relationships in the context of one such alternative—a team-based rotation placement model where students routinely engaged in group and peer supervision as well as one-to-one supervision with various supervisors. A total of 128 Masters of Social Work students and 92 student supervisors participated in rotation placements across five hospitals over a three-year period; 2011–2013. The study adopted a mixed methods approach using online surveys and post-placement interviews each year. The findings suggest that, although both supervisors and students viewed the one-to-one supervisory relationship as pivotal, they experienced this relationship differently. Supervisors were more...
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of and need for a critical and global-oriented social work education on students' learning and developments in the context of international field training is examined and discussed.
Abstract: This paper examines the influence of and need for a critical and global-oriented social work education on students’ learning and developments in the context of international field training. The stu ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a cross-sectional study explored the relationship between empathy, self-esteem, and work engagement in 472 undergraduate and graduate students in the helping professions and found overall high levels of affective empathy.
Abstract: There is a growing trend in social work to produce social work students who demonstrate empathy. Empathy levels in social work students are not well-researched, especially in comparison with students in other helping professions. This cross-sectional study explored the relationship between empathy, self-esteem, and work engagement in 472 undergraduate and graduate students in the helping professions. Comparisons between BSW, MSW, and nursing students found overall high levels of affective empathy. Graduate MSW and nursing students scored higher than BSW students on most empathy constructs, self-esteem, work engagement, and had more work and volunteer experiences. A hierarchical multiple regression model was used to assess predictors of comprehensive empathy. Significant predictors of comprehensive empathy, as measured by the Empathy Assessment Index, included volunteer experience, work engagement, and affective empathy. Demographic variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, and years of work were n...
TL;DR: Despite a long history of engagement with distance education models in Australia, the adoption of distance learning in social work education has been cautious and social work educators' ability to adapt to distance learning has been limited.
Abstract: Despite a long history of engagement with distance education models in Australia, the adoption of distance learning in social work education has been cautious and social work educators’ ability to ...
TL;DR: In this article, an under-explored dimension of international social work and social work's relationship to religious belief is discussed, and a descriptive and analytical study that seeks to explore the relationship between international social workers and religious beliefs is presented.
Abstract: This paper concerns an under-explored dimension of international social work and social work’s relationship to religious belief. The paper reports a descriptive and analytical study that sought to ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the interest in research courses among students entering a BSW program in Switzerland and establish the relationship between students' interest of research courses, their research orientation, and research anxiety.
Abstract: Research courses have become a taken-for-granted component of social work study programmes. Nonetheless, studies still confirm that social work students are reluctant to engage with research courses. They report considerably negative beliefs and attitudes as well as higher levels of anxiety. The present study aims to assess the interest in research courses among students entering a BSW programme in Switzerland. Further, it aimed to establish the relationship between students’ interest in research courses, their research orientation, and research anxiety. From 2014 to 2016, 708 first-year students were surveyed using an online questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling. Analysis showed that the interest in research courses was predicted by research anxiety (β = −.29) as well as by the perceived importance (β = .27), the attributed usefulness (β = .15) and the perceived unbiased nature of research (β = .08). These variables were predicted, in tur...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess the mechanisms by which EPAS core competencies are embodied in classroom teaching, and present emergent case studies of one program that presents emergent competencies.
Abstract: Assessing the mechanisms by which EPAS core competencies are embodied in classroom teaching is important for comprehensively examining EPAS’ success. This case study of one program presents emergen...
TL;DR: In this article, the importance of including sexual well-being within social work practice and education is explored, and social workers often work with individuals for whom opportunities for sexual expression are limited.
Abstract: This paper explores the importance of including sexual well-being within social work practice and education. Social workers often work with individuals for whom opportunities for sexual expression ...
TL;DR: This paper explored the suggestion that younger students and social workers are more accepting of neoliberal social work practices than their older counterparts, understanding social problems more readily as failings of individual behaviour rather than as produced by societal forces such as inequality, poverty, and punitive social policy.
