Not just any direct experience will do: recasting the multicultural teaching practicum as active,collaborative and transformative

Providing a teaching practicum where university students preparing to be teachers can interact with children from different cultures has been widely praised as an effective means to improve teachers’ cross‐cultural sensitivity and teaching effectiveness. However, some research suggests that direct experience with minority children may in fact serve to confirm racist or stereotypical perceptions, particularly in school settings. This paper describes and analyses a community‐based practicum taking place in the USA, where university students and children at a Latin American Community Center completed long‐term collaborative projects. These projects provided the active focus around which we hoped that students and children would form relationships that transcended and transformed the kinds of relationships they might form in schools, where institutional constraints help structure the roles people play and the expectations they have of each other.     

Response to Nazneen Mayadas

California has actively engaged in the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative. Subsequently, the California Social Work Education Center Aging Initiative conducted a university survey of gerontology education in California graduate social work schools (N?=?17). In 2005, students taking aging courses were 12% in comparison to a national report of 7% by the Council on Social Work Education and an earlier 1993 national survey of 3%. Still, the number of gerontology students remains less than needed numbers. However, California social work schools are well-prepared with infused curricula for all social workers and exceed previous standards for gerontology faculty and aging field placements. The implications for California are discussed as well as recommendations for updating the earlier gerontology curricula criteria.     

Promoting public health through community engagement: Embracing the journey

ABSTRACT

This case study recounts and analyzes the journey that graduate students, enrolled in an experiential, interdisciplinary health promotions course, took with a diverse, urban, Black, Midwest community. Community members, faculty, and graduate students in social work and public health were fellow travelers on this voyage into uncharted territory. A major goal of the journey was to teach students how to recognize community strengths and to facilitate the community in using those strengths. The learner’s stance is used as the guiding principle for this reflective journey that generated serendipitous benefits and challenges. The article concludes with recommendations for interdisciplinary education and curriculum development.     

Providing Employment Assistance to Students: The Role of Social Work Education

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a national survey of 130 graduate and undergraduate social work programs that was designed to learn what schools are doing to help students locate and secure employment after graduation. Less than half (43%) of the responding schools indicated that they have a formal program of employment assistance services. Size of student enrollment and size of faculty were the only factors that differentiated schools that offer employment assistance services from those that do not. The study's implications for social work education are discussed, and an employment assistance program model is presented.     

Horizons for Homeless Children: A comprehensive service model for homeless families

Horizons for Homeless Children is a not-for-profit organization that provides services to homeless children and their families. The organization has two primary programs: the Playspace programs, which are children's recreation and informal education places set up in shelters, and Community Children's Centers, which provide full-time early childhood education for preschool homeless children and on-site job training and GED classes for their parents. This article summarizes the operational experiences of the organization and examines the efficacy of the services it delivers.     

Full-service community schools: a strategy--not a program

The concept that drives the emerging full-service community school movement is this: Schools cannot address all the problems and needs of disadvantaged children, youth, and families. Community schools are operated jointly by school systems and community agencies, are open extended hours, and may provide the site for after-school programs, primary-care health services, mental health counseling, parent education and involvement, and community development. No two community schools are alike. They grow out of a planning process that involves all stakeholders, school personnel, community-based organizations, city and county government, parents, and students. The Quitman Street Community School in Newark, New Jersey, exemplifies this approach.     

Training Graduate Social Work Students for Child Advocacy in Community Mental Health

A project aimed at training graduate social work students for child advocacy in Community Mental Health was developed and implemented through the cooperation of the School of Social Work, the Children's Treatment Center, and the Rock County Guidance Clinic. The training model was the practicum or field work experience approach. The training was concerned with providing students with knowledge and skills in child advocacy, for the treatment of severely disturbed children, and for providing services to a Black and disadvantaged population. The primary objectives were training professionals for the mental health field and to provide mental health services to children.     

