University Social Work Research Articles

The Hong Kong Shue Yan University Social Work Research Center—A Case Analysis

Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU) Center for Social Work Research and Practice was established in 2015, aspiring to collaborate with industry partners to conduct research that enhance the industry's understanding of social issues and develop quality services for the community. HKSYU is a self-financing university without direct subsidies from the HKSAR Government to the Center. In the last couple of years, the Center has implemented 11 research and training projects, jointly organizing with local and overseas universities. Two of them adopted the interdisciplinary approach, collaborating with health and nursing disciplines. Using the extended case method, the Center was found to be aligned with the principles of evidence-based practice and research-mindedness in social work. Moreover, the Center normally adopted the “Translational form of collaboration,” coproducing research projects with industry partners. Upon reflection, the Center should maximize its involvement with social work practitioners to promote research-mindedness in the practice environment.

A qualitative exploration of nursing and social work university students’ experiences of sexual and reproductive health and rights education in Australia and Hong Kong

ABSTRACT Nursing and social work professionals often exhibit avoidance or a lack of competence in delivering sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) care to service users. When such care is provided, it tends to be heteronormative and deficit focus. Thus, understanding how university education prepares professionals in the field is essential. This study is the first to qualitatively explore SRHR attitudes, learning experiences and educational needs of nursing and social work students in Australia and Hong Kong. Using focus groups, insights were gathered from 19 nursing and 21 social work students across two Australian and three Hong Kong universities. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that, despite regional and disciplinary differences, students’ SRHR educational needs in both regions and disciplines were not being adequately met. This negatively influenced their practical training and the quality of care provided. The study highlights the need to enhance SRHR knowledge and skills in nursing and social work curricula, thereby improving person-centred care. Recommended curriculum enhancements include promoting diversity and inclusivity, adopting a positive framing of sexuality, enhancing critical self-reflection and communication skills, fostering interprofessional learning, developing educators and mentors as role models, and creating safe and inclusive classroom and placement environments.

Unveiling Graduate Readiness to Respond to Domestic and Family Violence in Australian Social Work Programmes

Abstract Social workers trained initially through university education are essential in community responses that seek to address domestic and family violence (DFV). However, research has shown an international shift towards dominant models of thought that individualise or pathologise understandings of DFV in social work practice. This is problematic as it can cultivate a disconnect from the social justice mandates of the profession. Re-centring DFV within the social work curriculum has since become a focal point, but following, there is a dearth in research to measure what change, if any, this has cultured. This is further complicated in the Australian context, where to date the authors acknowledge, few studies have examined the extent of social workers’ exposure to DFV within university curriculum. This project sought to redress this issue, by quantitatively surveying understandings and perceptions about DFV among Australian university social work students and recent graduates. Specifically, the study examines their attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and perceived proficiency about recognising and responding to DFV. The findings suggest that notions of feminist praxis may be diluted in social work curriculum specific to DFV, and as such novel approaches to reinvigorate a structural examination of DFV in Australian university social work curriculum warrant further attention.

Level of Compliance with the University Policies on Appearance and Discipline among College Students of the University of Cebu-Main Campus

School discipline is vital to helping students achieve solid academic gains. Effective school discipline practices help students make wise decisions and focus on their studies. School discipline refers to rules and strategies to manage student behavior and practices to encourage self-discipline. Along with education, students must adequately learn discipline in school because, with discipline and good values, the holistic development of the students will be protected. This study determined the students’ level of compliance with the University policies on students' appearance and discipline to provide an empirical basis for improving the discipline management system currently used by the University. The study utilized the descriptive-survey method of research using a researcher-made survey questionnaire based on the students' manual. The research study was participated by 1,390 respondents who were randomly selected first-year to fourth-year college students from the College of Teacher Education, College of Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Criminal Justice, College of Customs Administration, College of Business and Accountancy, College of Information Technology and Computer Studies and College of Hospitality Management. Furthermore, based on the study's findings, most students fully comply with the university policies on students' appearance and discipline. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in age, gender, or the college they are enrolled in about students' compliance with school policies.

CALM: caring action leadership mindfulness: a college counseling practice-based education model

ABSTRACT College is a phase in life where many young people experience freedom to make decisions as they have never had before. They are living in a community where their education, work, professional, social, and living environment are all very closely entwined. In order to be successful, college students need to feel connected to the college campus, especially at larger public universities. In 2021 the authors surveyed public university social work programs located within the United States and found that many graduate social work students complete internships with the campus counseling center. Advanced social work students are engaged in the majority of these practice education placements. Over three-quarters of the graduate social work students in these internships facilitate student support groups and/or psycho-educational classes and groups on campus. However, just over one-third teach college students mindfulness practice and/or meditation. We suggest a practice-based education model [CALM: Caring Action Leadership Mindfulness] for designing a collaborative Social Work Internship at the campus counseling center that supports the promotion of student mental and physical health, mindfulness and persistence to achieve a college degree.

