Adjunct Faculty in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

Adjunct faculty are growing in numbers and time spent instructing courses in social work programs. This paper describes one school's approach in working with and involving adjunct faculty as significant stakeholders in the overall educational program. The described program incorporates a number of ongoing activities to encourage adjunct faculty to contribute to the academic community beyond the instruction of one course. The paper also identifies additional strategies a social work program may consider to further strengthen the adjuncts? role in academia. The paper concludes with questions for social work educational programs and the Council on Social Work Education's Commission on Accreditation to recognize and define the position and function of adjunct faculty in social work education.     

A Student Portfolio Approach to Conducting Doctoral Social Work Comprehensive Examinations

ABSTRACT

This report describes using a student portfolio approach to the structure and conduct of doctoral-level comprehensive examinations in the field of social work. Portfolios have been used as the primary method (one exception in over 40 students) to conducting social work comprehensive examinations at the author's former university, and this doctoral program appears to be unique in this regard among North American social work programs. The approach to organizing the written and oral components of comprehensive examinations using a portfolio is described, along with some of the advantages and disadvantages of this technique. Other doctoral programs are encouraged to include this method as one option in evaluating student readiness to conduct dissertation research and attainment of pedagogical objectives.     

Lessons Our BSW Students Taught Us About Teaching Social Work in a Reservation Community

ABSTRACT

American Indians and Alaska Natives are underrepresented as social work students, social work educators, and within the profession in general. In addition, many historical and socioeconomic factors have contributed to disproportionality in higher education attainment between these students and those within other ethnic groups. Compounding the challenges, many students in reservation communities lack access to programs that provide social work degrees. Faculty based in a small university in the upper Midwest delivered a BSW program to students in a tribal community over a 3-year period and share pedagogical lessons learned from their students and the literature.     

Switching Hats

Abstract

One of the most problematic issues in the field of social work is the gap between practice and research. This paper describes the roles of the social work clinical practitioner and the social work researcher, and explores the role discontinuity that occurs as social work doctoral students' transition between these roles. A model illustrating the three possible routes that are taken during this role transition is introduced. Understanding the process of change that occurs as social work doctoral students shift roles has important implications for social work. Investigating these two roles can help doctoral programs support students during the difficult transition. Discovering how doctoral students bridge the gap between practice and research in their own experience may provide insight into how the field of social work as a whole can successfully address this gap.     

Challenges Faced by Canadian Social Work Field Instructors in Baccalaureate Field Supervision

ABSTRACT

This article examines the challenges faced by social work field instructors in two Canadian provinces. The results are based on the responses from 239 field instructors to a questionnaire survey. Findings highlight student difficulties, administrative issues with the social work schools, and practicum setting challenges. These demands hinder the optimal implementation of social work field education, reveal the concerning gatekeeping role of schools of social work, and discourage some social workers from taking on (or continuing) as field instructors. Implications for social work student placements, supervision of students, academic programs, and directions for future research are presented.     

New Publics in the Spectrum of a Conservation Agency

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify major areas of concentration that have an impact on state hunter education programs. The study specifically attempts to identify and analyze areas that prevent hunter education programs from being implemented to their fullest. The major reasons for this research include: to improve the awareness, knowledge, and skills of hunters, to help ensure that hunter education programs are utilized to their maximum, and to identify specific program strategies to help overcome major barriers to the successful implementation of state hunter education programs. Based on data collected, areas of significant concern that have profound effects on program implementation were identified and analyzed. The major concerns and constraints identified by the study were in the areas of program instruction, course content, program communication, program funding, and program evaluation. Each of the identified program constraints was analyzed with recommendations put forth which could lessen its impact on program implementation.     

Working an Academically Rigorous,Multicultural Program

In 1997 the California State University Monterey Bay Master of Arts in Education program began accepting students with the explicit intent of offering an academically challenging curriculum that grounds teacher-leaders in multicultural social justice education. By 2003, the program had successfully attracted and graduated a student population that is as racially and ethnically diverse as the state of California. As eight faculty members who designed and implemented this program, writing from a position of “insider knowledge” regarding how it functioned on a day-to-day basis, we show how culturally and linguistically diverse students, many of whom have been underprepared for rigorous academic work, can attain high levels of academic excellence in a challenging and supportive context. In addition, we explore the tensions and realities of doing this work, especially in a state university context that is experiencing decreased funding that jeopardizes programs such as this one. We write so that our work is not forgotten but rather narrates what is possible.     

