Mexican American Social Workers’ Perceptions of Doctoral Education and Academia

An increase in Latinos in the social work academy is critical due to current underrepresentation in social work education programs and rapid Latino population growth in the United States. In this qualitative study, perceptions of Mexican American master’s of social work–level practitioners regarding social work doctoral education and academia were explored. Findings indicate a deep commitment to making a contribution to the profession and Latino communities through direct practice, teaching, and field instruction. In addition to structural barriers to pursuing doctoral education, there was skepticism of the relevance of a PhD to serving the profession or Latino communities. Findings are discussed with regard to their implications for recruitment, socialization, and retention of Latino social work students for academic careers.     

The identity and professional culture of the educator at the beginning of the university path in Italy

To work as an educator in Italy has required a specific university degree for only a few years now. This change has institutionalized the educational path regarding some factual knowledge and skills. However, the profession of educator also relates to an experiential culture and to personal motivations affecting and sustaining each individual's choice of the profession. This paper examines the ideas of professional identity held by a group of Italian students at the beginning of their college career. The sample includes two groups at the University of Padua, one group learning to work in social work, one group learning to work in health care. During the first three years of the new academic requirement, first-year students in both groups were qualitatively and quantitatively surveyed. In particular the study explores the reasons students orient towards these curricula, and the distinctive elements, competences, experiences and values they include in their image of an educator. Statistical multi-dimensional methods of data analysis are used.     

Commitment to Community Practice Among Social Work Students: Contributing Factors

It is important to develop commitment to community practice among social work students to encourage their engagement in this field as professionals later in life. This research examines factors that affect commitment to community practice among social work students. A structured questionnaire was administered to 277 social work students in one university and one college in Israel. The findings indicate three main factors that explain variance in commitment to community practice: specific self-efficacy for this field, positive experience in a community project during training, and experience with politics. Surprisingly, theoretical studies and support for community work during supervision did not significantly contribute to explanation of commitment to community work. The findings are discussed.     

Intentions to leave supervision among social work supervisors: contributing factors

The study shows the evolution of intentions to leave supervision among students’ supervisors in their first year of supervision. A total of 168 social work supervisors in 10 academic institutions in Israel, during their first year of supervision, answered the questionnaires at the beginning (October 2014) and end (June 2015) of their supervisors training course. The findings indicate that the most powerful predictor of intentions to leave supervision at T2 was intentions to leave supervision at T1. This interesting finding shows that the supervision course does not necessarily address the issue of long-term commitment to supervision, and it is crucial that more attention be paid to this issue. Furthermore, we also found a significant contribution of organizational climate at T1 and of role overload at T2. Practical implications challenge the current structure of supervision courses, in order to encourage students’ supervisors to retain their supervisory role over time.     

INTEREST IN WORKING WITH THE ELDERLY: A CROSS-NATIONAL STUDY OF GRADUATING SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS

The article presents a cross-national study of social work students' interest in working with the elderly, based on a sample of 679 graduating BSW students from 7 countries: Australia, Brazil, England, Germany, Hungary, Israel, and the United States. The findings among all the national cohorts show that the motivation to work with the elderly was lower than motivation to work with any other age group and, moreover, that it was equally low in most of the countries. They indicate that low motivation to work with the elderly is not limited to 1 or 2 countries but exists in various parts of the globe. The findings support the growing concern that the social work profession may not be able to meet its obligations to the aging society.     

MSW Students' Perspectives on Social Work Goals and Social Activism Before and After Completing Graduate Education

This article analyzes perspectives on the goals of the social work profession and social activism of a cohort of MSW students before and after attending their graduate program. This study provides insights into the question about whether and how preexisting values, experiences, and background characteristics affect beginning and ending students' views of the goals of social work and also whether they anticipate being socially active in the future, utilizing a range of strategies to effect change. It found that students from all methods began with a dual (micro and macro) view of social work goals and much activism and then left the MSW program with the same confirmed person-in-environment perspective and a commitment to all types of social activism in even greater numbers.     

