Impact of Social Work Education on Student Attitudes and Behavior concerning Oppression

Although human service professionals increasingly are the victims of violence, no data exist on the prevalence of violence in the undergraduate field setting, and only one study has addressed the incidence of violence at the graduate level. To fill this gap in the research, the authors surveyed 121 social work students and 96 field instructors at the undergraduate and graduate levels to identify safety issues, compare incidents of violence, and to examine agency policies on violence prevention and management. Findings revealed that undergraduate and graduate students experienced verbal abuse, as well as physical violence. Field instructors were verbally abused or threatened by clients, but did not report any verbal abuse by students; they also reported physical assaults by clients and paraprofessionals. Students reported that, although they received some classroom instruction on safety issues in practice, agencies used as practicum sites often did not have policies on violence or did not inform students of those policies. The authors suggest that curriculum materials on violence and safety issues be integrated into the curriculum or included in field placement seminars. They also recommend that the Council on Social Work Education mandate the inclusion of such content.     

A National Study of the Field Liaison Role in Social Work Education Programs in the United States and Puerto Rico

This study investigates the liaison role in social work field education from the perspective of those presently working in that capacity at both the undergraduate and graduate levels from the United States and Puerto Rico (N?=?408). On average, undergraduate liaisons have more years of liaison experience, are more likely to be full‐time status, spend less time driving to sites, and devote more overall time to the role. Undergraduate program liaisons spend less time on problems and rate the quality of sites, field instructors, and overall levels of learning higher than graduate programs. Undergraduate liaisons report more institutional support, a higher level of value for field education in the curriculum, and a higher level of satisfaction with their liaison roles than graduate program liaisons.     

The Clinical Aspects of Case Management and its Role in Graduate Field Education

In graduate social work education, faculty advisors together with practice instructors can improve social work students' skills to link the practical aspects of ‘work responsibilities’ to the clinical underpinnings of case management. Often students are taught the direct services (case management) with a view solely focused on the practical aspects of care, and this curtails the students' opportunity to learn the clinical interventions that exist in all components of social work: to identify, understand and apply clinical dynamics to presenting problems. The authors discuss their work in addressing case management from a clinical perspective with MSW students and recommendations for its inclusion in graduate social work programs.     

Teaching the Child Perspective in Social Work Education: Ethical Principles and Classroom Strategies

Aimed at graduate and undergraduate social work instructors, this article identifies the problem of inadequate attention to children in social work education in the US. The authors argue that social work ethics require social work educators to address children as a vulnerable population. They argue that children will be more central in social work education if instructors adopt a child perspective defined by three knowledge categories, development, well‐being and hope, that serve as reference points in teaching. A triangular strategy of position, attitude and action is provided to guide the day‐to‐day use of a child perspective in the classroom. The authors examine sources of the problem, describe its effects on students' education and future practice and provide classroom examples and teaching techniques.     

Publication Rates of Undergraduate Social Work Programs in Selected Journals

Abstract

Scholarship is receiving an ever-increasing emphasis within social work education, particularly at the undergraduate level. Decisions on recruitment, reappointment, tenure, salary, and promotion often are influenced by publication productivity. The authors extend previous research on publication activity of graduate faculty by reporting the journal article production of undergraduate social work faculty over a 7-year period in seven major social work journals. As expected from earlier studies, relatively few faculty produced a sizable proportion of the articles. However, articles written by only one author were less common than previous research suggested. The majority of articles appeared in three of the journals reviewed: Social Work, Journal of Social Work Education, and Families in Society (formerly Social Casework). The most prolific undergraduate faculty were likely to come from programs located in combined bachelor of social work/master of social work settings in relatively large public universities. Gender differences were noted in only one area: twice as many women authors were among the most prolific baccalaureate contributors.     

A Comparison of Advanced Standing and Regular Master’s Students’ Performance in the Second-Year Field Practicum

The author surveyed field instructors of second-year graduate students to ascertain the instructors’ assessments of their students’ preparedness for and skill in social work practice. The variable of interest was traditional second-year or advanced placement status. Results indicate that, with few exceptions, there were no differences in field instructors’ evaluations based on status; those that existed favored advanced placement students. The implications of the findings for the continuing debates over advanced placement and an articulated continuum regarding the bachelor’s versus master’s social work degree are discussed.     

