Exploring MSW students’ and social workers’ orientation toward the evidence-based practice process

The aim of this exploratory study was to assess whether practicing social workers currently enrolled in Master Social Work (MSW) programs (hereafter referred to as MSW students) were more oriented to the evidence-based practice (EBP) process and more engaged in it than practicing social workers who are not currently enrolled in MSW programs (hereafter referred to as social workers) in the Netherlands. Data were collected from MSW students (n = 32) and from social workers (n = 341) using the EBP Process Assessment Scale. MSW students reported a stronger orientation toward the EBP process, more positive attitudes toward EBP, more familiarity with EBP and more intentions to engage in EBP than social workers did, however, they were less positive about the feasibility of implementing EBP in practice. These preliminary results suggest that there are grounds for optimism about MSW students’ acceptance of and engagement in the EBP process. Implications for social work education are discussed.     

An Assessment of Social Work Education Efforts to Recruit and Retain MSW Students of Color

Social work programs in the United States (N=74) were investigated to determine strategies used for recruiting and retaining MSW students of color. Most schools had student populations exceeding 25,000 and combined BSW, MSW, and PhD programs. Data were collected using a Graduate Recruitment and Retention Scale with corresponding and acceptably stable subscales (alpha coefficients=.86 and .83, respectively). Long-term and durable problems were revealed vis-à-vis graduate student diversity, and few significant differences existed between public and private MSW program student diversity efforts. One exception was personalized follow-up to inquiries about application processes (p=0.01). Public or private status did not predict student diversity efforts in recruitment (Lambda [20, 35]=0.542, p>0.05, partial eta squared=0.458) or retention (Lambda [13, 50]=0.865, p>0.05, partial eta squared=0.135).     

MSW Students in Private Practice

The increasing number of MSW students engaged in private psychotherapy practice concurrent with their graduate studies has received little attention in literature on social work education. This article examines the educational, ethical, and legal dilemmas effected by this trend, and describes the policy developed at the University of Denver to address these problems. More broadly, it argues that schools of social work in general have a legitimate interest in adopting policies to prohibit or discourage MSW students from conducting private practice.     

Promising Innovations in Child Welfare Education: Findings From a National Initiative

For many years, schools of social work have engaged in partnerships, especially with public child welfare agencies, to prepare a competent and professional child welfare workforce through the mechanism of Title IV-E training. In 2008 the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) established an additional resource for preparing students in social work schools for child welfare practice. Twelve NCWWI traineeship programs supported a diverse group of BSW and MSW students from 2008 to 2013 and prepared them for client-centered practice informed by child welfare and leadership competencies. This article highlights a curriculum innovation in an MSW program and a field innovation in a BSW program that were designed to increase the readiness of BSW and MSW students for child welfare practice.     

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.     

School Social Work

Abstract

This article addresses the need for social work students to understand basic legal concepts and their application in social work. It begins with a review of recent literature on teaching law within the social work curriculum. It then reports on the authors' April 1991 survey of accredited MSW programs, which showed that few schools require MSW students to study law, but that curricula have little room to expand. Finally, the article describes a flexible approach to infusing legal content into existing social work courses by focusing on six legal precepts: the definition and regulation of practice; client issues; privacy; advocacy; conflict/liability; and precedents.     

Innovating Practices to Prepare Students for Graduate School: Lessons From a Social Work MOOC

This article describes the implementation of a massive open online course (MOOC) developed by a school of social work and piloted in the incoming 2016 MSW class (N=397). Using implementation science as a framework, we describe the MOOC as an intervention for preparing students for graduate school and share findings from the pilot evaluation. We argue that MOOCs can represent an innovative approach for other schools of social work, but our lessons learned suggest that they also require resources, time investment, organizational support, and understanding of the implications for students and the school. Future questions for research include examining the long-term benefits of MOOCs to students, their broader application, and the cost-benefit analysis for schools interested in developing MOOCs.     

Recruiting,engaging, and educating social work leaders: an innovative curricular model

Graduate social work student interest in administration or management studies has been low in comparison to their interest in clinical practice. Recruiting graduate students to administration or management specializations in social work education remains a challenge for social work programs. Recognizing the need to attract and prepare MSW students for administration, various curriculum models have been proposed. This study presents a unique model that was designed specifically for social work students who wanted to become competent clinical practitioners, yet were also interested in macropractice. By marketing to, and recruiting, graduate students who have a passion for the dual (macro and micro) focus of social work, the administration specialization in this large, US-based urban graduate social work program has been able to attract over 120 additional students each year, comprising nearly 24% of the graduating class. This qualitative study examined students’ rationale for selecting this specialization, their experiences in the program and their suggestions for improvement. Implications for other graduate social work programs are highlighted.     

AIDS instruction in US schools of social work: 20 years into the epidemic

A survey of 108 accredited master of social work (MSW) programs was conducted to examine curriculum attention to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). More than half of the programs (57.4%) offer no HIV/AIDS courses; more than three quarters (87%), however, do provide HIV/AIDS internship experiences. Interestingly, urban schools of social work, areas with higher rates of reported AIDS cases, and larger schools of social work do not offer more formal opportunities for HIV/AIDS education compared to rural schools, areas with lower rates of reported cases, and smaller schools of social work. Students wanting more formal instruction in HIV/AIDS issues, therefore, may not find more opportunities in larger urban schools. Institutes of higher education can be proactive in the continued need for offering HIV/AIDS educational opportunities.     