A “Jewish Study Hall” Influenced Approach to Social Work Professional Identity Development: A Qualitative Study

The article presents the findings of a qualitative research study focused on the ancient “Jewish study hall” (Beit Midrash in Hebrew) approach. The research was conducted in the context of the Beit Midrash for Social Work and Judaism established at one school of social work in Israel. Twenty participants were included in the study. Content analysis of transcribed Beit Midrash sessions revealed four central themes: reflection on participant identities; expansion, stabilisation, and acceptance of one’s personal identity; clarification of professional identity; and convergence between Jewish and professional identity. Study results raise questions as to both the place and the space for exploration of religious and spiritual identity in social work education. Findings suggest that alternative learning spaces such as the Beit Midrash can enable social work students and practitioners to reflect honestly and profoundly on their religious and spiritual identity, helping them to integrate their different identities towards becoming “whole persons” better prepared to meet the challenges of the social work profession.     

Development of professional commitment among students in social work education

This study seeks to expand empirical knowledge of commitment to social work using a sample of 212 Norwegian students. The first aim is to investigate the development of students’ commitment to social work from the start of education (first year) to its end (third year). The second aim is to investigate how theoretical and relational knowledge contribute to commitment to social work. The third aim is to examine how compatibility between students’ abilities and the vocational demands of social work contribute to professional commitment. A paired samples t-test and an ordinary least squares regression were conducted to test the aims of the study. The results document that students experience weaker professional commitment at the end of education compared to the beginning. It also seems that theoretical and relational knowledge contribute to professional commitment. The findings also indicate that students whose abilities are compatible with the vocational demands of social work experience stronger professional commitment than those for whom a discrepancy exists.     

Civic Engagement and Civic Literacy Among Social Work Students: Where Do We Stand?

Civic engagement is pivotal to the survival of the social work profession and to our historic role in shaping the social contract. Recent studies report declining rates of civic engagement and civic literacy among Americans. This article, which was presented at the Policy Conference 2.0, examines civic engagement and civic literacy among social work students at a medium-sized program in the western United States. Findings from this study indicate that these students are more likely to be engaged in volunteering and fundraising than in politically oriented activities. Results suggest that understanding of government and democratic processes lead to more civic engagement.     

The Implicit Curriculum: Student Engagement and the Role of Social Media

This article presents results from an exploratory study conducted as a component of an assessment of the implicit curriculum in one master’s-level social work program. Web-based surveys were used to collect data from 80 graduate social work students in online and face-to-face programs. Findings indicate students who perceived social media as more useful reported higher levels of engagement and participation in program governance. The implications for social work education deal with the ability to competently use social media as a tool to increase student engagement. Students will only be exposed to elements of the implicit curriculum if they are active participants in their academic environments.     

Prepared for Practice? Graduating Social Work Students' Reflections on Their Education,Competence and Skills

The paper encompasses the views of 13 Swedish graduating social work students on their education, competence, skills and expectations for their future roles as social workers. It presents the findings of the first phase of a longitudinal study where students in Sweden and Australia are followed from university and during the first 18 months in the profession. A qualitative methodology was employed and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students just prior to graduating. The most salient theme was the strong wish for more time in contact with the field. All of the students would have preferred at least one additional period of field placement. A strong wish for clarity, particularly in relation to understanding what it means to practise social work, emerged. Although most of the graduates talked about their self-development and described themselves as having become more critical and more self-confident, they perceived themselves as more or less unprepared for most social work positions and expected to receive considerable support and guidance in their workplaces. The proportion of theoretical and research courses in comparison to the teaching of practice skills and field placements within Swedish social work education is discussed.     

Reflective Teaching in Social Work Education: Findings from a Participatory Action Research Study

This article describes a feminist-informed reflective teaching project enacted by a group of social work faculty at Texas State University–San Marcos. Utilizing Schon's notion of reflection-in-action, faculty formed a participatory action research group to implement reflective techniques to further their professional development as new teachers and better prepare social work students for practice in the social work profession. This project guided the participants in establishing academic identity through the creation of a supportive academic setting and peer collegiality. The group met monthly to share reflective teaching journals (RTJs), participate in intergroup dialogue, and engage in contemplative practices, such as meditation and visualization. Methods of data collection and analysis included content analysis of the intergroup dialogue sessions. Findings from the project reinforced Kolb's experiential learning cycle, in which new insights gained from reflection were integrated back into the classroom. This article presents these important insights and suggests replication of this project to promote reflective teaching in social work education and to help prepare new social work faculty for success in academia.     

