ABSTRACT Since 7 October 2023, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have engaged in genocide against the Palestinian people of Gaza, based on accepted international definitions, and affirmed by analysis of the facts by preeminent human rights organizations. Irrefutable elements of the IDFs genocide against Palestinians include ‘killing or causing serious physical or mental harm to members of a group and deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.’ This genocide is supported by the U.S. Government despite legal prohibitions against funding nations who are committing human rights violations. Social work professional organizations state fighting oppression and promoting social justice are central to our profession’s values and ethics. The social work education accrediting body asserts that anti-racism and anti-colonialism are core education standards. Nonetheless, social work organizations have remained silent about the genocide in Palestine acquiesce to, rather than challenge, prohibitions against speech on college campuses about the genocide. If social work organizations continue to remain silent, and therefore complicit, with the oppressive status quo it will reveal that the values and standards espoused by social work organizations remain performative words that are devoid of action.

ABSTRACT Online higher education has undergone a substantial expansion in recent years, driven by the rapid advancement of digital technologies and broader global dynamics. This study aims to examine the preferences and motivations of Spanish students and graduates for enrolling in the Bachelor in social work (BSW) and the Bridge Course to the Social Work (BCSW) offered in an online learning format. An exploratory mixed-methods design was employed to address the research objectives. Data were collected through 21 semi-structured interviews with students representing diverse academic years, age groups, and work-life balance. A structured questionnaire was used to gather sociodemographic information from both current students and program alumni. Findings indicate that the flexibility inherent in online education constitutes a significant advantage for participants, enabling them to balance academic responsibilities with professional, personal, and family commitments. The absence of commuting requirements and the ability to study at any time and from any location were consistently highlighted as critical factors influencing their choice of modality. Participants also shared their individual preferences regarding the organization of their study routines. The study concludes by discussing the distinctive features of online social work education and its potential to support the development of key professional competencies in the field.

ABSTRACT A rural camp offers social work trainees (SWTs) in India an immersive experience addressing real-world issues rural communities face. This initiative facilitates direct interaction with local needs and resources, promoting active and reflective learning among SWTs. This scoping review (SR) aims to evaluate the existing literature on rural camps, supervisory pedagogy, and the learning experiences of SWTs while identifying knowledge gaps in the field. The review gathered data from published journal sources, revealing limited empirical information on training models for rural camps in India. It assessed the objectives, activities, and programs executed by faculty field supervisors (FFS) and SWTs, along with their learning outcomes. While abundant online content exists, there is a significant lack of peer-reviewed empirical studies. The SR underscores the need for further research to understand rural camps’ benefits better and enhance research methodologies and reporting standards. It calls for more peer-reviewed publications to advance social work education (SWE), research, and practice in India, ultimately fostering a more profound comprehension of transformative learning in social work (SW).

ABSTRACT Social work education has always been a contested domain of critical practice. However, in the current environment, it is imperative that it remains critical in nature, fostering a deep understanding of structural inequalities and social injustice, so that emerging practitioners are equipped to challenge oppressive systems in a world facing increasing uncertainty. This conceptual paper explores the pedagogical choices social justice educators made in redesigning a first year, foundational Australian social work unit. A unit redesign was undertaken beginning with a Student as Partners (SaP) project which allowed for the deconstruction of student experience and co-design of recommendations. Three key epistemological choices are then summarized: Students as Partners as a basis for the re-design, decolonization in action, and critical reflection as praxis.

ABSTRACT Massification, broadening participation, and increasing student diversity are key objectives in higher education (HE). Yet, there is limited definitional clarity with terms, such as equity, access, and participation, and limited evaluation of strategies. The aspiration to promote educational opportunity regardless of socioeconomic or cultural background, geographic location, race, age, gender, or dis/ability is established. Some discipline areas such as social work and human services (SWHS) attract high rates of equity students with lived experience of disadvantage. However, inequitable student access and outcomes persist. This article details an international scoping review that considered 1) how student participation is conceptualized within SWHS and 2) considerations for students from equity backgrounds. Five themes were identified relating to participation: conceptualizations; enablers; barriers; motivations; and co-designing the participation agenda. A further theme focuses on single equity identities and failure to adopt an intersectional approach, leading to limited understanding of the complexity of the intersectional disadvantage experienced by these students. The findings call for greater conceptual and operational clarity and further critical examination of access and participation objectives and practices, leading to improved organizational structures, responses, and pedagogical strategies for addressing power, inclusion, and disadvantage in contemporary HE.