The Classification,Intercorrelation, and Dynamic Nature of MSW Student Practice Preferences

Data was collected biannually (1992-98) from a complete population of students entering and exiting accredited graduate programs of social work in California (N=5,793). Findings suggest that practice interests and career aspirations of MSW students are more diverse and dynamic in nature than the debate in the literature on social work’s mission would lead readers to believe. Although the proportion of all students most interested in each of the seven practice areas studied does not change throughout graduate studies, there is tremendous movement among individual students with respect to practice preferences during the course of their education.     

Confronting the “Threat” of Private Practice

Although an increasing number of social workers are engaging in private clinical practice and a majority of entering MSW students plan to do so, content on private practice is generally not included in MSW curricula. This article reports on a 1992-93 survey of faculty and student attitudes concerning various aspects of studying private practice in MSW programs. It compares the views of the two groups, assesses the implications for social work education, and encourages creative approaches to integrating the realities of professional practice with the traditional values and mission of social work.     

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.     

Use of Title IV-E Funding in BSW Programs

Summary

Title IV-E provides resources that allow social work education and state child welfare agencies to collaborate to provide an educational experience that prepares students to move quickly into a complex practice experience. In 1998-1999 all BSW programs that were accredited and in candidacy were surveyed to see if they were using Title IV-E funds to provide support for students who would agree to work in public child welfare programs after graduation. The questionnaire used was based on Zlotnik's earlier survey (Zlotnik & Cornelius, 2000) of all programs receiving IV-E funds. Of the 464 BSW programs surveyed, 282 replied, 59% of these were public institutions, the rest private. Forty-eight schools reported receiving some type of IV-E funding for students. Results indicate a number of models are used to support collaboration between the schools and their state agencies. These include differences in the requirements of students while they are in school and after graduation and in the amount of funding available to students. In addition, institutions not receiving IV-E funds were asked to describe why they were not. Implications for BSW programs are discussed.     

Disclosure of Student Status to Clients

A survey was sent to 163 MSW programs in the United States and Canada that asked directors of fieldwork to respond to questions related to their school’s policies on disclosure of student status in the field. With a response rate of 66.3% (N = 108), most of the schools (68.5%, n = 74) reported policies requiring disclosure and most directors supported this position. The authors review the ethical and legal reasons in favor of disclosure. They strongly suggest that a pro-disclosure policy be written and adopted by social work programs and the discipline’s professional organizations.     

SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAMS AND LOCATION CHOICES OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS

This paper studies how the school choice policies that subsidize private school attendance using public funds affect the spatial distribution of private schools in the United States. Private school choice programs enacted between 1997 and 2010 are examined and linked to private school provision 2 years later. The paper finds that school choice policies lead to more private schools where the input to public schools is lower and the pool of students with special needs is larger. Yet the introduction of means‐tested school choice programs does not necessarily lead private schools to locate in low‐income neighborhoods. (JEL I2, H4, R3)     

Social Work Students' Perceptions of Poverty

ABSTRACT

Over a period of 14 years (1991-2004), graduate social work students (n = 2,213) in ten California schools were surveyed about their perceptions of poverty as they entered and exited their graduate programs. Entering students expressed preferences for societal/institutional change methods to address poverty, as opposed to methods of individual adaptation and were even more inclined upon graduation. Implications for social work education and practice are identified.     

Collaborative Education in a Radical Social Work Course

Abstract

This paper explores the use of social group work in a graduate MSW course on Progressive Social Work Practice co-taught by Jan, a faculty member, Stacy, a current graduate student, and the students enrolled in the course.     

A Dedicated Diversity Course or an Infusion Model? Exploring Which Strategy Is More Effective in Social Work Pedagogy

The Council on Social Work Education requires schools of social work to meet diversity and social justice competencies. Many MSW programs meet these standards by having either a dedicated diversity and social justice course, or by using some form of diversity and social justice curricular infusion. The current study explored which of these strategies is more effective. Two-hundred and eighty-six MSW students participated in this quasi-experimental design (diversity-83; infusion-97; no diversity/no infusion-106), and were assessed on multiple indices of cultural responsiveness and social justice awareness. Our findings were mixed, but indicated that a dedicated diversity and social justice course is effective at increasing students' cultural responsiveness and social justice awareness. Implications for social work pedagogy are discussed.     

Seeing the Same Thing Differently: Program Director,Faculty, and Student Perceptions of MSW LGBT Competence

ABSTRACT

This exploratory study examined MSW education’s organizational-level lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) competence. Data were gathered from a sample of MSW program directors, faculty members, and students (N=1385) from 34 MSW programs in the United States. Hierarchical linear modeling analyzed differences in perceptions of organizational LGBT competence between MSW programs and among participants in the same program. Results showed organizational LGBT competence varied significantly among MSW programs and indicated program directors, faculty members, and students had different perceptions of the competence of their shared program. Specifically, directors rated the LGBT competence of their program higher than faculty, and faculty rated their program higher than students did. Implications for research and suggestions for social work education are discussed.     

Preparing for Child Welfare Practice

Summary

Specialized child welfare MSW programs and stipend support for child welfare MSW students have been developed in several states through the Federal Title IV-E program. Thirty-seven focus groups conducted over four years with approximately 550 Title IV-E MSW students in California were submitted to qualitative thematic analysis. The intense emotional challenge of child welfare work emerged in the focus groups. A three stage cognitive-affective model of student development is proposed. This exploratory study suggests several hypotheses for further research: that students at more advanced cognitive-affective levels should be less prone to burnout, better able to make the difficult value-based decisions demanded by child welfare work, and more likely to integrate and use the emotions of themselves and others. Implications are explored for graduate programs, professors, and supervisors.