Future Of Social Work Education Research Articles

EXPERIENCES OF UNDERGRADUATE HEALTH COMPLETION STUDENTS IN SOCIAL WORK UNDERGRADUATE DEPARTMENTS

With this research, within the scope of the undergraduate completion program in health initiated by High Education Board in 2015, 19 qualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with snowball sampling in order to determine the experiences of undergraduate completion students placed in social work departments of state universities. There is not enough research on the experiences and problems of the students in this context. Therefore, the experiences of students in this context are important for the future of social work education. It was observed that social work students within the scope of the undergraduate completion program chose the department consciously and knew about social work. However, it has been revealed that undergraduate completion students have difficulties in their education life, find the lessons difficult, and encounter prejudiced attitudes and behaviors of their classmates and academic staff. In order for social work education to be inclusive and free from discrimination and prejudice due to the focus of the profession, it is recommended that research and improvement activities be carried out with undergraduate completion students and lecturers.

Faith Integration: Student Perspectives on Spirituality and Social Work in a Christian Master of Social Work (MSW) Program

The role of spirituality has become increasingly important in the field of social work, especially when considering a holistic approach. Religion and spirituality are used to guide beliefs and actions and give meaning and purpose to life. This research, situated at an Evangelical Christian University, explored why it is critical for practitioners to be spiritually equipped when working with those in need and their perceptions of the importance of faith to practice and identity. This study identified seven themes: how spirituality assists practitioners in dealing with information and events in the social work field and the importance of spirituality in providing strength, hope, guidance, self-preservation, a positive example for clients, and an opportunity to share the love of God. This research contributes to the future of social work education. Keywords: Faith Integration, Social Work, Spirituality

Reconsidering social work education in Namibia: past, present, and future

ABSTRACT This article considers the past, present, and future of social work education in Namibia in three parts. The first provides the historical context of colonization, liberation struggle, and post-independence social welfare. The second discusses social work education pre- and post-independence, focusing on the University of Namibia’s (UNAM) programme and the challenges of developing an indigenized curriculum. The third on curriculum review focuses on an indigenized curriculum that fits a developmental social work approach and indigenous helping processes in local contexts. The authors propose a conceptual framework for curriculum review that draws on the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development and Namibia’s fifth National Development Plan (NDP5), which are compatible with the integration of indigenous and Western social work approaches and developmental welfare goals, respectively.

Future of Social Work Education

Advances in technology, an increase in non-traditional students, a new generation of e-learners, the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on education and practice, and the emergence of greater practitioner and client adoption of telebehavioral health present opportunities and challenges for curricular innovation in schools of social work. e-Simulations are reliable, valid, authentic high impact practices that address these challenges and prepare students for a future where social workers are called upon to adopt telebehavioral practice. Although there is literature on the development, implementation, and assessment of simulation-based learning in social work education, much of the literature explores the use of simulations in face-to-face social work education. Provided is a guide for educators and administrators on developing, implementing, and assessing online simulations (e-simulations) in social work education.

Walking the Decolonization Talk: Reckoning with the Past and Wrestling with the Present to Reimagine the Future of Social Work Education in Nunavik

ABSTRACT The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls for closing education gaps between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Canadians as part of the real work of reconciliation, that is, walking the decolonization talk. In Nunavik, a part of Inuit Nunangat, addressing these education gaps is complex, requiring trust building between educational institutions and Inuit communities. In Nunavik’s 14 communities, there are only two Inuit who hold Bachelor of Social Work degrees. Establishing or rebuilding trust is extraordinarily difficult given ongoing colonial policies and institutional structures that disregard Inuit experience. This article describes the journey of developing a Bachelor of Social Work degree program in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, to be called Inulirijiit, in the context of the history of social welfare for Nunavimmiut and how Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2008–2015) and the Public Inquiry Commission on Relations between Indigenous Peoples and Certain Public Services in Québec (Viens Commission, 2019) have shaped contemporary social work education and practice. We argue that the Bachelor of Social Work degree program must have at its center Inuit ways of knowing, learning, teaching, and being.

Enhancing New Media Literacies of Social Work Students through a Participatory Learning Environment

Social workers must have the requisite new media literacies to engage in social work practice in the modern digital age and increase their digital competence. This article demonstrates how students can obtain the necessary digital competencies for their future social work practice through an enhanced participatory learning environment based on 12 specific new media literacies situated in a master’s level macro social work practice course. A description of the learning assignments and participatory activities is provided along with results from a mixed-methods evaluation of the student’s experiences. Findings indicate statistically significant results in increasing new media literacies among students and that participatory learning activities enhanced student knowledge and skills. Discussion and implications related to new media literacies and the future of social work education are also provided.

Wringing Out the “Whitewash”

In the 21st Century context of violent racial divides, dismantling racism in social work education requires deep trust that social transformation and healing is possible. “Wringing out the whitewash” metaphorically captures the heavy labor of interrupting the rigid Eurocentric epistemological hegemony undergirding the pedagogy, research, and praxis canons of social work. It requires rigorous attempts to unsettle and decenter entrenched white supremacist ideology, assumptions, and values. In this labor, we create space for the multiple identities and worldviews that students and professors occupy to reshape educational encounters. In this paper, we present our critical pedagogical approaches as Black social work educators committed to liberation and healing. We articulate how our positionalities as Black cisgender women at urban universities, one a Northeastern Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and another at a Northeastern public university, facilitate our intentions to honor truth-telling and intergenerational interdependence. We present differences and similarities in how we use assignments to disrupt the institutional reproduction of racism, provide solace for repair and healing, and re-center collective identity as strength. We present transdisciplinary frameworks shaping our pedagogical choices, namely historical trauma and urban womanist social work pedagogy. Implications for the future of social work education will be discussed.

