Social Policy Course Research Articles

Peer Mentoring: A Case Study in Developing Legislative Advocacy Skills among Social Work Students

Peer mentoring in social work education can be beneficial in developing and promoting legislative advocacy skills among social work students taking foundational social welfare policy courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A descriptive case study is presented of a student peer mentoring project within a social work educational program at a regional comprehensive state university. This study describes the incorporation of a peer mentoring program to assist in promoting legislative advocacy skills among social work students. The project encompasses annual state-level high-impact practice (HIP) legislative advocacy action events across 5 years before and during the global pandemic. This article also seeks to inspire social work educators to embrace peer mentoring as a means to enhance and promote the development of advocacy skills as students find their collective voice and speak up to educate lawmakers on contemporary social problems impacting vulnerable populations.

Involvement of the population of the USSR in providing assistance to families with children during the Great Patriotic War (on the example of the Baikal region)

The article discusses the issues of organizing assistance to Soviet families during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). In wartime conditions, accompanied by economic instability for the state, families with children, including military families, were in a difficult situation. Taking care of the Soviet family and the younger generation became the basis of the course of social policy, but the state could not always provide targeted assistance in time. That is why an important element of the organization of conditions for a stable situation of the population has become the involvement of collective farms, industrial and commercial enterprises, as well as individuals to assist families with children. The scientific novelty of the article consists in attracting a wide range of sources from the archives of the Republic of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. Analysis of the documents showed that during the Great Patriotic War, the population helped those in need in various forms. In difficult times, the people acted unanimously and created various aid organizations: red Cross societies, charitable foundations, maternity and childhood committees. The population also helped those in need by accepting orphans, evacuated citizens and refugees for temporary residence. The enterprises did not stand aside. For the Baikal region, these measures were as important as for the rest of the USSR.

Social work self-care education informed during the pandemic: Experience, reflection, and suggestion

During the coronavirus pandemic, self-care practice was more than ever underscored for social work students as they have encountered increasing stress in their personal life, schoolwork, and professional practice. These stressors have been interweaved with social problems, further increasing the pressure on them. For social work educators, this situation highlights the necessity of developing students’ self-care competency. This brief note reflects upon the challenges we face in integrating self-care components in social policy courses since the outbreak of the pandemic and suggests that social work self-care education can be broadened in terms of purpose, scope, and content in the future.

Teaching Note—Teaching Trumpism

ABSTRACT The election of Donald Trump was an astounding moment in the history of the United States. As academics across disciplines and social work as a profession struggled to understand the election and its effects, several syllabi were crowd sourced to explain the phenomenon known as Trumpism. This article describes a social work social policy course derived from these syllabi, as well as the pedagogical choices and consequences of teaching this course at the graduate level.

Joining the Conversation: Using Technology to Enhance Policy Practice

ABSTRACT Technological innovations present new pedagogical opportunities. The use of technology in the classroom may provide an opportunity for social work programs to engage students in a better understanding of policy practice, to get their voice heard on the issues, and to feel empowered about social change at the macro level. This article will discuss experiential learning using social media as a platform for MSW students in a social policy course in order to join policy conversations in real time.

Reducing Pessimism About Social Security’s Future Through Gerontological Education

A recent Pew Research Center poll found less than half of non-retired U.S. adults believe they will receive Social Security benefits when they retire. Pessimism about Social Security’s future is even stronger among people under 50, raising concerns about political support for the program. The current study examined to what extent education about how Social Security functions and strategies to address program funding shortfalls could increase optimism about Social Security’s future. In Fall 2020, twenty-two undergraduate students enrolled in an on-line aging and social policy course were asked how likely they would receive Social Security income when they retired. Consistent with national polling data, only 38% believed they would probably or definitely receive Social Security retirement income. Students were also asked to briefly explain why they answered the way they did. Common reasons given for pessimism about receiving Social Security retirement income included having heard Social Security will run out of money and believing only U.S. citizens are eligible for Social Security benefits. Over a two-week period, students completed asynchronous on-line activities covering Social Security retirement eligibility, worker and spousal benefits, current funding, and proposed changes to address funding shortfalls. Upon completion, 67% of students stated they would probably or definitely receive Social Security retirement income when they retired (p = .07). These preliminary results suggest that education about the program can reduce pessimism about Social Security’s future. Additional data will be collected from 45 students enrolled in the same course in Spring 2021.

ETHNOSOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF DEPOPULATION OF MOUNTAIN TERRITORIES: DAGESTAN AND NORTH OSSETIA

Unlike the transboundary regions of Mountain ecosystems in Europe (Alps) with high population density and the integration of the rural economy into the regional and World markets, most of the Mountainous regions of the Russian Federation are characterized by the stability of traditional forms of nature management and life support, which determine, on the one hand, natural (or "old") distinctiveness of the economy of rural enclaves and, on the other hand, the preservation of social institutions based on family and relative ties, the solidarity of fellow villagers, on the cohesion of the rural community and the viability of traditional culture and ethnic identification.
 Regarding the general trends and consequences of the migration of inhabitants of Mountainous regions of Dagestan and North Ossetia to the lowland, it can be concluded that the prospects of ethnocultural dynamics in these republics are determined not only by the factors of urbanization, the growth of the absolute number and proportion of the population of predominantly Russian-speaking lowland urban and rural settlements and by the functional stagnation of local languages, but also by the demographic depression, depopulation of Mountainous territories, the gradual disappearance of Mountain villages, which can be considered almost the only mono-ethnic enclaves and social environments that ensure the reproduction of ethnolinguistic and ethnocultural identity in generations. In this regard, the importance of regional and federal social policy courses aimed at sustainable socio-economic and environmental development of Mountainous territories, preserving their demographic potential and ethnocultural particularities is emphasized.

GROUPS OF INTEREST IN THE RUSSIAN SOCIAL POLICY: THE EXAMPLE OF ALL-RUSSIAN SOCIETIES OF DISABLED, BLIND, DEAF

There is a research gap in the study of interest groups in the social sphere, arguing the possibility of examination the activities of all-Russian public organizations of the disabled, blind, and deaf in interaction with the state authorities in the Russian system of social protection of disabled people. The context of reforming the social sphere in Russia is important because it is suggesting the opposite to conservative principles the transition to market relations and effective management of institutions of social protection. The researchers consider public organizations created in the USSR as of “the power transmission belts” of the state, however these actors may represent interest groups preserving the conservative practices in the social sphere. The aim of the article is to verify whether all-Russian public associations of people with disabilities are interest groups in Russian social policy. The investigation compares the actions of conservative nongovernmental organizations with the theoretical characteristics of interest groups. To argue that the selected actors promote certain interests in the social protection system, a review of the research literature of characteristics of interest groups was conducted. Then, the characteristics were traced in the statutory activities of the investigated organizations. The analysis of the legislation and statutory activities of All-Russian organizations of people with disabilities revealed the possibilities of the organizations to influence political decision-making in relation to persons with disabilities, as well as to contribute to the persistence of the conservative course of social policy, despite the introduced innovations in Russian legislation.

Does Policy Practice Class Increase Social Work Students’ Planned Political Engagement?

Recent research supports the idea of reconceptualizing social work policy courses as practice courses and using an experiential approach. Utilizing Verba et al.’s (1995) Civic Voluntarism model as a guide, the purpose of this study is to evaluate if a social work policy practice course utilizing experiential learning interventions increases social work students’ planned political participation and current feelings of preparedness for engagement in the political system. A pre-test/post-test was administered to students enrolled in a BSW-level and a MSW-level policy course. This consisted of questions from Rome and Hoechstetter’s (Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 37, 107–129, 2010) survey focused on past political activities of participants; a slightly modified version of Ostrander et al.’s (Journal of Policy Practice, 16(3), 261–275, 2017) survey questioning participants about their plans for future political participation; and a single question asking the participants to rate their current feelings of preparedness for engagement in the political system. Students were more likely after taking the policy course to plan on engaging in policy practice in six of the ten ways addressed in the survey. Students were also significantly more likely to indicate that they did feel adequately prepared to engage in the political system at the post-test. Additionally, the Civic Voluntarism model shows that teaching specific skills of political participation increases students’ intent to be politically active. Results indicate that utilizing an experiential approach to social work policy practice course does positively impact students’ intentions regarding political activism as well as their feelings of preparedness for engagement in the political system.

#SWO332: Twitter as a Tool for Encouraging BSW Student Engagement in Policy

Historically, literature on using social media in the classroom has focused on ethical uses in practice or on classroom policies for students using different platforms. However, there is an emerging body of literature providing guidance on using social media as a teaching tool. This article, co- written by two faculty members and two BSW students, provides an example of how Twitter can be used in an entry- level social policy course to engage students, teach important skills in social media management, and expand opportunities and networks. Perspectives on experiences from both faculty members and students are shared.