Cultural Variants and Social Work Practice in India

In social work field education, mentoring is underused and lacks research data. There is a paucity of research that examines the effect mentoring has on social work field directors who administer field programs at the undergraduate and/or graduate level. This exploratory study fills this void by examining the mentoring opportunities and experiences of field directors. The results show that there is a desire by field directors to receive assistance and collaborate with mentors on scholarly activities. The most helpful aspects of mentoring include having a mentor who acted as a sounding board, gave advice on administering the field program, and provided strategies for success. Suggestions for future research on mentoring field directors are presented.     

Addressing the Issue of Psychiatric Disability in Social Work Interns: The Need for a Problem-Solving Framework

Abstract

This article examines the issues that arise when field instructors encounter social work interns with psychiatric problems. The authors discuss how legal decisions and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provide the organizing framework for developing appropriate policies for addressing these situations. Findings from a survey that asked 61 field instructors about their experiences with such students and their knowledge of ADA guidelines provide additional information for policy development. Based on the survey and the legal guidelines, the authors present a problem-solving framework and recommendations to guide academic programs toward an approach that protects the rights of all parties involved.     

A Multi‐Program Collaboration in Field Education

This paper describes the development of a US‐based field education collaboration among three social work programs that includes: field instructor orientation, continuing education for field instructors, an advisory board, a joint website and database, a field instructor manual and selected joint forms. Benefits, challenges, considerations and strategies will be offered for programs that wish to embark on similar projects.     

Differences in Graduate and Undergraduate Performance in a Core Research Course

In an effort to determine research content appropriate to the undergraduate and graduate degree programs, this study describes differences between undergraduate and graduate social work students and identifies predictors of achievement in an introductory research course. In general, graduates were older, had higher undergraduate grade point averages, were more likely to be male, and did better in the research course than undergraduates. The best predictors of achievement were undergraduate grade point average, interest in the class, and, for graduate students, prior experience in research.     

New Field Instructors’ Perceptions of Institutional Supports for their Roles

Evidence indicates that the turnover of field instructors is high, thus threatening the quality and costs of social work education. To determine the factors that contribute to the high turnover rate, the authors surveyed new field instructors. The authors examined the influence of institutional supports offered by the practice setting and by the university on intention to continue and actual continuance, as well as intrinsic rewards and personal issues. The results contribute to an understanding of the career path of field instructors and suggest new short-term strategies to increase retention of field instructors. The authors conclude that the voluntary and somewhat precarious nature of university—agency partnerships for social work education needs to be reconsidered.     

Training Field Instructors British Style

A system recently introduced in Britain for training and accrediting social work field instructors addresses concerns about the quantity of competent field instructors and the quality of field education in social work programs. This article discusses the British training/accrediting system for field instructors, its impact on field education in the UK, and its implications for North American schools of social work, field education, and accreditation standards.     

Branch Campuses: Extending the Reach of Social Work Education

The study explored the characteristics and experiences of branch campus social work education programs and educators in the United States. Eighty-one branch campus social work educators in 26 states completed an online survey. Findings revealed that undergraduate and graduate branch campus social work education was primarily delivered face-to-face to nontraditional students. Half of these programs were recently established, and the majority were expected to grow. However, teaching these students was not necessarily viewed as a shared responsibility. Although some branch campus faculty reported higher workloads and limited connections to parent campus colleagues, faculty generally reported great satisfaction teaching branch campus students. Practical implications are provided.     

Preparing social workers as reporters of suspected child maltreatment

Social workers are an important source of reports to child protective services in the United States (US). However, it is unclear what role social work education plays in preparing social workers for this responsibility. The current study explores how undergraduate and graduate social work programs in the US prepare students as reporters. This study found that while almost all programs that participated in this study provide students with some content related to their role as reporters of child maltreatment, there are varying ways such content is provided, and many avenues for improvement. International implications are highlighted.     