Factors that influence elementary school teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of visually impaired children in Turkey

There is a scarcity of research on inclusion of visually impaired children in Turkey. Specifically, a gap exists concerning the attitudes of elementary school teachers towards the inclusion of visually impaired children in mainstream schools. This article uses data from two questionnaires, leveraging the responses of 253 teachers from rural and urban areas. The results demonstrate that elementary school teachers commonly hold positive attitudes towards the inclusion of visually impaired children and that teachers’ initial and in-service training about inclusion positively influenced their attitudes. Our findings are in contrast with earlier research which argues that teachers do not hold positive attitudes to inclusion, and highlights that a key barrier to inclusion stems from elementary school teachers feeling unprepared to teach visually impaired children. We conclude that greater post-qualification training is required to enable teachers to operationalise different approaches that facilitate the inclusion of visually impaired children.     

Variables affecting teachers’ intentions to include students with disabilities in regular primary schools in Bangladesh

This paper presents an overview of a study conducted to examine the influence of teacher attitudes, teacher efficacy and perceived school support on teachers’ intentions to include students with disabilities in government primary schools in a region of Bangladesh. All of the variables were conceptualized within the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The participants in the study were 1387 in-service teachers drawn from government primary schools located in urban, semi-urban and rural sectors of Dhaka. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that all three Theory of Planned Behaviour variables (teacher attitudes, teacher efficacy and perceived school support) explained 40% of the variance in teachers’ intentions to include students with a disability in regular classrooms. This paper describes the process for conceptualizing the variables, discusses the methodology and presents the outcomes concluding with implications for educational policy reform and practices in Bangladesh. Areas for further research are also identified.     

Are college students health literate?

Abstract

Objective: To examine the health literacy of college students. Participants: A convenience sample of 245 graduate and undergraduate college students. Methods: During February–April of 2018 participants completed the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy which assessed literacy on two passages describing a thyroid scan, and basic healthcare insurance information. Results: Most college students displayed adequate health literacy (99.2%). The ANOVA analyses revealed college classification was the most significant predictor, followed by ethnicity, sex, and primary language. Age was significantly related to health literacy, when holding college classification constant. Interestingly, college major, healthcare work experience, or having health care credentials were not predictors of health literacy. Conclusion: This group of college students had adequate health literacy skills. However, the results of this study revealed demographic disparities that suggest further study.     

The role of digital literacy in satisfaction with online migration services in Ghana: A cross-sectional survey

Like in many other fields of human endeavour, digital literacy is rising in importance. As migration continues unabated, key stages of the process are now possible online. This study investigated the role of digital literacy and migration intent in satisfaction with online migration services. Deploying a cross-sectional survey of 100 students at a Ghanaian university, the study tested the hypotheses with a linear regression (r = 0.85, R-square = 0.72, p = 0.00). Results indicate support for digital literacy and migration intent in satisfaction with online migration services. Age and level of education are correlated with satisfaction, digital literacy and migration intent. The meaning and implications of these findings are discussed.     

The Reading Connection: Literacy Development and Homeless Children

This essay highlights the work of one community-based nonprofit, The Reading Connection in Arlington, Virginia. Aware of the educational and developmental delays often experienced by homeless children, The Reading Connection facilitates positive shared literacy opportunities while families are in a shelter situation and once they have moved into permanent housing. Emphasizing the importance of oral language development and literacy-rich environments, the continuum of services provided by The Reading Connection introduces both the necessity and the richness of literacy to those families most in need.     

The School-Based Family: Teachers as Parental Figures for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Ugandan Schools

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible formation of surrogate families within Ugandan schools, especially among orphans who lack positive development opportunities typically provided by parents. This qualitative study sample of 66 Ugandan secondary school students were selected from eight schools in the Mukono district of Uganda. Findings suggest a potentially widespread family formation pattern between students and their teachers. More than 75% of students interviewed self-identified their teacher as family. Some teachers were able to offer orphans and vulnerable children positive developmental assets and were, therefore, identified as family.     

University Rewards for Faculty Community Service

Survey data collected from deans and directors of graduate schools of social work indicate that community service is the least valued of faculty activities among faculty peers, deans, and university administrators. Publication and teaching are consistently the most valued and rewarded in tenure and promotion and other personnel decisions. Findings are discussed, and recommendations made that might help to close the gap between the need for service activities and the existing faculty reward system.     

