An International Perspective of Field Instruction

Abstract

Social work educators and practitioners have long debated several issues confronting field instruction. For example, they have addressed the structure of field placement, school versus agency-based supervision, remuneration to agencies that accept student placements, and the use of employer agencies as field settings. Because problem-solving increasingly involves working with people in nations other than the United States, it is important to gain an international perspective on field instruction issues. To this end, an international study was conducted to examine social work field instruction and the educational context in which it occurs. This article reports the findings of that study, which involved 51 countries. The universality of field instruction as an integral part of educational program, is apparent, as are the similarity of issues, problems, and proposed solutions Moreover, the findings indicate areas in which social work education has greater international consistency than education for the professions within national and regional boundaries, whereas other areas are influenced more by national and regional factors than by a universal social work professional culture.     

Sources of Corruption in Authoritarian Regimes*

Objectives. We seek to investigate the determinants of corruption in authoritarian polities. We hypothesize that corruption in nondemocratic settings will be greater where the ruling group is personalistic rather than a political party or a military clique and that it will be greater where rulers expect to remain in power longer. We construct a new operationalization of the selectorate theory advanced by Bueno de Mesquita et al. Methods. We use cross‐sectional statistical analysis (OLS) to examine a sample of 40‐odd authoritarian regimes as of 2000. Results. Our results indicate that personalistic and personalistic‐hybrid regimes are more prone to corruption than single‐party and military regimes and also that rulers who expect to remain in power for longer are less corrupt. Corroborating previous studies, we document that the availability of natural resources and higher levels of institutionalized autocracy are associated with greater corruption and that wealthier countries experience less corruption. Our results are consistent with previous studies, including that of Bueno de Mesquita et al., but because of our reconstruction of selectorate theory in terms of real‐world regime types, they are more easily interpretable. Conclusions. Our study sheds light on why African countries are so notoriously corrupt. The personalistic authoritarian regimes that have arisen there in the postcolonial period appear especially prone to corruption, whereas military and single‐party dictatorships are less corrupt.     

Running on age in a 15-km road run: minor influence of age on performance

The importance of exercise in the elderly is widely recognized, but data on performances and drop-out in short running contests are lacking. This hinders stimulation and coaching of elderly persons in active aging. The aim of the study was to determine age-related changes in running performance in the most popular Dutch road run, and how this is influenced by gender, training, and increased participation rate over the last decade. This is a retrospective analysis of 194,560 participants of a 15-km run from 1995 to 2007. Multiple regression analysis of running time by age, gender, and training was performed. Trends in participation were examined by chi-square tests and ANOVA. Trends in running time and speed were examined by t tests. With aging, running time increased with 0.20% per year (P < 0.001). Running time was on average 13% (P < 0.001) shorter in men than in women and was 15.7% (P < 0.001) shorter in participants who trained on a regular basis. Decline in performance with age was 5.9% larger for men than women (P < 0.01) and 4.5% larger for trained than untrained participants (P < 0.01). Over the last decade, participation numbers increased most for elderly (≥60 years) and female participants, mean running performance declined with 9.9% (P < 0.001). Drop-out number was low at all ages (0.13–0.29%). It appears that aging has only minor negative influences on running performance, which can even be attenuated by training. Our data suggest that exercise by means of running is a safe and rewarding option for improvement of healthy and active aging.     

Sexual functioning and practices in a multi‐ethnic study of midlife women: Baseline results from swan

This study examined the sexual practices and function of midlife women by ethnicity (African American, Caucasian, Chinese, Hispanic, Japanese) and menopausal status. Sexual behavior was compared in 3,262 women in the baseline cohort of SWAN. Participants were 42 to 52 years old, premenopausal or early perimenopausal, and not hysterectomized or using hormones. Analysis used multivariate proportional odds regression. In our sample, 79% had engaged in sex with a partner in the last 6 months, and a third considered sex to be very important. Common reasons for no sex (n = 676) were lack of partner (67%), lack of interest (33%), and fatigue (16%). Compared with Caucasians, Japanese and Chinese women were less likely, and African Americans more likely, to report sex as very important (p < 0.005). Significant ethnic differences were found for frequency of all practices. Perimenopause status was associated only with higher frequencies of masturbation and pain during intercourse.     