FIELD INSTRUCTORS AND ONLINE TRAINING: AN EXPLORATORY SURVEY

Despite field placement being the signature pedagogy of the social work profession, little research exists regarding methods for training field instructors. This study captures their perceptions regarding the use of online training. An online survey of 642 field instructors from 4 universities produced 208 responses. Less than 4% rejected the idea entirely, 14% responded they "would probably not participate," another 50% said they "might participate," and 32% indicated that they "definitely would" participate. Respondents reported extensive use of various Internet communication tools and displayed comfort with computing skills. Our findings challenge assumptions about social workers' reluctance to use online technology and suggest that online training programs are a viable option for field instructors. Implications for creating online programs are presented.     

Seven strategies for facilitating access of nontraditional students to graduate education in social work

Undergraduate academic performance as a principal criterion guiding admission to graduate social work education may result in the exclusion of otherwise strong candidates for involvement in graduate education. This paper presents seven strategies for strengthening the admission status of nontraditional students, that is, those students who do not possess adequate undergraduate grade point averages to justify admission. These strategies are particularly important in the United States given the elimination or substantial limitation of affirmative action policies in higher education. Schools of social work, like other educational institutions, must become more creative and proactive to ensure that candidates for graduate education who can make important and substantive contributions to the profession gain entry. Using adult learning theory, the authors offer a rationale that underscores the need to look at an individual's vocational background and professional experience as well as professional commitment to serving vulnerable populations in order to assess readiness for admission. And, the authors identify the importance of offering opportunities to these individuals to strengthen their post-undergraduate academic records in order to be more competitive in the applicant pool. Each of the seven strategies is discussed in terms of its key processes and outcomes in relationship to developing these individuals as viable candidates who can compete in the admission process. The strategies are based on the logic of empowerment theory and they underscore the necessity of building on the strengths and assets that these individuals bring to graduate social work education. The authors illustrate the inclusion of these strategies into the admissions process of a school of social work in the United States and suggest that the use of these strategies can facilitate 'affirmative access' to social work education.     

People and Contexts: Social Development from Birth to Old Age,by Henry S. Maas. Englewood Cliffs,New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,Inc., 1984

Abstract

Throughout the history of professional social work education, the liberal arts have been regarded as not simply the most suitable basis for professional education but as the essential basis. As undergraduate programs developed more fully, liberal arts content inevitably decreased. Also, because graduate programs rely increasingly on undergraduate programs for students, the need to define clearly the nature and purpose of liberal education for social work students has become even more apparent. This article addresses the purposes of liberal education and the “content” versus “perspective” controversies and their relation to social work preparation. The premise is that social work has a natural alliance with the liberal arts. For one reason, social work is a complex set of “ideals” reflecting many ideas that have had currency over the century in the literature, politics, economics, history, philosophy, and the human and natural sciences that compose the liberal arts. Social work is not so much “technology of intervention” or science, as it is applied humanistic value. As such, the relationship of social work to the liberal arts is one of intertwined strands. This article proposes that social work education emphasize the ideas, assumptions, and events that have shaped, and are shaping, the profession, and in so doing, recast and strengthen its relationship with the liberal arts.     

Seeking consensus: Defining foundational concepts for a graduate level introductory program evaluation course

Existing scholarship indicates a wide range of variance and inconsistency in how evaluation is taught in introductory-level graduate courses between and across instructors and universities and within programs. The purpose of this study was to empirically explore faculty, student, and employers’ perceptions of what should be included in a graduate level introductory course on program evaluation. The researchers used a mixed methods approach (survey and focus group) to build consensus on and articulate key elements of an introductory evaluation course, as well as the approximate amount of time that stakeholders feel should be invested in each topic area. The results suggested consistency among stakeholders, suggesting the topics covered could form the basis for an introductory course that is consistent across instructors, programs, and institutions.     

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.     

The future of clinical practice: A study

This paper presents the results of a study conducted to determine how BSW and MSW social work students differentially assess the relative prestige and effectiveness of casework, psychotherapy, and private practice in relation to thirteen other social work methods, and to ascertain what methods they would ideally like to practice upon graduation from their respective programs. The results indicate that undergraduate and graduate students view the average prestige and effectiveness of the three clinical methods quite differently. Also, the results reveal a very low correlation between what methods the students would like to practice and how they assess their prestige and effectiveness.