Scholarly Productivity of Social Work Graduate Programs

Abstract

This research compares the scholarly productivity of ten leading social work graduate programs with 35 randomly selected Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited graduate programs. The data reports that, when comparing group averages, the ten leading social work programs had greater scholarly productivity than the 35 randomly selected programs. These findings were statistically significant. However, when comparing individual programs, a notable number of the randomly selected graduate programs had much higher rates of scholarly productivity than some of the ten leading social work graduate programs. The implications of these findings for social work practice and education are discussed.     

Using Refugee Stories in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

Facilitating the adjustment of refugees can be a challenging task for social workers because these involuntary migrants are often both culturally different and psychologically traumatized. Powerful stories about the refugee experience can, therefore, be valuable tools in the preparation of social workers. They can be used to build background knowledge, because they document the experiences of refugees and the sociopsychological effects of those experiences. They can also be used to complement and illustrate theory and are especially valuable, because they permit us to see the receiving country and its agencies from a refugee perspective. Last, they can effectively raise issues for discussion and/or further investigation. This pedagogical potential is illustrated by reference to eight short stories, one biography and a collection of first-person narratives.     

Research Productivity of Social Work PhD Candidates Entering the Academic Job Market: An Analysis of Pre- and Postadmission Productivity Indicators

ABSTRACT

Besides traditional admissions criteria, research-intensive social work PhD programs may rely on personal interviews and curriculum vitae or resumes to gauge prior research experience to determine applicants’ fit for the research-related productivity expected in their programs. Case record review of social work PhD candidates (n=56) entering the job market (fall 2007 to spring 2016) aimed to explore preadmission demographic, academic, and research productivity characteristics as correlates of postadmission research productivity and time-to-degree. Race and ethnicity, residency, master’s degree type, Graduate Record Examination analytical score, and preadmission research productivity were significantly, yet differentially, related to postadmission research productivity. Only master’s degree type was significantly related to time-to-degree. Implications for prospective applicants and admissions committees at research-intensive social work schools are discussed.     

An Evaluation of the Scholarly Productivity of Doctoral Graduates

Scholarly publication is becoming increasingly important in social work. Not only does publication reflect the knowledge development effort of the profession, but it apparently positively affects the careers of the authors. In the current study, the authors evaluated the scholarly productivity of 284 randomly selected doctoral graduates from 30 social work programs. The authors accumulated and aggregated for each program counts of publications appearing in the Source Index of the Social Sciences Citation Index.Findings indicated that the level of article productivity among doctoral graduates was normative. In addition, the productivity of doctoral program faculty was found to be related to the productivity of the program’s doctoral graduates. The authors suggest that perhaps productive faculty provide positive role models to their students; this mentoring relationship contributes to graduate productivity outcomes.     

Determinants of Scholarly Productivity among Male and Female Economists

A model of the determinants of articles produced by male and female economists is estimated using data from a survey of members of the American Economics Association. Years of experience, coauthorship rates, gender, research-teaching orientation of the respondent's institution, and teaching loads are shown to be important estimators. Coauthorship appears to increase the overall production of articles and may help explain why collaboration among economists has increased in recent years. Males produce, on average, about seven more articles than females, with approximately 59% of gender-specific differentials left unexplained by the variables included in the model. (JEL JØ )     

We're All Number One: Academic Productivity among Schools of Social Work

Abstract

This paper updates, extends and refines a study published in this Journal a decade ago on the academic affiliation of social work authors. The study reported in this article looked at different types of journals and examined how a school's productivity rank varied by type of journal, faculty size and over time.     

Using Adjuncts in Social Work Education: Challenges and Rewards

Adjunct faculty have become an essential addition to social work programs in the United States. Full-time social work faculty have not been able to meet the demands created by continued growth of BSW and MSW programs. The number of doctoral students in social work programs has not kept up with the growth of the programs. A survey of program directors available through the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Director's (BPD) listserv in the United States found that respondents saw adjunct faculty as assets to social work programs. The survey results indicated that adjunct faculty provide a ‘value added’ component. Adjuncts need to receive an orientation and continual training to help prepare them for classroom management and become aware of university policies. Adjuncts can be retained if they receive training, have frequent contact with faculty, and have access to university resources.     

Using an Anti-Oppressive Framework in Social Work Practice with Lesbians

Anti-oppressive (AOP) social work practice addresses the whole person and the practitioner relates to the client in the client's social context. AOP considers personal, institutional, cultural, and economic issues and considers how these influence individuals' behaviors and their opportunities to grow into their full potential as persons living within these oppressive contexts. Lesbians live in a world that is dominated by oppression and heterosexism that can lead to a deep sense of shame regarding their sexuality. Anti-oppressive social work involves taking and supporting action to advance both individual and structural change to improve the lives of lesbian clients.     

Using Personal Quality Assessment for Selection of Social Work Students

Abstract

The social work profession has long struggled to find fair and effective ways of selecting students into their education programs. A psychometric test battery, gathered together under the title “Personal Qualities Assessment” (PQA) has been developed at the University of Newcastle to identify a range of qualities in aspiring health professionals. Two of its components were used to determine whether there was a relationship between scores obtained by social work students in these tests and scores achieved in an empathic listening and critical review hurdle assessment prior to the first field placement. The results showed that social work students who were moderately empathic, not narcissistic, and moderately libertarian in their moral orientation performed better on the assessment than students who were less empathic, more narcissistic, or extreme in their moral orientation. These results suggest that measurement of these qualities could be useful in selecting the most suitable individuals for social work programs.     

A Social Work Perspective on Using Social Return on Investment (SROI) in Humanistic Social Care

Service administrators and social workers are increasingly adopting business terminology in practice, including such terms as “social impact”, “social capital”, “social investing”, “social accounting”, “social benefits”, and “social return on investment” (SROI). These concepts, especially SROI, must be examined for inconsistency with social work values. Clients must not be stigmatised, and their voices must be heard when this controversial measurement tool is used. A prudent mentality must accompany the application of business ideas to humanistic social care.     

Lessons Learned From Using Adobe Connect in the Social Work Classroom

Adobe Connect is synchronous web conferencing software available to colleges and universities. This pilot study sought to understand student and faculty participation in use of this software as part of an already established hybrid master's level social work curriculum. This software was utilized in two courses: concentration year field practicum and advanced social work practice. Student feedback and satisfaction are presented. Lessons learned for using such software are explored.     

Using Technological Tools to Enhance Learning in Social Work Diversity Courses

SUMMARY

This study explores the educational benefits of using e-mail and electronic discussion groups as instructional tools in social work diversity classes. The authors look at practical ideas of how these technological tools can be used to aid classroom instruction, increase student awareness of human diversity issues, and enhance cultural competence. Students rated their experience as positive overall, and believe it gave them more opportunity to process the course content and expand their discussions outside the classroom. Students also report that they took more time to think about their responses than they do in traditional classroom discussions.