Water Into Wine: Using Social Policy Courses to Make MSW Students Interested in Politics

ABSTRACT Social workers are making a name for themselves in national politics. Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) have MSW degrees. The current chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Karen Bass (D-CA), also has an MSW. Having social workers in elected office allows the profession to directly address the Grand Challenges of the 21st century. But given students’ general disinterest in policy, let alone politics, getting students to take an interest in running for office can be a challenge. How can schools of social work make students interested in running for office? This study uses the results of a survey experiment from the Michigan Law & Social Work Study to show that referring to elected office as a way of making a difference in the community can make MSW students more interested in running for office. However, these results varied across the sample of 545 MSW students. Because of their practice interests and political socialization, many students are impervious to new messaging about the political system. This study finds that the difference-making message is most effective for micropractice students from less politically socialized households. The right messaging can make students more interested. Implications for social work education are discussed.

Introducing Social Work to HyFlex Blended Learning: A Student-centered Approach

ABSTRACTThe HyFlex blended learning model is a student-driven approach that allows students to determine what blended learning they prefer to meet their unique needs. In a HyFlex course, students are presented with a choice with each class session – whether to attend face-to-face or participate online. This article introduces social work educators to the HyFlex blended learning model and presents the results from a five-week experiment utilizing the HyFlex blended approach in an undergraduate social welfare policy course. Benefits and challenges of the model are presented and discussed.

Nuevas secuencias didácticas para trascender limitaciones contextuales de los estudiantes

El curso Políticas Sociales perteneciente al programa de Licenciatura en Trabajo Social de Universidad de la República de Uruguay, recibe estudiantes con situaciones de vida que complican su dedicación al estudio: tienen mucho tiempo de traslado, trabajan además de estudiar o han formado familia, lo que insume parte de su dedicación. En atención a estas limitaciones el equipo docente construyó una estrategia didáctica que combina presencialidad y actividades a distancia; tareas obligatorias y otras de participación voluntaria; trabajos grupales y entregas individuales; grupos al azar y grupos constituidos libremente. Estas nuevas secuencias didácticas han demostrado trascender las limitaciones contextuales de los estudiantes y, por lo tanto, permiten buenos desempeños curriculares a pesar de sus circunstancias actuales de vida. En forma concomitante se logró un equilibrio entre acreditación y evaluación convirtiendo a esta última en un proceso para el aprendizaje y no ya una instancia de control del aprendizaje. En suma, la propuesta didáctica de la actividad curricular Políticas sociales despliega diferentes abordajes que habilitan maneras diversas de acercarse al objeto de estudio, al objeto de evaluación y al estudiante evaluado. Nadie queda condenado a una sola modalidad, así como nadie queda extremadamente favorecido por un único instrumento que le es más propicio. En esta asignatura –además de los contenidos específicos que le competen— se trabaja para dislocar el énfasis en pasar pruebas como fin en sí mismo y por el contrario, da mayor relevancia a la reflexión y auto-percepción sobre el manejo de tales contenidos.

Using Debate in an Online Asynchronous Social Policy Course

This paper presents the use of a debate in an online asynchronous social policy course. Debate is frequently used as an instructional strategy in higher education, but little is known about the use of this tool in an online learning environment. Participants (N = 36) completed an online debate assignment and both qualitative (reflection papers) and quantitative (survey) data was gathered to learn about the effectiveness of the assignment, and what students learned, liked, and disliked about the project. A majority of students reported the debate assignment helped them further understand course concepts, understand concepts better than lecture or reading would have, use or improve critical thinking skills, and improve collaboration among students in the course. Key themes from qualitative data are also reported, as well as recommendations for using this assignment in other courses.

Engaging MSW Students in Policy Practice

Social policy courses are a staple in social work curricula, particularly in graduate-level social work education. Indeed, policy practice is among the nine social work competencies stipulated by the Council on Social Work Education. The purpose of the present study is to measure the effectiveness of service-learning over traditional-learning methods in obtaining civic and course-learning outcomes. This study utilized a purposive sample of 89 graduate-level social work students enrolled in advanced social policy courses (30 in a service-learning section, and 59 in traditional sections). Employing a quasi-experimental design, this study found that service-learning is associated with better civic and course-learning outcomes. Service-learning may be utilized to enhance policy practice efficacy based on knowledge, skills, values, and competence.

