The Challenges of the Post of Dean in Social Work Education

This paper reports an experiment in teaching social welfare policy content to first year students in a school of social work. In the context of an integrated class-field experience, the course sought to teach student practitioners a process of inquiry which might be useful in their efforts to change social welfare policies and programs. The project was based on the premise that social action is likely to be more effective when it is based on a systematic assessment of the problem in question and how it is being dealt with by existing policies and services. The authors discuss the advantages and limitations of this approach that were observed during the two year experiment and suggest that with certain modifications it can be an effective means for teaching social welfare policy.     

How to Do Things With Texts: A Functional Account of Reading Comprehension

We offer an account of reading comprehension that we believe will help clarify some common conceptual confusions in the relevant literature, as well as contribute to existing functional accounts. We argue that defining texts qua texts as stimulus classes, on the one hand, and equating “comprehension” with behavior (covert or otherwise), on the other, are not useful conceptual moves, especially when behavioral settings go beyond basic literacy skills acquisition. We then analyze the structure of the contingencies that usually evoke talk of “comprehension” using techniques from analytic philosophy. We show how keeping the results of this analysis in mind can help avoid the conceptual bafflement that often arises, even among behavior analysts, when defining or assessing behavioral phenomena related to reading comprehension. Using two contrasting cases (legal texts and stories), we argue that what counts as comprehension depends, not peripherally but crucially, on the shared social practices of which texts are a part. Finally, we propose a new framework for classifying reader–text contingencies by combining two dimensions: openness of setting and embeddedness of reinforcement.     

‘Never mind the mechanics,what about the (sexual) ethics?’ Sex,sexuality and social work education in sexual violence prevention

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the efficacy of sexual violence prevention education (SVPE) in the USA and Australasia: areas, which have some of the worst rates for sexual violence prevalence, globally. Paradoxically, they are also at the forefront of innovations in sexual violence prevention, compared to some European countries where SVPE is virtually non-existent or at the embryonic stage, such as the UK. Drawing upon the Authors’ previous research on the delivery of SVPE in New Zealand secondary schools, and literature reviews into these innovations, the authors argue that social work education is ideally placed to develop SVPE, due to the ways that some of these innovations, coalesce with social work theory, critical andragogy, and social work values. These synergies have the potential for transnational application through the ways that they can inform SVPE in those countries where it is delivered by social workers in schools, and via the ways it can enhance the social work curriculum to improve post-qualifying practice in addressing sexual violence (SV).     

He wahine tangi tikapa 1 …: Statutory investigative processes and the grieving of Maori families who have lost a baby to SIDS

Abstract

Among Maori families, the loss of an infant to SIDS is a terrible burden that reverberates through social networks for years after the event. The statutory services that investigate the death have a huge impact on such processes. This qualitative investigation studied the experiences of whanau following a SIDS death by reporting narrative data, gathered from families, police officers, coroners, and pathologists. Thematic analyses revealed multiple domains of high significance—police actions, post‐mortem, and coronial process—to bereaved whanau, and this paper considers their implications for grieving, service provision, and social justice.     

Comparing Outcomes of a Web-based MSW Course to Face-to-Face Class Outcomes: Implications for Social Work Education

The aim of this study was to assess students' confidence in their ability to diagnose mental illness in a second year Masters-level Psychosocial Pathology course. Overall final grade was also evaluated as an outcome measure. One hundred and ten (98 completed both the pre- and post-tests) Master in Social Work students were enrolled in one of three sections of the course Psychosocial Pathology. Two sections were delivered in a fully face-to-face mode and one section was delivered in a fully web-based mode. Statistically significant differences were found in change scores between the ‘online’ and ‘face-to-face’ groups. Statistically significant differences were also found in class composition and student characteristics suggesting that student characteristics, as well as teaching/learning modes, may moderate classroom outcomes. Recommendations for developing ‘best practices’ for advising students deciding between face-to-face and web-based courses are delineated.     

Building Indigenous Australian Social Work

Abstract

An Indigenous social work guided by Indigenous Australians’ participation and experience that has, at its heart, human rights and social justice is in its infancy in Australia. The present paper continues a discussion on Indigenous Australian social work theory and practice developments being generated by those working in this field. Aspects of this “praxis” include recognition of the effects of invasion, colonialism, and paternalistic social policies upon social work practice with Indigenous communities; recognition of the importance of self-determination; contemporary Indigenous and non-Indigenous colleagues working in partnership; the impact of contemporary racist and neocolonialist values; and rethinking contemporary social work values and practices. There is discussion of appropriation and reinterpretation of social work concepts, incorporation of international and local Indigenous theory, and the framing of social work by Indigenous Australians’ views and values.     

Depression and Parenting by Nonoffending Mothers of Children Who Experienced Sexual Abuse

Parenting may be one mechanism by which depression in nonoffending mothers impacts child emotional and behavioral adjustment after sexual abuse. This study examined the relationship between self-reported maternal depression and parenting behaviors by nonoffending mothers of children who experienced sexual abuse. The participants were 204 nonoffending biological mother–child pairs recruited from a clinic providing services for children who experienced sexual abuse. The mothers completed pretreatment self-report measures of demographic information, depression, and parenting behaviors. Children (7 to 17 years) completed a measure of mothers’ parenting behaviors. Mothers with clinically high levels of self-reported depression employed more inconsistent parenting behavior and provided poorer monitoring/supervision of their children than mothers without clinically high levels of self-reported depression. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.     

Mean squared error of prediction approach to the analysis of a combined array

SUMMARY The combined array provides a powerful, more statistically rigorous alternative to Taguchi's crossed-array approach to robust parameter design. The combined array assumes a single linear model in the control and the noise factors. One may then find conditions for the control factors which will minimize an appropriate loss function that involves the noise factors. The most appropriate loss function is often simply the resulting process variance, recognizing that the noise factors are actually random effects in the process. Because the major focus of such an experiment is to optimize the estimated process variance, it is vital to understand the resulting prediction properties. This paper develops the mean squared error for the estimated process variance for the combined array approach, under the assumption that the model is correctly specified. Specific combined arrays are compared for robustness. A practical example outlines how this approach may be used to select appropriate combined arrays within a particular experimental situation.     

Buying into the American Dream? Mexican Immigrants,Legal Status,and Homeownership in Los Angeles County*

Objectives. Contemporary patterns of homeownership reflect the continuing racial and ethnic stratification that exists in nearly all areas of American society. Of particular interest, especially within the context of recent immigration legislation, are the homeownership experiences of Mexican immigrants in the United States. Methods. The current study employs unique data from the 2001 Los Angeles County Mexican Immigrant Residency Status Survey (LAC‐MIRSS) to examine the association between diverse forms of legal status and homeownership for Mexican immigrants. Results. Analyses indicate that the relationship between legal status and housing tenure is not statistically significant, after accounting for economic, life‐course/life‐cycle, and assimilation/social capital characteristics. Conclusions. The lack of a significant relationship is contrary to past research, perhaps explained by the explosive growth of the subprime mortgage market in the United States; the increasing recognition by financial institutions of Latino immigrants as a largely untapped, yet emerging, market in the mortgage industry; the availability of alternative forms of identification; and the institutionalization of unauthorized immigration in Los Angeles.