ABSTRACT COVID-19 amplified existing stressors across the globe, with unique effects on college students. During this same time, higher education witnessed the proliferation of online technologies and the rise of third-party, private online program managers as universities and students pivoted to distance learning. Understanding U.S. social work students’ mental health and academic success needs have implications for the standards of the profession, program accreditation standards (e.g. implicit curriculum), and for the ethical recruitment and enrollment of students, including the design and facilitation of online social work degree programs. Aligned with the extant body of scholarly literature, the present program evaluation surveyed social work students who were enrolled in a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited graduate social work program in the United States in Fall 2023. The purpose of the program evaluation was to examine lines of difference and non-difference between social work students currently enrolled in the asynchronous online learning option (n = 82) and those who were enrolled in the face-to-face learning option (n = 10) through the analysis of closed-item and open response data. Quantitative and qualitative inquiries were conducted. Based on evaluation results and recommendations, implemented programmatic responses were shared.

ABSTRACT There is a body of the literature that suggests the practice of supervision in social work field education is integral to the success experienced by the student, the practitioner, and the agency for whom they work. Literature outlines the features of the supervisor–student relationship for fostering optimum learning, however there is a gap in terms of exploring how learning about supervision is handed down across generations, and to what extent that learning is helpful for the contemporary social work environment. With this paper, the authors aim to capture experiences across five generations of social workers to explore how an ancestry of supervision influences how supervisees conceptualize their framework of supervision for future students. We have situated the research to incorporate some elements of autoethnography, as two of the investigators are part of the ancestry. We explore themes generated from interviews and written reflections from participants to understand what styles and practices have lasting legacies of supervision across the generations. The research informs a more nuanced framework for the passing on of social work knowledge, skills, and values through a supervisor/student learning experience.

ABSTRACT This mixed methods programme evaluation study captures learning and teaching through the completion of an individual diary by students, that we have named the ‘Empathic Diary of Discoveries’ as part of a Master of Social Work degree in a public research university in Hong Kong. Students completing the diary were enrolled in a compulsory class on social problem and policy analysis. The aim of introducing this innovative pedagogical tool into the course was to bridge the gaps among the theoretical-practical, research, and reflective dimensions in postgraduate social work education. Through completing this individual diary, students learnt how to analyze a specific social problem or policy in Hong Kong, especially its underlying causes, impacts, and solutions, which involves applying the academic scholarship to real-world contexts as well as undergoing deep reflection and critical enquiry. This study contributes to both the scholarship and practice of social work education in the university setting by empirically examining students’ perceptions and experiences with pre- and post-course quantitative survey findings as well as qualitative reflective notes from student diary entries. The development of a series of pedagogical approaches and strategies that can facilitate an integrated learning and teaching of theory and practice, research, and reflection within social work university classrooms are outlined.

ABSTRACT The psychological well-being of social work and counseling trainees is imperative for professional development and delivery of quality service. Despite the existence of interventions targeting the stress and anxiety that the trainees face, the outcomes have not been systematically synthesized. The current study aims to depict, categorize, and evaluate the effectiveness of existing interventions aimed at alleviating practicum stress and anxiety among social work and counseling trainees. Systematic searches of eight psychology, social work and healthcare databases, along with manual citation searches, were conducted to identify experimental trials with pretest and posttest. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. Data synthesis was conducted based on the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis reporting guidelines. Included studies were categorized into four distinct groups: 1) Mindfulness-based interventions, 2) Professional skills training (microskills training and professional development course), 3) Stress management workshops and 4) Innovative interventions, including Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Virtual Reality (VR) client simulation and peer group supervision. Of these, half of the mindfulness-based interventions, professional skills training, EFT, and VR client simulation demonstrated significant efficacy. This review indicates the lack of stress and anxiety management interventions for practicum trainees. Further research is needed utilizing models with large sample sizes and rigorous study designs.

ABSTRACT Lived experience (peer) workers are increasingly employed across health and human service settings. Social workers often hold reservations and assumptions about peer workers, potentially contributing to peer worker harm, restricting opportunities for systemic transformation, and sitting in tension with social work’s remit of social justice. This article describes and presents an evaluation of a workshop provided for social work students mid placement which aimed to increase social work solidarity with peer work. Evaluation was completed using reflexive thematic analysis of qualitative survey data completed by twenty social work students. Findings established the value of the workshop, with students reporting a deeper understanding of peer work and that they were more likely to engage with, and advocate for, peer workers. However, there was also evidence of ongoing conceptualizations of peer workers as risky or at risk, with evidence of professional paternalism and an inability to imagine peer work beyond supporting a therapeutic social work function. We argue ongoing development of a social work curriculum that draws on lived expertise and critical theorizing is vital to unsettle entrenched beliefs about individuals who have had interactions with human service systems and the value of peer workers.