Analyzing the Attitude of Undergraduate Students Toward Poverty and Impoverished Persons: Does Social Work Education Make a Difference?

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact that undergraduate social work education had on students' attitude toward poverty as pretest and posttest data were collected from 166 university students enrolled in an undergraduate social work course that included a focus on poverty. At both stages of the study participants responded to a 37-item validated instrument designed to measure attitudes toward poverty and impoverished persons. The authors' analyses indicated that the participants demonstrated a significantly more structural attitude toward poverty and impoverished persons at the posttest stage, suggesting that social work education influences students' poverty-related attitudes. The implications for social work practice are discussed.