Gifted Children and Learning Experiences

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the degree of congruence of expectations between teacher and student within and among an innovative, process-oriented social studies program and conventional, content- oriented programs since congruence is theorized to be related to program satisfaction. The Watson Analysis Schedule (WAS) was designed to inventory the perceptions of seventy-one expectations for student behavior. It was administered in three similar suburban schools enrolling a total of 1,732 students taught by twenty-nine teachers in their eleventh grade social studies programs. The congruity of expectations for students and teachers was found to be greater for the two content-oriented programs than for the process-oriented program. However, on the basis of a previous phase of this investigation, the process-oriented program was characterized by positive responses of satisfaction by the students while the content-oriented programs were characterized by negative responses. Results lead the investigators to question the hypothesized relationship of satisfaction to congruence and to view satisfaction as more highly related to the nature of the role assigned to the learner.     

Diversity and Difference in the Online Environment

ABSTRACT

The online environment challenges social work educators in their approach to developing students’ cultural awareness and culturally competent skills. To develop student competencies, it is important for accredited social work programs to consider both their explicit and implicit curricula. Although research has focused on the influence of multicultural classrooms and engaging diverse students, scant literature has been focused on teaching about diversity and difference in the online environment. This article hopes to fill this gap in knowledge by providing recommendations for social work programs to consider as they look to teach diversity and difference in the online environment.     

Disability Discrimination in Social Work Education

Abstract

An overview of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) is presented. The article emphasizes that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is the federal law upon which the ADA is built. A comparison of Section 504 and the ADA is presented in the paper. An analysis is offered of the case law that has emerged under Section 504 that serves as a guide to the rights and responsibilities of social work programs and faculty under the ADA. Recommendations are made for helping social work programs comply with the ADA in the area of student admissions and retention.     

School and program related factors influencing disclosure among children participating in a school-based childhood physical and sexual abuse prevention program

BackgroundSchool-based child abuse prevention programs were created to provide knowledge so that children can recognize abuse, teach skills that decrease children’s risk for abuse, normalize the disclosure process, and provide a pathway for children who may be experiencing abuse to report the abuse.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore school and program factors that trainers in a school-based prevention program believed were associated with disclosure among youth from kindergarten through 12th grade.Participants and settingThis study is based on eighteen trainers and administrators who work with the Play it Safe!® school-based program in Dallas-Fort Worth area.MethodsUsing the qualitative case study method, in-depth interviews were conducted.ResultsData analysis revealed three factors that influenced disclosure: school, school personnel, and program features. The school-related factor was time allotted to the training. The school personnel-related factors were disengagement, ambiguity concerning abuse, prior history with children, and professionals’ personal history of abuse. Finally, the program-related factors were the core messages of the training, providing specific examples, and repetition of the program. To date, there is a dearth of studies that explore the role that schools and school personnel play in the disclosure process.ConclusionChild abuse has devastating effects on children’s physical, social, emotional, and psychological well-being. Understanding more about schools, personnel, and program-related factors that lead to disclosure, which are more amenable to change, is critical to ensuring the safety of children.     

Parent perceptions of the effects of the Saturday enrichment program on gifted students’ talent development

Based on survey responses from 187 parents of students who attended the Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP) at the Center for Talent Development (CTD) of Northwestern University, this study showed that overall, parents perceived favorable effects of the program on their children's talent development, especially academic talent development. As a result of participation in the CTD program, parents perceived that their children gained scholastic skills or knowledge, were more motivated to learn and interested in the subject areas they studied, and gained academic competence. After the program parents had higher academic expectations for their children. Parents felt positively about instructional aspects of the program such as focusing on a single subject in depth and breadth, experiencing interdisciplinary perspectives across subject areas, and having experiential learning opportunities. They also perceived that the SEP classes provided their children with both challenge and enjoyment. Despite the perceived benefits of SEP, results also showed that the majority of parents were still reluctant to pursue additional further educational actions inside or outside of school for their children after completing the program. However, of those who contacted their children's local schools, almost half said that their children received more challenging work (e.g., accepted and/or placed into advanced enrichment programs or other gifted programs/groupings in school, recommended for gifted programs, given additional materials or work, or skipped grades) as a result.     

Developing and Supporting Faculty Training for Online Social Work Education: The Columbia University School of Social Work Online Pedagogy Institute

ABSTRACT

With the growth of online and distance education in social work, faculty training and support need to be provided to ensure high-quality online social work education. A model for training social work educators in online teaching is outlined that focuses on pedagogy, technology, and social work values. Columbia University School of Social Work’s Online Campus provides a five-week Institute on Pedagogy and Technology for Online Courses for prospective social work instructors. The Institute provides a faculty training model that can be adopted in other social work programs, and seeks to model best practices in online education.     

