Evidence-Based Knowledge, Attitudes toward Evidence-Based Practice, Job Autonomy and Service Quality Perception: The Case of Social Workers in China

Abstract

Evidence-based knowledge is seen as an important factor for improving service quality perception, yet empirical knowledge of the potential mechanisms is relatively limited, especially among social workers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the serial mediation effect of attitudes toward evidence-based practice and job autonomy in the relationship between evidence-based knowledge and service quality perception. The study is based on a sample of 1159 social workers, which comes from the China Social Work Longitudinal Study (CSWLS) 2019. Results indicate that a serial mediation path from attitudes toward evidence-based practice with job autonomy is posited to operate between evidence-based knowledge and service quality perception among social workers. These findings suggest that the government and social service organizations should collaborate to offer evidence-based courses, enhance evidence-based practice training, and improve organizational climate to promote positive service quality perceptions among Chinese social workers. Future research should delve into social workers across diverse cultures and countries and examine the effect of other factors, such as social workers’ evidence-based skills and abilities, on perceived service quality to broaden the current research.