Abstract: This paper explores the suggestion that younger students and social workers are more accepting of neoliberal social work practices than their older counterparts, understanding social problems more readily as failings of individual behaviour rather than as produced by societal forces such as inequality, poverty, and punitive social policy. The suggestion is made that the acceptance of a hegemonic view of people in poverty and other difficulties, which is simple and reductionist, and therefore, easy to grasp, can only be challenged by sophisticated critical thinking. Assignment results from two modules within one social work programme which significantly correlate marks attained and student age are considered in the light of the suggestion that younger students are struggling with critical thinking, and therefore, with deconstructing the neoliberal hegemony.
TL;DR: In this paper, a participatory action research design was used in an applied university social work department in the Netherlands to develop a new curriculum for students using their experiential knowledge.
Abstract: Aims: To understand the features of experiential knowledge with recovery and the process of social work students learning to use their experiential knowledge of recovery from an existential and emancipatory perspective.
Methods: A participatory action research design was used in an applied university social work department in the Netherlands to develop a new curriculum for students using their experiential knowledge. Students were invited to disclose and share their personal experiences of recovery in the classroom and practice.
Results: Experiential knowledge of recovery can be articulated as knowledge of finding a new balance in dualities of several existential themes. Social work students shared their experiences in a reflexive way and transcended their individual experiences to develop a critical subjectivity. They experienced their learning process as emancipatory and destigmatizing, but shame came up as a recurring theme. Making use of experiential knowledge sometimes conflicted with expectations of the social worker as a detached professional expert.
Conclusion: Experiential knowledge of recovery can be articulated as knowledge of living with existential dualities. Profiling oneself as a social worker with existential knowledge of recovery has paradoxical aspects: it may weaken shame and combat stigmatization, but may reinforce stigma as well.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight the urgent need for schools of social work to effectively train students to serve clients with substance addictions in the field of service among those with alcohol and other drug addictions.
Abstract: Trends in the field of service among those with alcohol and other drug addictions highlight the urgent need for schools of social work to effectively train students to serve clients with substance ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the research experiences, interests and capacity of social work professionals working as frontline workers and managers in human service organizations in regional South Austraia is explored. But they focus on the role of social workers in human services.
Abstract: This article explores the research experiences, interests and capacity of social work professionals working as frontline workers and managers in human service organizations in regional South Austra...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the need to train social workers for transnational/international practice, with their political, economic, social, and environmental implications, and their awareness of the need for training social workers.
Abstract: Global processes with their political, economic, social, and environmental implications have led to growing awareness of the need to train social workers for transnational/international practice. I...
TL;DR: In this article, the capability approach is used to assess the well-being of clients during a class exercise, where each student selected one client from their practice education and presented the data in the form of a vignette.
Abstract: The capability approach is useful in assessing the well-being of clients. In this study, social work students utilised this approach during a class exercise. Each student selected one client from their practice education and presented the data in the form of a vignette. A qualitative study of an exploratory and descriptive nature was undertaken. The goal of the study was to provide a theoretical overview on the capability approach and to explore how third-year social work students could apply this approach in social work education when assessing the well-being of their clients. The participants were able to indicate aspects in their clients’ lives that were not conducive to their general well-being, but could also provide suggestions where functioning and well-being could improve. Five vignettes were chosen from the data, representing the main challenges clients faced. It was concluded that the capability approach could be used by the students to good effect in social work education when assessing...
TL;DR: The readiness to practice of newly qualified social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand is a contested subject. In recent years, criticism by public figures including government ministers and the New Z...
Abstract: The readiness to practice of newly qualified social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand is a contested subject. In recent years, criticism by public figures including government ministers and the New Z...
TL;DR: The number of short-term study abroad trips has been increasing and the majority of social work programs conduct them, often including service learning experiences as discussed by the authors, and these trips can help students le...
Abstract: The number of short-term study abroad trips has been increasing and the majority of social work programs conduct them, often including service learning experiences. These trips can help students le...