Empowering Students in a Feminist Social Work Practice Course

Abstract

Since 1993, a faculty collective has team-taught a feminist social work practice course. The course, designed to heighten student knowledge of feminist practice, was expected to empower students. An overview of the course is presented with an analysis of its impact on student perceptions of personal and professional power. Pre and post measures of empowerment were analyzed and used to derive outcome measures of change in student views of themselves as empowered persons and practitioners. Findings indicate that students had significantly higher perceptions of their personal and professional power upon completion of the feminist practice course than before. Implications for social work students and practitioners are discussed.     

发展型社会政策视角下的社会工作介入

米奇利和吉登斯两位学者关于发展型社会政策的理论观点认为,经济发展和社会政策是相互融合的,它的最大意义在于它使传统的社会政策对民众福利的保护方式从被动型、事后补救型、消费型向积极干预型、促进型和投资型转变。因此,笔者认为,在发展型社会政策视角下,社会工作者也要根据这一创新型政策,通过介入个人、社区和政府层面,来提供适当的服务。     

Integrating Computer Content into Social Work Curricula

Abstract

While recent CSWE standards focus on the need for including more relevant technological content in social work curricula, they do not offer guidance regarding how it is to be assessed and selected. Social work educators are in need of an analytic model of computerization to help them understand which technologies are most appropriate and relevant to the professional development of social work students. This article develops a flexible model that can be used by faculty to assess, develop, and evaluate computer content in their curricula. The model presents a cost-effective approach that takes into account the enormous flux and pace of change in the computer industry.     

An Educator's Guide to the Development of Advanced Practice Competencies in Clinical Social Work

The 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards identified 10 core competencies that all social work graduates should master. MSW programs found themselves with a need to identify knowledge, values, and skill statements that reflected what concentration-year students were expected to know and be able to do. In 2009 a group of educators convened at the Council on Social Work Education in Alexandria, VA to develop a model of advanced practice in clinical social work. This article describes the work group's process; identifies and describes the resulting advanced clinical knowledge, values, and skills statements; discusses the key debates and issues that arose during the development of the statements; and concludes with the implications for social work education and practice.     

An Introduction: Reimagining Social Work Education for the Digital Age

ABSTRACT

Despite the recent publication of a number of articles, along with current presentations at professional conferences, and a scholarly text all on the topic of distance learning and online social work education, many believe that the subject has not received the level of recognition among academics in our profession that it needs and deserves. This Introduction to a special double issue of a prominent peer-reviewed journal serves to welcome the reader to the contents of the seventeen articles that follow, and to provide both an overview and conceptual framework for the special issue as a whole. Underscoring both the opportunities and quandaries, support and resistance, most of the authors would appear to conclude that social work educators must rapidly become more agile in embracing the unique opportunities presented by the technology that we now have at hand.     

Social Work Practice and the Propietary Movement

ABSTRACT

Changes in funding patterns and privatization of health and human services within government are prompting new forms of management and organizational structures creating challenges for service delivery and the education of social work managers. The profession's ability to provide leadership and respond to such rapidly changing environmental trends is grounded in the capability of field education to bridge the university and practice communities and provide flexible, innovative combinations of service programming and research partnerships. This article provides a framework for the development and operation of a unique type of field demonstration project. The article focuses on the methodology used to develop and operate the field projects in order to encourage replication among other schools of social work.     

Critical Thought within the Social Welfare Policy Course

Critical thought is a necessary element for proficient practice in social work at both the micro and macro levels. For this reason, social work educators must seek to integrate critical thought in BSW and MSW curricula. This article provides a method for achieving this integration in the social welfare policy course. The method includes the four following phases: instruction regarding logical errors, presentation of logical errors in contemporary political debate, demonstration of critical thought in policy position analysis, and self-assessment of one's own logic. The implications of this method for practice in a values-based context are discussed.     

Non-Traditional and Traditional Social Work Students

ABSTRACT

Drawing on a sample of undergraduate social work students from four mid-western social work programs, this study compared perceptions of field instructors regarding non-traditional and traditional students. Field instructors rated their perceptions of the successful fulfillment of the demands of field practicum and the impact of several life characteristics for traditional and non-traditional students.

Non-traditional students were rated significantly higher on a variety of measures as assessed by field instructors. This study has implications for social work education that involves differential recruitment, retention, and support of traditional and non-traditional students.     

Using African American Narratives to Analyze Social Policy

Abstract

This paper explores how African American literature can enrich the analysis of social policy in social work graduate courses. The historic debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois about black progress, and its reflection in subsequent works by Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Shelby Steele, and Cornel West, illustrate that the debate remains present in contemporary affirmative action and welfare reform policies. Using ethnic narratives can expand adult students' ability to analyze the purposes, consequences, and values underlying social policies and help social workers formulate, document and buttress new policy positions. Such abilities are especially critical for social policies in which race remains a critical influence.     

