A Comparative International Analysis of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: A Survey of UK and US Social Workers

As service populations have changed, the social work profession in the UK and the US has attempted to respond to the needs of diverse cultures, which often include issues of religion and spirituality. This can be problematic, however, due to the extrication of religious and spiritual concerns from the public social services that resulted from the process of secularization. Members of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in the US were sampled to explore the attitudes and perceptions of social workers regarding the placement of religion and spirituality in practice and education. In general, US social workers in this sample were more accepting of religion and spirituality than their UK counterparts, even among those respondents who expressed non‐religious world views (e.g. atheism). A majority of the respondents in the UK (76%) and the US (73%) indicated that their training programs lacked content on religion and spirituality. In the UK, 57% of the respondents believed that social workers should increase their knowledge on spirituality, compared with 90% of the US respondents. The lower level of acceptance of religion and spirituality among UK social workers may be related to higher levels of secularism in UK society.     

Spirituality in Social Work Education: A Development and Discussion of Goals that Flow from the Profession's Ethical Mandates

Growing interest in incorporating spirituality into curriculum content exists. Little consideration, however, has occurred regarding the purpose or goals of this content. Building upon the profession's ethical mandates, this paper develops two intertwined objectives that should inform content: understanding spiritual diversity and the discrimination subordinate faiths encounter in the dominant mainstream culture. Theories are reviewed and empirical data are cited that provide a context for understanding, and illustrate the need to address, the issues of spiritual diversity and discrimination. In effect, this material is based upon the same widely used template that informs social work content in other areas of diversity—namely that a difference in worldviews in conjunction with a power differential fosters bias toward subordinate worldviews. It is suggested that the profession's ethics require the adoption of the same basic template in the area of spiritual diversity as is used in other areas of diversity.     

Including Spirituality in the Social Work Curriculum: Perspectives from South Asia

This article is based on a study of 1,084 social work educators from six South Asian countries on their perspectives on including spirituality in the social work curriculum. Findings revealed that all educators across countries felt that a course on spirituality was desirable. They differed however in aspects such as level of course introduction (undergraduate or postgraduate), the nature of the course (optional or compulsory) and the curriculum content (evidence based or experiential). Further educators construed varied meanings of spirituality (transcendence, mind-soul discourse, relational) and spiritually sensitive practice (actively using spirituality and mindfulness as methods of practice for intervention and drawing upon the spiritual strength and potential of the clientele/group/community to plan intervention). Four log regression models also determined predictors of educators' perceptions on spirituality for micro practice, macro practice, level of course introduction and curriculum content. Country, educators' religious background, years of service and scores on Spirituality Assessment Scale emerged as key predictors. Based on educators' responses, this article provides a suggestive frame for the curriculum. With spirituality and its plausible settings of applications, a case is also made for giving credence to indigenising and decolonising approaches in social work education in South Asia.     

Disability and Spirituality in Social Work Practice

Abstract

In working with social work clients, issues of religion and spirituality are sure to arise. Religious views on disability can have both positive and negative effects on the individual. In our increasingly pluralistic society, these issues must be approached with sensitivity and patience since it is common to work with adherents of minority or non-traditional religious groups or groups whose values conflict with the social work profession. The purpose of this article is to enhance and develop sensitivity to diverse religious views in order to respect the values and life beliefs of the client while enhancing the development of adaptive religious and spiritual views.     

Integrating Spirituality,Faith, and Social Justice in Social Work Practice and Education: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Significant progress has been made toward incorporating spiritual and religious diversity into professional discourse. The extent to which the profession is complying with its ethical standards that address religion, however, remains largely unexamined. Consequently, this study explores the relationship between conceptualizations of (1) spirituality, (2) religion, and (3) the nature of the relationship between spirituality and religion, and perceptions of the profession's level of ethical compliance. The results of this exploratory study indicate that perceptions of ethical compliance are generally unrelated to how respondents conceptualized either spirituality or the nature of the relationship between spirituality and religion. A more nuanced picture emerged with religion, with respondents who defined religion in personally constructed terms, without reference to the transcendent, reporting higher levels of ethical compliance, while those who defined religion in terms of community, reported lower levels of ethical compliance.     

The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Clinical Social Work

Abstract

Social work has a history of treating the whole person in his/her environment, however, the effort to be scientific in our approach to clinical practice often has obscured our examination of the religious and spiritual beliefs and practices of our clients and in our own lives. Consequently, there has been very little guidance to date on how curriculum can help integrate the professional identities of MSW/MDiv students. An elective practice course, “The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Clinical Social Work” in our accredited graduate social work program provides a transitional space for this integration to occur through a guiding framework of psychodynamic, systems, and postmodern theories.     

Impact of Social Work Spirituality Courses on Student Attitudes,Values, and Spiritual Wellness

Abstract

This paper describes the development and evaluation of two courses in spirituality offered at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The courses have been offered for the last three years and an evaluative instrument, the Spiritual Wellness Inventory (SWI), was utilized as a pre- and post-test for each class. Results showed a significant increase in five dimensions of spiritual wellness and will be described in detail.     