Effects of Training in the Use of Social and Cognitive Strategies: An Intervention Study in Secondary Mathematics in Co‐Operative Groups

ABSTRACT

This article reports on an intervention study into the effects of a training in the use of social and cognitive strategies on the learning outcomes of students in secondary mathematics education. Special attention is given to differential effects for high‐ and low‐achieving students. The focus on differential effects is derived from studies into learning in small co‐operative groups, and from the results of meta‐analyses into the effects of training in learning strategies. From these studies it can be concluded that in general such programs contribute to learning. However, it seems that low‐achieving students are unable to benefit from interventions of the kind investigated (i.e., co‐operative learning and training in learning strategies). The main question is whether it is possible to design an instructional program from which all students benefit, and from which the low‐achieving students profit more than their counterparts in the control‐program. In the present study three instructional programs for co‐operative learning were compared: (i) an experimental program with special instruction in the use of social strategies; (ii) an experimental program with special instruction in the use of cognitive strategies; and (iii) a control program without training in either cognitive or social strategies. The programs were identical with respect to mathematical content and general instructional settings (a combination of whole‐class instruction, working in co‐operative groups and individual work). The experiment addressed the following research question: what are the general and differential effects of a training in the use of social and cognitive strategies on the results of learning in secondary mathematics? The research was conducted in two schools for secondary education in a total of 21 classes, involving a total of 511 students. The design was a pretest‐posttest control group design, using two experimental groups and one control group. The data were analysed from a multi‐level perspective. The outcomes of the investigation clearly show the effects of the intervention. Teaching cognitive and social strategies has the expected, positive effects. In addition to this main effect, a compensatory effect for the low‐achieving students was found. The low‐achieving students in the experimental conditions outperformed their counterparts in the control group.

     

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 Use of a Teaching Practicum for Doctoral Students in Social Work

ABSTRACT

The authors discuss the use of a teaching practicum for doctoral students in social work. The advantages of a teaching prac-ticum are identified, as are critical issues associated with the establishment of such a program.     

Cutting the Distance in Distance Education: Reflections on the Use of E-Technologies in a New Zealand Social Work Program

ABSTRACT

The development of new e-technologies and an increased focus on developing distance social work education programs has created the impetus for social work educators to consider the tools they can employ in delivering distance courses. This article reflects on an action learning research project involving the development of an online toolbox of e-technologies to support social work educators in the delivery of distance courses. It highlights the opportunities and challenges when considering the integration of e-technologies as part of social work education.     

Teaching Toward Justice: Reflections on Collaboration,Engagement, and Social Action in Uncertain Times

ABSTRACT

Recent societal and political shifts have underscored the need for higher education programs to examine and reflect on the ways in which they address equity and social justice. As teacher-educators, we feel this call with particular urgency. In this paper, we describe our past and current efforts to engage in self-reflective inquiry and enact ways to better teach social justice in uncertain times. These efforts have included reflecting on our existing efforts as well as new directions such as creating an assignment to engage students in the analysis of their own social locations and creating a new course aimed at addressing intersectionality and social justice in education through the lens of documentary films. We recognize the need to not only address barriers to educational equity within our coursework, but also within our program itself as we work to improve our representation as well as our relationships with the surrounding schools and communities.     

The Value Dilemmas of Faculty Advising; Significant Issues in a Code of Ethics for Faculty Advisors

ABSTRACT

Although frequently challenging, faculty advising continues to be a crucial component of social work education. Yet the current diversity of students, educational programs, and field placements present many ethical dilemmas to the faculty advisor. This paper explores the administrative, educational, and supportive roles of the faculty advisor, the inherent conflicts which develop and the effects of these conflicts on the ethical advising of social work students.

Similar to the classroom teacher, the faculty advisor can positively model ethical social work practice to students. Case examples from faculty advisors are used to study ethical dilemmas which arise in promoting social work values of self-determination and confidentiality. Recommendations are made to promote ethical practice among faculty advisors.     

ASSESSING STUDENT PERFORMANCE USING VIDEO IN COMBINATION WITH SELF,PEER, AND INSTRUCTOR EVALUATION CHECKLISTS

Abstract

In this article, the authors propose six standards for the work of Intergenerational Specialists in an emerging field of professional practice. These standards are intended to guide students in academic settings who are preparing to work as Intergenerational Specialists in direct service roles, administrative capacities, or the supervision and training of others in the field. In addition, they might also be considered useful guidelines for program developers who want to ensure mutually beneficial interactions between younger people and older adults in any kind of organized intergenerational context. The proposed Standards for Intergenerational Practice are currently being piloted by students in a graduate degree program, and eventually will be submitted to Generations United for endorsement and widespread acceptance by the field. These basic principles are consistent with NAEYC's Developmentally Appropriate Practices for early childhood programs, and they are also consistent with ethical practices in programs for older adults.