They Were the Best and the Worst of Times: Reflections Illuminate Emerging Adults’ Sexual Experiences

Abstract Introduction Human sexuality courses are offered at most universities. Students often bring a breadth of experiences and a need for emotional processing of these narratives into these courses as it relates to course content. The purpose of this study was to expand research exploring emerging adults’ sexuality narratives to be inclusive of positive stories. Methods Guided by a semi-structured questionnaire, 113 students from two USA universities reflected in 2017 on their sexual history using an established educational activity asking students about their “best” and “worst” sexual experiences. Results Qualitative analysis resulted in five themes describing their “Best” and four themes describing their “Worst” sexual experiences and one theme with dual meaning. “Best of” was highlighted by student themes of romance, beyond intercourse, emotional intimacy, listening, and safety. “Worst of” was highlighted by themes of physical health factors, alcohol and/or substance use/misuse factors, exploitation and victimization, and feelings of shame. The dual meaning theme of firsts emerged in both best of and worst of. Conclusions Findings suggest that human sexuality courses must consider students’ lived experiences. Further, we propose a call-to-action for clinically trained mental health professionals, such as social workers, as sexuality educators. Policy Implications Universities should incorporate sexual health education policies that acknowledge students who bring a collection of sexuality stories to learning spaces. Centering a student’s sexual voice also would support campus programs, policies, and interventions that benefit students. Finally, policies that guide professional accreditation of social work university programs to include sexual wellness content in the curricula are warranted.

Student placement in a university social work health clinic: key learning experiences, challenges encountered and perceived benefits of interprofessional practice

ABSTRACT This paper reports on the findings from a mixed methods study exploring the key learning experiences, the challenges, and the increased knowledge of interprofessional practice for students undertaking placement in the Social Work Student Health Clinic at Griffith University. The theoretical framework of the study is based on adult learning theory, a model for experiential learning. After placement had finished 36 students completed the Interprofessional Socialisation and Valuing Scale (ISVS-21) and a post-placement questionnaire that included a placement rating scale and a free text section specifically designed to collect data on student perceptions about learning outcomes while in the clinic. The quantitative data was entered into SPSS for statistical analysis. A thematic analysis of the qualitative data identified four major themes (key learning and beneficial aspects, the challenges, impact on future career options, and interprofessional practice). The themes were transformed into quantitative variables for further analysis using SPSS. The key findings indicated that the students perceived their achievements through participation in health clinics as providing positive learning experiences across a range of opportunities, some of which have impacted on future career options and an increased understanding of interprofessional practices in health care.

Addressing healthcare barriers faced by asylum seekers and refugees through an interprofessional symposium.

In this work, we describe an interprofessional healthcare symposium driven by the challenges faced by the local asylum-seeking/refugee population in Montreal. McGill University medical, nursing, dietetics, and social work students partnered with local experts to provide attendees with tools to better meet the needs of Montreal's migrant population. This student-led initiative, unique in its interdisciplinary and comprehensive nature, increased awareness of the needs of an underserved population while promoting student engagement in health advocacy and interprofessional collaboration. It also enhances the development of skills essential to provide culturally sensitive care.

Social Work Education: Reevaluating Undergraduate Quality Assurance in the Social Work Unit, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone

This paper explores the policy and quality assurance discourse in social work undergraduate academic education ensuing at the Social Work Unit at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, following the recent reengineering approach due to the Covid-19 pandemic and technological polarisation. Regrettably, final year social work university pre-service social work student’s practicum or internship evaluation could not be finalised. The practicum or internship is a critical component in social work education as it engenders professional transformation, thought and development. Unlike other academic modules, which could be downright via online and distance education, the practicum or internship, being a practical undertaking in a classroom atmosphere, accorded unique challenges. The research question that the paper addresses is: How would certification of social work students be finalised when this time-tested evaluation had not been done? The paper employs content and discourse analysis to unwrap the philosophical and professional discourses being promoted by faculty in order to appreciate how they are likely to regulate succeeding management of social work education. The discourse is that the emerging ‘current normal’ should not trade-off the quality assurance structures that evolved consequently.

