An Analysis of Factors Shaping Interventions Used by School Social Workers

Abstract

This study is a secondary analysis of surveys collected from school social workers in Illinois. Workers were originally surveyed about the most important student problems they confront in their schools and their preferred targets of intervention (individual, small group, family) to address those problems. Drawing on related conceptual work, the current study tested the utility of a preliminary model of factors that are hypothesized to influence school social work practice, taking in characteristics of the practitioner, characteristics of the setting, and sociocultural context. School social work practice was measured in terms of both interventions used and interventions used most frequently. Findings revealed that specific factors reflecting characteristics of the practice setting related to school social worker reports of their practice. Specifically, caseload size, grade level of students served, and district size were inversely related to frequent use of individual counseling but positively related to use of group counseling. Implications for school social work research and practice are discussed.