Achieving MSW Students’ Learning Success: A National Survey of All MSW Degree Programmes in China

Abstract

Abstract Master of Social Work (MSW) training is important for professional development and has created high expectations for social work education in China. However, few studies have evaluated MSW students’ learning outcomes and how students engage in the learning process. To gain insight into MSW students’ learning success, this study focusses on the relationship between students’ learning process and learning outcomes—namely, professional competence and identity—under the guidance of student engagement theory. This study involved MSW students (n = 1,201) from all 104 MSW degree programmes in China in 2017. The data analysis was based on theory-guided structural equation modelling. The results show that student engagement in academic learning is indirectly and positively related to professional competence and professional identity through the full mediating role of field learning. In addition, students’ BSW background and university resources played moderating roles in the relationships between engagement in academic learning and professional identity and between engagement in field learning and professional competence. Field education strengthens students’ achievements. These results could lead to a better understanding of the characteristics of students’ learning engagement and aid the design of adaptable teaching plans. These results may also lead to new ideas for the further modification of social work education in China.