Beyond medicalized approaches to violence and trauma: Empowering social work practice

Summary Social workers are positioned to respond to clients with a history of trauma by practicing bio-psycho-social, trauma, and violence-informed care but frequently encounter systemic barriers to providing holistic care. The research presented in this article was initiated by a College of Social Work in Canada in response to concerns raised by social work providers that their practice was constrained by ideological, structural, and system limitations within publicly funded mental health and addiction services. Ideologically trauma-based social work care is defined by five principles of safety, trust, collaboration, choice, and empowerment and recognizes that what has happened to individuals, including early adversity, can influence their bio-psycho-social functioning across the lifespan. Structurally, trauma-based care recognizes the corrosive impact of poverty, systemic discrimination, and exclusion. Findings Our research included a literature review, an online survey (n = 115 completed surveys), individual interviews (n = 50), and three focus groups (n = 15). The findings consistently highlighted a dissonance between dominant bio-medical approaches and reliance on the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Disorders and social justice–based practice. Primary themes included a recognition by social workers of the pervasive presence of trauma and its effects, including mental health and addiction challenges; intergenerational impacts of trauma; the limitations of the medical model; and the need to reposition social work practice. Applications Repositioning the role of social work within mental health and addiction settings to center social justice responses to trauma presents transformative opportunities to better meet the needs of service users and increase workplace satisfaction.

Implementing Legislative Policy Intervention Into Long-Term Care Practice Settings

Purpose: Authors discuss program theory and the crafting of long-term care based educational trainings, derived from implementing New Jersey's mandated legislative policy. Method: This article applies program theory to explain how trainings were designed and implemented, thereby illustrating how sometimes change mechanisms may not be the intervention itself but the response that the activities generated. Results: Program created activities triggered desirable mechanisms to occur which then led to desired educational outcomes. In brief, university social work educators observed the paucity of research on LGBT+ older adults, ran focus groups at senior centers and nutrition sites, and responded to legislation passed in March 2020. Conclusion: Social work researchers, expert in HIV/AIDS, combined efforts via a multi-university collaboration and developed trainings based on local and national research to meet requirements of the S2545 NJ bill. Trainings were created and offered by both a for-profit organization and university collaboration and evaluation measures have been considered.

Teaching about selfcare to social work students. A necessary action

ABSTRACT Learning to take care of oneself in order to be able to take care of others is key to the future of Social Work practice. This article analyzes how self-care is taught to and learned by Social Work students. We approach it through the experiences and discourses of students and professors from the Social Work degree course at the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), in Tarragona, Spain. The methodology used was mixed. Data was collected during 2019 through 143 Social Work student online questionnaires, two student focus groups, two in-depth interviews with students, and 13 social work faculty online questionnaires. The results highlight the lack of specific training in self-care and the demands of both groups to have better access to this training. Some proposals to introduce content related to self-care programmatically into Social Work university studies are also presented.

Social Work Research impact on Developing a Model of Alternative Community Sanctions in Jordan: Implications for Criminal Policy and Social Work Practice

Social work research encourages the production of evidence-based knowledge in order to provide further insights into how to respond to the social needs of individuals, society and policymakers. This pilot study was conducted by academics of social work based in a university social work department, on students who had violated university discipline regulations and had the potential for aggressive behaviour, seeking evidence to not only support the Ministry of Justice in reforming Jordan’s judicial system and establish community sanctions for juveniles and adults, but also developing the university’s counselling system and disciplinary regulations. This was part of an EU project in collaboration with Jordan’s Ministry of Justice. The methods used to collect the data were mainly qualitative. The research findings present evidence of the need for and effectiveness of community sanctions accompanied by anger management. The study’s findings have played a significant part in supporting the development of criminal policy and approving the integration of community sanctions in juvenile judicial law in Jordan. This research will add to the international literature an evidence to the scientific knowledge of social work research.

Suicide Risk amongst University Students of Social Work in Spain

Abstract Suicide is a phenomenon existing amongst university students worldwide, generally associated with mental health problems. Although the evidence has revealed a greater psychosocial vulnerability amongst Social Work students, there are few studies that address this reality. This work, thus, has focused on detecting the risk of suicide amongst undergraduate Social Work students at Spanish universities. A total of 511 students (89 per cent female) at eighteen Spanish universities completed an online questionnaire assessing both support and risk factors for suicide. A total of 28.8 per cent reported suicidal ideation, 15.3 per cent planned suicide and 24.9 per cent presented suicide risk. Logistic regression analysis showed that this risk was, understandably, associated with higher depressive symptomatology, lower perceived social support and lower life satisfaction. The results obtained indicate the prevalence of the risk of suicide ideation, planning and the imminent risk of suicide amongst Social Work students at Spanish universities, and this study’s findings have specific implications for the university Social Work community, and for governmental, academic and university bodies in general.