Policy-practice in social work and social work education in Israel

Policy-practice is a form of social work intervention that is intended to influence social policy. It is linked to an understanding of the role of social workers which places the struggle for social justice at the forefront of social work activity. However, this form of social work intervention has remained on the sidelines of social work practice and education in most welfare states. This paper seeks to understand the role that policy-practice and social policy play, and have played, in social work and social work education in Israel. The findings indicate that, despite a growth in interest in the political role of social workers in Israel during the 1970s, policy-practice has remained a mode of practice adopted by a minority of members of the profession in Israel. An empirical study of the curriculums of the schools of social work in Israel indicates that this is the case for the study program in most of the schools. The reasons for this can be linked primarily to the overwhelming influence of American social work upon the development of the Israeli profession and to the process of liberalization and privatization of the Israeli welfare state in the last two decades.     

BSW Students of Color: Principle Factors Influencing Intent to Persist Through Completion of Degree

Students of color remain underrepresented in social work education programs. According to the Council on Social Work Education (2016), only 37.4% of the 19,596 BSW degrees awarded during the 2014–2015 academic year were awarded to students from historically underrepresented groups. Through the lens of empowerment theory, this article presents a conceptual framework for understanding the varied and nuanced influencing factors contributing to BSW students’ intent to persist through completion of degree. This article explores ways social work education programs can provide opportunities for students to demonstrate that they are motivated and competent learners who intend to persist in their social work education endeavors. Findings will inform postmatriculation activities such as academic advising and field-practicum.     

The Use of the Arts and the Strengths Perspective: The Example of a Course Assignment

This article reports the findings of a study that explored factors affecting the choice to graduate from social work made by active students in one of the three social work departments in Greece. Research focused mainly on structural factors (students' socio-economic background and demographic characteristics, the educational system and the system of admission to higher education). It also touched briefly upon students' prevailing work values. Findings indicate that students' socio-economic background and the educational system's structure play a significant role in their choice to graduate from social work. These structural factors seem to have caused their educational/ occupational choice to be a rather limited one, since approximately 30% of the students decided to graduate as a form of compromise. Students rated intrinsic work values highly, which is consistent with prior research findings.     

Embracing Applied Policy Practice: A Case Study From a Robust BSW Program

This article, first presented at the Policy Conference 2.0 in Austin, Texas, May 2014, portrays a case example of an undergraduate social work program’s robust response to the imperative that policy advocacy serve as a demonstration to students of commitment to the profession and its mission. Initial evidence from field supervisors, students, and examples of recognition suggests that students are prepared to engage in policy advocacy as they enter the profession.     

Children-at-Risk from Poor Nutrition: Advancing the Approach and Practice of Students of Social Work

Limited attention has been given in the social work profession to working with children-at-risk from poor nutrition despite the detrimental effect that lack of proper nutrition can have on the development of children. A study examining the extent of inclusion of nutrition-related-components in work with children-at-risk, the frequency of inclusion of these components and the barriers hindering their inclusion was conducted with 126 social work students in Israel. The findings indicate that there is less emphasis on nutrition-related components than on psycho-social components, a low frequency of including this subject in assessment and intervention of children-at-risk, and a low level of collaboration with specialists in the area of nutrition. In addition, it was found that knowledge-based barriers and, to a lower extent, institutional-related systemic barriers may hinder future professionals' capabilities to incorporate those components, despite their favorable approach towards this subject. The findings illuminate a need to advance a more balanced approach between the bio and the psycho-social aspects in academic and training programs. There is also a need to reduce the barriers about knowledge relevant for social workers in situations of poor nutrition and to advance an interdisciplinary orientation with specialists in this area.     

‘You Could Damage Somebody's Life’: Student and Lecturer Perspectives on Commitment

Retention problems in the social work profession have been well documented. There is evidence that social workers experience a shorter working life compared to many other professional groups. Despite existing links between commitment to the job role and important work outcomes such as retention, few studies have investigated commitment in social work students. This study utilised qualitative data to examine this issue from the perspective of seven social work students and three lecturers. Aspects of commitment, as well as associated concepts such as perceptions of support and perspectives on the social work profession were explored. Commitment was primarily seen by students and lecturers as synonymous with dedication to the profession and its values. The extent and nature of support from a range of sources was seen as varying in quality, although peer support was generally seen in positive terms. It is suggested that interventions to enhance peer support have the potential to enhance student commitment and, consequently, retention.