The Specific of Right to Shelter Realization for Internally Displaced People in Ukraine

This article covers the topic of realization of the right to shelter for internally displaced people and building an effective system of social protection in Ukraine. The author analyzes relevant laws and their application for solving actual problems of these people, practice of Ukrainian courts about internally displaced people protection, their standard of living, communication with the authorities, and finds ways of more effective realization and social policy improvement.Ukraine’s system of social protection is still undeveloped. The war with Russia of 2014–2018 has shown all the drawbacks of this system and has caused the existence of internally displaced people – a new population category, which needs the state’s help. It becomes more and more difficult to guarantee an adequate standard of living. Ukrainian authorities and community bodies do not make enough effort. The mechanism of getting shelter as a gradual process is not prescribed by law. As a result, internally displaced people do not know how to protect their right to shelter, to get a dwelling, which refers to basic needs. This factor, as practice shows, worsens the relationships between authorities and people who need social protection. Internally displaced people survive only thanks to charity. Problems with budget and financing that existed before the conflict with Russia still exist.The author states that Ukraine should follow the example of Germany while choosing the course of social policy. But it is difficult to change the system of social protection radically, especially in the situation of conflict with the neighbor state. Effective communication and partnership between the authorities and people should be built. The reform of the social protection system, changing laws, cooperation of authorities and people, and legal consciousness could become the ways of the problem solution. Attention to internally displaced people and their problem with dwelling will help Ukraine to become a law and social state.According to the author’s conclusions, the right to shelter realization requires efforts of all subjects in these legal relationships.Article received 16.03.2018

Active Learning: Academic Debate and Student-Led Peer Debate Workshop in Social Welfare Policy Classroom

This article describes the use of structured classroom debates over four consecutive spring semesters and a student-led debate workshop in the context of an undergraduate social welfare policy course. In all, 29 students from diverse backgrounds participated in these experiential activities. An inductive thematic analysis of student feedback about participation in the debate workshop indicated (a) enjoyment of learning experience, (b) recognition of importance of organization and preparation, (c) appreciation for alternative viewpoints, (d) understanding of social welfare policy, (e) value of teamwork, (f) development of debate and leadership skills, and (g) motivation to apply skills. Course evaluations yielded similar themes: (a) increased appreciation for alternative viewpoints and (b) improved understanding of concepts and their application. Student responses indicated that the use of debate is promising as an active learning tool for BSW students to engage in policy practice and to learn about social welfare policy.

Research-based service-learning: outcomes of a social policy course

Previous research has found service-learning in undergraduate social policy courses to increase students’ knowledge, skills, values, and competence. The present study utilized a sample of 60 graduate-level social work students who participated in a research-based service-learning (RBSL) project that involved collecting and analyzing data about the extent of payday loan use among bankruptcy filers and reporting results to community partners. Quantitative findings revealed significant increases in students’ personal social responsibility. Qualitative findings shed light on growth in personal social responsibility, civic awareness, policy advocacy, and personal values. Suggestions for future studies using RBSL pedagogy to teach social policy are discussed.

The Blame Index: Exploring the Change in Social Work Students’ Perceptions of Poverty

ABSTRACTThis study reports the development of a new Blame Index to determine attributions of the causes of poverty along a single structural-to-individual dimension. A multisite pre-/post-group design tested the degree of change in social work students’ (N = 177) perception of poverty as a result of taking a single BSW social policy course or an MSW foundation social policy course. Student respondents reported a significant shift toward structural and away from individual attribution of the causes of poverty, more support for government antipoverty benefit programs, increased awareness of the inadequacy of existing government antipoverty programs, and increased awareness of the difficulty in accessing government antipoverty benefits. Linear regression explained 17% of the change in the Blame Index with only race/ethnicity and the change in adequacy of benefits as significant predictors.

Teaching Note—Fostering Political Awareness in Students Through the Use of Genograms

ABSTRACTDespite the celebrated history of social workers engaging in the political realm for the purposes of fostering social change, students sometimes seem ambivalent regarding the essential nature of their political engagement while also doubting their ability to make a difference through these efforts. How can social work educators combat feelings of disinterest or inadequacy as it relates to policy practice? This manuscript describes the use of an experiential activity that called third-year BSW students in a social policy course to create a genogram detailing the political and civic engagement of their family of origin. This was assigned with the aim of providing students an opportunity to better understand potential assets and barriers to their engaging in the political sphere.