Cultural transformation of university social work curricula: Black Lives Matter and the Spanish colonial past

The Spanish colonial past permeates the institutions of higher education, configuring the contents and forms of disciplinary knowledge production that constitute it, as is the case of social work. In this article, we visit different scenarios where colonial memories are disputed in the context of the commemorations of 12 October (also called ‘Hispanic Day’ or ‘Race Day’) in Barcelona. Although multiple articulations of anti-racist movements, such as those related to Black Lives Matter, question the material and semiotics that sustain structural racism, colonial cultural layers are still predominant in the Spanish state. Analysis shows how colonial logics nest in social work practice by: first, contributing to the definition of subject positions – such as ‘migrant’ – as problematic and needy of integration policies and intervention; and, second, making structural racism invisible through the avoidance of radical analysis and action regarding the cultural layers that sustain and perpetuate institutional racism.

Reimagining Social Work Placements in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how social work education is provided, and these changes are particularly pronounced in field education. Globally, the introduction of restrictions on mobility and social interaction have contributed to the cancellation, postponement and early termination of social work field placements. Accrediting bodies, social work field education departments and industry partner agencies have needed to rapidly adapt how placements are conceptualised and provided. This article examines the experiences of agencies who have continued to provide student placements throughout the pandemic. Interviews were conducted with placement supervisors employed at twelve human services agencies partnering with a university social work department in Melbourne, Australia. Whilst experiencing challenges, agencies outlined how they adapted to the environment to enable meaningful student placement experiences. This article contributes to an ongoing discussion around the trajectory of social work field education and the significance of agency-based placements in this evolution.

Relationship between academic goals and prosocial behaviour in social work university students

This study analysed prosocial behaviour and academic goals in a group of Social Work university students. It also identified whether certain combinations of different factors of prosocial behaviour generated different profiles of prosociality. Finally, a verification was performed as to whether any statistically significant differences existed between the groups differentiated according to their academic goals (learning, achievement and social reinforcement). The Prosocial Behaviour Scale (1993), and the Academic Goal Trends Questionnaire (AGTQ, 1991), were administered to a sample of 328 Social Work university students. Their ages ranged from 18 to 30 years (M = 22.56; DT = 4.89). The cluster analysis identified three profiles of prosocial behaviour: a high prosociality profile, a profile of low prosocial behaviour, and a group with a predominance of empathy and trust. The results revealed statistically significant differences between the profiles obtained based on the academic goals they pursued. This finding suggests the need to study prosocial behaviour more in-depth and to design programmes that further strengthen Social Work students’ learning goals.

The relationships between social pedagogy, social work and child protection: the case of Estonia

This article analyses the context of social work and social pedagogy in Estonia. It also introduces the differences, commonalities and overlap of the two concepts and their teaching. Courses in both disciplines are taught at Tallinn University in the School of Governance, Law and Society. At Tallinn University social work has been taught at three levels (BA, MA and PhD) since 1991; the Master’s in Social Pedagogy and Child Protection started in 2002. As the term ‘social’ encompasses several meanings, it also influences the practice in the social field – an overlap here can be considered to be a positive aspect, because the aim of both social work and social pedagogy is a better life. In Estonia social pedagogy is connected with social work through child protection. This article first presents a short overview of the situation in Estonia. It then introduces the main principles and theoretical backgrounds of the concepts and the education of social work and social pedagogy.

Social Work Students’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Themes of Resilience

ABSTRACT In May 2020, we surveyed 3,291 students enrolled in accredited social work programs in the United States about experiences during the pandemic. More than half reported learning less during online delivery (61%) compared to in-person instruction. About 3 in 10 reported disruptions to their financial security (29%) and experiencing mental health concerns (35%). In regression models, students dissatisfied with communication from their university and instructors had higher odds of experiencing each of these three outcomes. Qualitative data reinforced findings that the financial, social, and mental health consequences of the current pandemic have greatly challenged students, and also highlighted areas of strength and resilience. Implications for university administrators and social work program faculty, staff, and students are discussed.

Trial by Fire: Innovative Approaches and Evaluation of Course Transition During COVID-19

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 virus produced unprecedented challenges in the delivery of social work education nationwide. This study focused on the innovative approaches and transition efforts of one college of social work in the United States. The evaluation data of these efforts for six face-to-face and online Master of Social Work (MSW) courses and visual data from polls conducted to assess the socioemotional status of students in two online MSW courses were analyzed. The results suggest that students were highly satisfied with the transition efforts. Three themes emerged, suggesting the need to balance course instruction with teacher–student empathy, flexibility, and compassion toward students’ challenges. This study suggests future strategies that could be permanently implemented with a focus on social justice.