Students’ Experiences of Participating in a Dual-Language English–Spanish MSW Program Component: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT There are a small number of MSW and BSW programs in the U.S. that have specialized tracks to train social workers to work with Spanish-speaking clients. This qualitative focus group study reports on the experiences of 25 students who participated in a new English-Spanish dual-language component in the final year of an MSW program in a Northeastern U.S. city. Themes that emerged include how the interactive dual-language nature of the class increased students’ effectiveness and confidence to work with Spanish-speaking clients, and how the class empowered Latinx students and served as a support system for them. Challenges identified include difficulties integrating the dual-language classes with the students’ field experiences and problems engendered by varying Spanish-language proficiency levels of the students.