Beginning to See the Big Picture: BSW Student Reflections on Community Macro Practice

Abstract

This article describes an undergraduate social work macro practice course that included a service-learning project in which BSW students canvassed for a grassroots, community-based agency to increase voter participation in a low-income, disfranchised community. An analysis of students' reflections prior to and during the course and project illustrates how this experience cultivated students' perspectives about macro practice. Embedding a service-learning project into a macro practice course demystified this level of practice for students, increased their understanding of the relationship between the community and their social work practice, and motivated their interest in macro practice. Recommendations for social work education and further research are provided.