社会工作方法与高校荣辱观教育的创新研究

高校思想政治教育的传统工作方式,妨碍了高校荣辱观教育的宣传和发展,因此,改革和创新高校荣辱观教育工作迫在眉睫。在高校荣辱观教育工作中,借鉴社会工作中乐于服务的敬业观念、平等待人的观念和受教育者自主决定的观念。引进个案工作和团体工作方法,可以有效地更新思想政治教育者的价值理念,丰富思想政治教育的内容,改进思想政治教育的方式,提高高校荣辱观教育的效果。     

加强高校社会工作人才培养的对策浅析

通过对珠江三角洲社会工作机构的调查,发现广东高校社会工作专业毕业生在技术教育、价值教育、个人素养等方面存在一些问题;为了更好地回应社会需求,推动整个广东社会工作教育,作为高校应该以技术教育为本位,加强实践教学;以价值教育为核心,彰显专业特色;以课程改革为突破口,增强师资力量。     

高等教育与社会就业——一种公共政策的分析

高等教育与社会就业的关系极其复杂,一些研究发现了"就业"与"就学"的相互替代、高等教育发展与经济发展的"反周期"、高等教育调节分割的劳动力就业市场供需关系等现象,这些发现已经具有了公共政策的意义。事实上,很多国家在运用高等教育调节社会就业中取得成功。本文研究了高等教育调节社会就业的理论基础和主要经验,提出了我国现阶段运用高等教育作为公共政策工具调节社会就业的四个方面的政策选择。     

Strength and Motivation: What College Athletes Bring to Social Work

College athletes develop many strengths and skills during their athletic career, such as dedication, ability to work across cultures, leadership, and community building. Social workers need many of these same skills. This study explores the potential transfer of skills from athletics to social work among 15 former college athlete MSW students. Qualitative interviews asked about transferability of skills developed as college athletes to social work practice. Participants identified both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills gained in their athletic career that were of use in social work practice. Implications for both athletic career development and social work recruitment and education are discussed.     

Socialization of Doctoral Students: Implications for Social Work Education

Recent discussions on social work education increasingly have drawn attention to doctoral education. The purpose of this article is to consider these discussions that debated some of the ways of improving doctoral student education and professional development, using professional socialization as a conceptual framework. Issues such as research, teaching, and research assistantship, and conferences are considered as key components of the process of preparing doctoral students for knowledge building through teaching and research. Finally, the paper discusses some implications for social work education.     

Social Work Education

Abstract

Migration across national borders has resulted in demographic changes in the United States, causing the country to become more multi-ethnic. This presents considerable challenges for graduate level educators who need to be responsive to the unique academic needs of diverse populations by considering students' previous experiences, values, and beliefs. This change requires educators to incorporate various teaching styles and to create a classroom atmosphere where security, trust, and openness can be achieved. Developing cultural competence and creating a transformative learning environment is essential for social work educators teaching in multicultural environments in the 21st century. This article provides a brief overview of Burchum's (2002) Evolutionary Perspectives that will help to assist readers in obtaining a clear understanding of cultural competence. It also presents Blunt's Model of Cultural Competence for Transformative Education, which can promote both transformative learning and assist social work educators in fostering a transformative learning environment.     

A Discourse Analysis of Online Dialogs in Social Work Diversity Courses

Abstract

Online discussions can extend learning experiences beyond the time and space of the classroom, allowing students more time to process information, and an additional mode of expression for those who are less active in open classroom discussions. They may be especially appropriate for teaching sensitive or controversial subject matter such as oppression and diversity, which is required by the Council on Social Work Education. This study investigated topical themes, depth, and tone of online dialogs in social work diversity courses at two universities in the mid-Atlantic area. Discourse analysis-a type of content analysis-is employed to gain a deeper understanding of the learning experience, and to compare the impact of anonymous and identified participation in the dialogs.     

The Construction of Social Class in Social Work Education: A Study of Introductory Textbooks

Social work introductory textbooks reflect myriad practical interests, pedagogical concerns, and theoretical considerations. However, they also present students with accepted views, dominant perspectives, and main discourses of knowledge. In light of this centrality, the present article examines the representation of the concept of “social class” in introductory textbooks as a way to look at the construction of the concept in social work education. Based on the content analysis study of 50 introductory textbooks, the article suggests that social work education has overlooked or even denied the relevance of social class. Class differences, as part of other categories of power such as race, ethnicity, and gender are crucial factors in explaining diversity and inequality. As social justice is one of the main premises of social work, the question of how to prepare students to deal with class issues as future practitioners seems to be very important, especially in light of increasing social class gaps.     

Social Work Students Go to Camp

Abstract

This study explored the effects of an intensive, service learning course on the perceived self-efficacy of participating MSW students. A self-efficacy scale was developed following Bandura's (1977) model, based on the goals and objectives of the MSW program and was administered pre and post. The findings indicated a statistically significant increase in perceived self-efficacy (p< .001) following completion of the course. In addition, the students demonstrated significant increases in self-efficacy related to mezzo (p< .001) and macro-level skills (p< .001). These results suggest that service learning, underutilized in social work education, may be an effective learning approach in master's level programs.     

Including Narrative Concepts in Social Work Practice Classes

ABSTRACT

A large number of social work doctoral programs admit non-MSWs into their programs of study, and do not subsequently require the student to earn the MSW before receiving the Ph.DTDSW. In this debate-style article, Professor Barbara Shore argues that it is both acceptable and desirable for non-MSWs to earn the doctorate in social work, while Professor Bruce Thyer contends that the practice is harmful to the profession and should be discouraged. Each author provides an initial statement and responds to each others' position in a rebuttal.     

The Power of Perspective: Teaching Social Policy with Documentary Film

AIDS has challenged the social work community to be responsive to work with individuals who are facing death and families and significant others who are undergoing feelings of loss and grief. This article discusses teaching content and methodology in each of three integrated sessions that go beyond the traditional, didactic approach to the topic of death in a graduate social work practice course. Students examine their attitudes and reactions to death and dying and develop relevant knowledge, skills and coping behavior for work with persons with AIDS, their lovers and families.