Book review

Social workers around the world are increasingly working with culturally diverse populations. Since the 1960s, United States schools of social work have included in their curricula content on ethnic minorities. This paper provides a historical overview of how US schools of social work have introduced content on cultural diversity. The paper then reviews models for teaching this content and models for understanding cultural diversity. Finally, the processes by which the United States experience can be transferred to other countries are considered.     

Home From Home? A Mixed-Methods Study of Relocation Within a Purpose-Built Retirement Community

Moving from a location where one has intimate knowledge of the physical and social aspects of space, with established daily routines, social networks, and attachment to place, can present challenges in later life. The literature supports the optimality of aging in place, and several studies point to the potentially detrimental effects of disruption, particularly in cases of involuntary relocation. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, this exploratory study aimed to examine the experiences and effects of relocation as part of a redevelopment of a community housing older people. Thirty-five interviews were completed with 17 participants across stages of the relocation process. Quantitative indicators of well-being were also compared between residents who had moved and those who had not over this period. No significant differences were found between movers and non-movers in the quantitative data. However, the qualitative data suggested that the relationship with the environment is more nuanced than the duality of optimal and detrimental. Individuals’ agency in relation to their environment was found to be mediated by such factors as lifestyle and daily routine, bereavement, sociospatial factors, and access to nature. The effects of relocation appear to be complex and mediated by a variety of individual and social factors.     

Inclusion of Caregiver Supports and Services in Home- and Community-Based Service Programs: Recent Reports from State Units on Aging

Caregivers have an important role in assisting frail and/or disabled individuals to maintain their independence in the community. Support to assist caregivers in this often stressful and demanding role is critical to sustaining the caregivers' health and ability to provide care. This paper reviews federal policy changes since 2000 that have expanded and enhanced services for informal caregivers. Next, data collected from State Units on Aging and other state agencies are presented to describe the extent to which caregiver services are included in home- and community-based programs under three funding streams (Medicaid waivers, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services–funded programs, and state-funded programs). Program characteristics, such as eligibility and consumer-directed options, are included. Finally, the accomplishments and initiatives reported by state respondents related to supporting informal caregivers are also explained. Results indicate that services for informal caregivers are receiving greater attention and are frequently offered under home- and community-based service programs by the states that participated in this study.     

Representing representations: the ethics of filming at Ground Zero

In this paper I analyse the ethical challenges that informed the production and filming of my documentary September Signs and Symbols. The film focuses on the material objects that commemorate the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and how this memorabilia circulates in New York City. The film explores how these objects have come to be complex signifiers containing within them the possibility for a range of meanings for people who create them, sell them, collect them, and use them and this paper reflects on the complex ethics of filming at Ground Zero – a highly charged political and cultural site. I analyse the ethics of representing a hyper‐represented space, the necessity for self‐reflexivity in the process of demystifying signifiers that have had meaning appended to them and my own complicity in the dialectic of production and consumption that informs any engagement with the objectified discourse of September 11th.     

Murderous ink: A case of rhetorical killing

A late night call from a terrified and indignant “Loud-Man” leads private investigator Noman into the murky depths of the academic underworld to solve the mysterious death of the organization. No corpse, no solid clues and an elusive motive make life hard for Noman. Gradually it becomes clear that detective Noman is battling with the wily Murderous Ink; a gang of anonymous authors with the power to turn organizational life into dead structures. Inspired by the great francophone detectives, Poirot and Maigret, Noman follows the established “cherchez-la-femme” path and comes face-to-face with the unwittingly well-organized Miss M. In a typically theatrical denouement, Noman reveals how the rhetorical killer was both guilty and innocent at the same time, but leaves the academic world with the task of reconciling itself with a dilemma that will more than likely find Noman with new subtle cases to solve.