Personal Religiosity and Spirituality Associated with Social Work Practitioners' Use of Religious-Based Intervention Practices

Abstract

Social workers (N = 221) in the Southeastern USA responded to survey questions measuring 3 outcome variables, attitude toward religion in social work, the appropriateness of 15 religious-based interventions, utilization of these practices, and 3 dimensions of spirituality: spiritual experiences (spirituality), religious practices (organized religiosity), and religious affiliation. Attitude was generally favorable, and more than half of the interventions were judged appropriate and utilized by over 50% of the respondents. Beyond identifying with no religion, which predicted lower outcome scores, high spirituality strongly predicted attitude and utilization, whereas extrinsic organized religiosity was unimportant. A process model utilizing path analysis suggested that personal spirituality increases utilization resulting in corresponding perceptions of appropriateness and attitude toward religion in practice. More research was recommended on (1) utilization prevalence in other and diverse samples, and (2) the efficacy of religious-based practice.     

A Pedagogical Approach to Engaging Social Work Students in Research

Attitudes of US-based students in graduate-level social work master's in social work (MSW) toward required research courses often appear ambivalent, but developing an effective pedagogical approach to research could have lasting implications on students, educators, and the field. This article uses Bandura's social learning theory (SLT) to provide a framework for successfully engaging MSW students in the content of an introductory research class. This article outlines the thinking behind and the strategies used to engage students in the course content.     

A National Survey of Australian Social Work Field Education Programs: Innovation with Limited Capacity

Social work field education programs globally are struggling to meet the demands of providing suitable placements for students and need to consider new and innovative placement models to both meet professional accreditation requirements and deliver high quality field education opportunities for social work students. This article reports on the qualitative responses of a national survey of Australian social work field education programs, which explored current challenges, innovative responses, and recommendations for the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) review, as well as hopes for the future of field education, and their capacity to undertake research into this area. Findings suggested that field education programs have been using incremental innovation in field education, including collaboration, partnerships, and new ways of responding to the changing student body. However, it is argued that radical structural change and additional resources will be needed for innovation to be more than merely incremental.

IMPLICATIONS

• Social work field education as a distinct pedagogy needs to be supported through evidence-based research in order to respond to current pressures.

• Collaboration in field education practice and research is valuable, but may be challenged by program competition.

• Structural innovation and accepting diversity in models could offer opportunities for social work education.

     

Engaging Students in Social Work Research Education

This article discusses existing issues in social work research education. It includes challenges to delivering research education at the MSW level such as student anxiety and disinterest, and incorporates an exploration of post graduation interest in research. The authors recommend that professors increase the emphasis on practical applications of research and encourage students to disseminate research results via publication. The article concludes with the implications of encouraging student research within the social work profession.     

Part-time Employment and Effects on Australian Social Work Students: A Report on a National Study

Abstract

University students, nationally as well as internationally, engage in employment to supplement income while studying. Social work students are no different in this respect. There have long been questions about whether such part-time work has an adverse impact on student academic performance. This paper explored the experiences of social work students enrolled on-campus across three Australian universities as reported through a survey and focus groups. The research found that social work students did engage in significant amounts of paid employment while studying, that there were both positives and negatives for students depending on the nature of their employment, and that compromises needed to be made in juggling competing responsibilities. Accessing and living on inadequate government benefits imposed particular stressors. The findings have implications for the ways in which social work education is structured, especially in terms of flexibility, and demonstrated that part-time work also offers opportunities for student learning.     

Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Practice with Children and Adolescents: A Survey of Canadian Practitioners

Empirical evidence about the relevance of religion/spirituality for children and adolescents contrasts with the limited number of studies inquiring about the role of religion/spirituality when working with this population. In response to this lack of knowledge, this study explored the professional attitudes, experiences, and practice behaviors of social workers and social service workers working with youth and determined the predictive factors for using spiritually-derived interventions. A cross-sectional survey design, with proportionate stratified sampling, was used to gather data from 307 Canadian social workers and social service workers working with youth in Ontario (response rate was 40%, with 5.06% margin of error). Respondents reported favorable views toward the role of religion/spirituality in social work practice, in general. They also reported positive attitudes about the relevancy of religion/spirituality for this population and somewhat frequent encounters with religious/spiritual abuse and neglect. They used a wide variety of spiritually-derived interventions; however, over two-thirds (69%) reported their formal education “never” or “rarely” included content on the topic. Barriers to using spiritually-derived interventions included: lack of knowledge/experience, concern about presenting one's own bias, disapproval from caregivers, and lack of agency/supervisor support. Multiple regression analysis revealed two assessment variables, two attitudinal variables, one education/training variable, and one personal religious/spiritual variable predictive of the use of spiritually-derived interventions, accounting for 55% of the variance. Findings suggest a need for emphasizing spiritually-sensitive practice guidelines and for social work education and continuing education to include content about religious/spiritual diversity as well as content about spiritual development that includes spirituality in childhood.     