Mental health literacy,stigma, and help-seeking behaviors among male college students

Objective: Mental health literacy (MHL) is low in college-aged men potentially resulting in impaired mental wellbeing. This study assessed MHL, psychosocial determinants, and help-seeking behaviors among male university students. Participants: Male undergraduate and graduate students were surveyed in Spring 2017 (n = 1,242) at a large southeastern university in the United States. Methods: Preexisting validated scales for MHL, psychosocial determinants, and help-seeking intention were used in measurement and demographic variables were collected. T-tests and one-way ANOVA were performed to measure differences between groups. Results: Participants showed low scores for all constructs with statistically significant differences between undergraduate and graduate students, as well as between races and major classifications. Undergraduate men had moderate MHL and low intentions to seek professional care. Conclusions: Interventions focusing on increasing mental health knowledge and improving beliefs can improve MHL among male college students. Further, interventions should be tailored for racial groups and major classifications.     

Public relations education in Thailand

Public relation education in Thailand, offered at undergraduate and graduate levels at 21 universities, has become one of the most popular and competitive programs chosen by Thai students. This article discusses the development of public relations education in Thailand, the structure of current programs' curricula and course content at eight universities (three public, five private), graduate programs, instruction, and faculty.The in-depth interviews with public relations faculty revealed that while public university professors believed their students were well-prepared academically, most at private universities did not think the current curriculum sufficiently prepared students to be competitive in the work force in the future. The faculty uniformly agreed, however, that courses in interpersonal communication, intercultural/international communication, marketing communication, and new media technology should be added to the curriculum to help better prepare future practitioners to work in the global communication era.     

Group Work in Graduate Social Work Education: The Price of Neglect

Abstract

Although social work practice with groups is on the rise, social work education has neglected to prepare students for group work practice. The results of a 1991 survey show that graduate education has practically eliminated group work as a specialized area of study. Most schools offer group work only as an elective, and few students graduate with a course in this subject. Additionally, students in foundation courses learn little about group work theory and have limited or no group field work experience in which to develop practice skills. The authors discuss the consequences of this lack on student learning, faculty development, field education, and the social work curriculum. They make recommendations for schools and CSWE to revitalize group work in the curriculum.     

Effects of a summer emergent literacy intervention for rising kindergarteners

This study examined the effectiveness of a nine-week summer emergent literacy program implemented in a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) summer program that serves families from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Participants were four- and five-year-old children attending a YMCA summer camp. After being placed in appropriate respective skill-level groups, children received one-hour, daily emergent literacy instruction from their camp counselors, who were trained as novice reading teachers. The teachers used emergent literacy activities to support letter-naming fluency and growth in letter-sound correspondence recognition in addition to mastery of read-aloud texts. The 28 participants experienced positive growth on both dependent measures (letter-naming fluency and letter-sound fluency), indicating the efficiency of the intervention as a tool for improving school readiness for children from low-income families. Additionally, the results suggest that beginning reading teachers may be able to conduct effective emergent literacy instruction, making the intervention replicable. Limitations and associated future research directions are discussed.     

Twenty-first century learning in school systems: the case of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township, Indianapolis, Indiana

To empower students with skills such as information and technological literacy, global awareness and cultural competence, self-direction, and sound reasoning, teachers must master these skills themselves. This chapter examines how the Digital Age Literacy Initiative of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township in Indianapolis, Indiana, which is funded by the Lilly Endowment, incorporated twenty-first century learning through a systemic approach involving teacher training and the use of data. The authors explain the district's content, process, and context goals toward accomplishing its mission of empowering students with the necessary twenty-first century skills to succeed in the digital age. The district places a strong emphasis on professional development for teachers. To support the necessary teacher learning and therefore sustain the work of the initiative, the district has adopted action research, self-assessment, and an online professional development network. To support teachers in implementing new strategies, master teachers serve as digital age literacy coaches. The chapter discusses the initiative's focus on evidence of progress. Through a partnership with the Metiri Group of California, the district has built a range of assessments including online inventories and twenty-first century skill rubrics. For example, the Mankato Survey collected teacher and student data around access, ability, and use of technology in the classroom in 2001 and then in 2004. This research showed significant gains in some technologies across all grade levels and consistent gains in nearly all technologies for middle and high school students. As it moves into the next phase of implementing the Digital Age Literacy Initiative, the district embraces the systemic shifts in school culture necessary to institutionalize twenty-first century learning.