Not Just Social Work Academics: The Involvement of Others in the Assessment of Social Work Students

University regulations typically assume that the assessment of students is essentially a task for paid academic staff. However, this is a far cry from much of the current literature about assessment in social work education, of which one of the distinguishing features is the not infrequent references to stakeholders beyond the individuals who are to be assessed and the academic staff employed to teach them. This paper reviews some of the recent literature on the involvement of persons other than social work academics, including students, practice teachers and service users, in assessing students studying in social work programmes. Implications for programme providers of using non‐academic assessors are explored.     

The Reflective Learning Model: Supervision of Social Work Students

A key task for the field education supervisor is to facilitate reflection in beginning practice, and to promote in the student a sense of ownership, mastery and understanding of his or her clinical process. At the same time the supervisor is charged to instruct and guide the student. A major challenge for the supervisor is to balance these two dimensions of supervision and maintain a focus on the student's experience rather than the supervisor's expertise. The authors present a Reflective Learning Model which identifies the importance of both facilitative and didactic interventions within effective supervision. A case study is provided to demonstrate the model in action.     

Learning Style Preferences of Undergraduate Social Work Students

It has been identified that undergraduate social work students have distinctive learning needs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the learning style preferences of a group of undergraduate social work students enrolled at a large Australian university. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory, Index of Learning Styles and Success Types Learning Style Type Indicator was distributed to 606 students enrolled in an undergraduate social work degree at one metropolitan Australian university. A total of 116 questionnaires were returned, providing a response rate of 19.14%. The results indicated that converging and assimilating, intuitive and sensing, thinking, judging and perceiving learning styles were favoured by this group of social work students. It is recommended that educators understand and take into consideration the learning style preferences of undergraduate social work students when developing curricula and evaluating teaching approaches, especially when planning and implementing education initiatives. This will help create effective learning environments, appropriate learning opportunities and a contemporary curriculum for social work students.     

The Debate as a Pedagogic Tool in Social Policy for Social Work Students

Social work education under the Diploma in Social Work has been shaped by a competency led training model. The danger in this approach is that the critical thinking required of the reflective practitioner becomes lost. This paper argues that the teaching of social policy requires a complex interplay of knowledge, skills and values if students are to be equipped to participate effectively in the policy process. The authors, as teachers of social policy to social work students, have developed the use of the debate as a tool for learning and assessment. This approach is evaluated using structured student feedback and is discussed in the context of experiential and reflective learning and the application of social policy as ‘policy practice’. Over three cohorts, students reported increased knowledge and understanding and improved confidence in argumentation skills. Observation showed them utilising a range of policy practice skills. Recent evidence from the USA and Australia begins to confirm the value of this learning tool.     

Repositioning Risk in Social Work Education: Reflections Arising from the Threat of SARS to Social Work Students in Hong Kong during their Field Practicum

The social work profession has always been involved in dealing with uncertainty and risk in the life politics of clients. However, it is not easy for young social work students to translate this philosophical disposition into their real life practice with clients. In spring 2003, when the SARS epidemic broke out in Hong Kong, a group of social work students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong were doing their fieldwork practicum. Suddenly confronted by a collective sense of risk in their role as social workers, the students went through a period of unrest, as performing their helping duties brought with it a simultaneous exposure to personal risk. This paper is based on four focus group interviews with these social work students, to understand how they processed their experience of risk during their exposure to the SARS crisis, and how they connected the experience to their social work practice with clients. It is found that the predicament arising from the exposure to personal risk brought about by the SARS crisis during the students' field placement engendered the reflective process that enabled a renewed and personalized meaning of professionalism. The results provide a basis for reflection among social work educators on the role of risk in the training of prospective social workers, and on how social work education can better prepare students for practice in a high‐risk environment.     

Imagining Social Work: A Qualitative Study of Students' Perspectives on Social Work in China

Social work education in China has expanded rapidly since it was reintroduced in 1988. This has led to a growing body of English language literature on the development of social work education in China. However, thus far, this literature lacks an empirical foundation and little research on students' perspectives has been done. To fill this gap, this paper reports on a qualitative study of a group of graduating social work students (n = 32) from four social work programmes in Jinan, the provincial capital of the Shandong Province. Three major findings are reported. Firstly, the students liken their social work learning experience to a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs. Secondly, the cultural compatibility of western social work in China has not yet been conclusively established, while an ‘indigenized’ social work needs to be compatible with Chinese family values, referred to as ‘familism’ in direct Chinese to English translation, and with the dominant socialist political ideology. Thirdly, the future of social work is bright given increasing government support for its development.     

Health Promotion Project for University Students at a South African University: Results of a Pilot Survey

Globally, chronic diseases place a tremendous burden on health care systems all over the world. The increased prevalence of chronic diseases is mainly influenced by industrialization and decreased levels of physical activity. A cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative pilot survey, using a self-administered questionnaire and focus group discussions, was conducted with 73 students to assess the need for and feasibility of a health promotion program for university students at a rural South African university. The results of this survey suggest that there is a need for a health promotion program aimed at young adults who attend university.