The Fate of the Master’s in Social Work (MSW) Degree: Will the Practice Doctorate Replace It as the Profession’s Flagship Credential?

ABSTRACT As the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) begins to approve accreditation standards for programs granting practice doctorates, it is unclear as to what implications accreditation of these programs will have on the Master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree. This article examines threats to the MSW by comparing the evolution of social work education to that of allied professions, as well as identifying market conditions of supply and demand that have dramatically increased the competition for students. Universities will be likely to view practice doctorate (DSW) programs as ways to distinguish themselves in order to attract more students. Recognizing the DSW as the terminal practice degree could elevate the educational requirements of social workers to be comparable to allied professionals, as well as improve public perceptions of social workers’ education and training. There likely will be high demand for DSWs in the future as social workers look to distinguish themselves, and universities seek new sources of revenue. Hence, it is an important juncture in the history of social work education and decisions must be made carefully. There are valid concerns about the prospective value and utility of MSW degrees once DSWs proliferate. In this context, recommendations for DSW accreditation standards are provided and suggestions for the future of social work education are presented.

Canadian reflections on the Covid-19 pandemic in social work education: from tsunami to innovation

ABSTRACT Looking back, the first wave of the pandemic was about to hit us and we could not know the impact then; the pedagogic, the emotional/human/relational, and the collaborative. Immediate modifications required pedagogy and pandemic balancing, prioritizing student safety. These reflections of three academics in leadership roles in the Faculty of Social Work faculty at a large university in western Canada, span from mid-March to early May, 2020 as COVID-19 approached. Our reflections consider social work education comprehensively, as an integrated system. We recount the human and emotional nature of our experience; approaches to interacting and collaborating with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders; ways of innovating on local, provincial, and national levels; and examples of how core social work values guided our work. We embraced technology and found energy in innovation through collaboration about pedagogic decisions. It is here among innovation and collaboration, that we discovered our strengths and gained confidence to move forward. This manuscript provided an opportunity to reflect on the ways in which this crisis has forced openness to innovation toward the future of social work education. It also serves as a call to other schools and faculties of social work to share their reflections.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social work education and practice in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT During the first half of 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus had a huge global impact. The physical health of many was (often severely) threatened and affected, resulting in numerous deaths. Furthermore, all aspects of human coexistence came under pressure, such as economic activities and material living conditions, psychological well-being and social contacts, human rights and democratic decision-making, international political relations and global solidarity. As in other parts of the world, COVID-19 kept the Netherlands in its grip.In this article we would like to address the following questions:-What impact did pandemic and policy have on Dutch social work education and how was this experienced by students?-What was the impact of pandemic and policy on social work practices and what were its challenges for social professionals?-What does this all mean for the future of social work education, since it has to take the present concerns of students into account as well as prepare them for social work practice in the near future?

Descent or dissent? A future of social work education in the UK post-Brexit

ABSTRACT This conceptual paper explores the potential crises arising for social work and social work education following the 2016 ‘Brexit’ referendum in the UK. After exploring the complex political terrain of Brexit voting and the political and moral complications arising, this paper attempts to dispel some of the myths associated with the voter types. Subsequently, the uncertain and possibly dangerous futures of social care and welfare are examined before moving to consider the implications for social work education in the UK, as part of the European Union and beyond. The need for the UK to continue to pursue its relationships and links with other EU colleagues if social work is not to become parochial and somewhat removed from the international stage is highlighted.

Are MOOCs the next trend in social work?: Implications for practice education

Higher education continues to evolve responding to technological advances and growing economic challenges. Social work education has been slower to embrace emergent technologies than other fields in higher education. Contributing to this cautious approach may be historical controversy surrounding social work professionalization and practice. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are an important trend gathering recent attention in higher education. The contribution of MOOCs to social work education remains undetermined. This essay explores historical influences impacting current social work education, factors surrounding MOOC utilization, and the relevance of MOOCs for the future of social work education. We provide recommendations for embracing MOOC development in social work education through a deliberative strategy.

The History of Gendered Social Science: a personal narrative and some reflections on method

The history of the relationships between social work, social reform, social policy and social science contains an important story about the contributions of men and women, and about the ways in which masculinist social science and policy came to dominate the activities of women reformers and social scientists. This article focuses on a moment in this history, a conflict at the London School of Economics (LSE) in the 1950s about the future of social work education. A key figure in this was the author's father, Richard Titmuss. The article draws on biography, autobiography and intellectual/institutional history, raising some methodological issues about this approach to uncovering hidden stories; it also argues that the conflict at LSE, a painfully remembered episode in the history of social work, cannot be understood except in the context of the gendered story of ‘the socials’.

Trauma Informed Care and Social Work Education: A Case Study

This paper provides a brief description and history of trauma in the social sciences alongside an introduction to trauma informed care in social work education. This paper promotes the understanding that trauma assessment and treatment are a key component to the future of social work education and practice. As a result of a recent teaching experience, a framework for conceptualizing, treating, and supervising trauma related disorders within an educational context was developed. This paper utilizes that unique teaching experience where a graduate course on trauma informed care proved challenging yet profound to the existing methods typically sanctioned for university and college settings. These challenges and the corresponding opportunities associated with trauma work are discussed. Practical and ethical implications of a social work model of trauma-focused are outlined. A case example, employing several students’ experiences, is presented. Suggestions for additional study are outlined.

The Pathway Program: How a Collaborative, Distributed Learning Program Showed Us the Future of Social Work Education

This paper describes a three-campus collaborative, distributed learning program that delivers social work education to remote rural and desert communities in California via distance learning modalities. This “Pathway Program” provides accredited social work education for a career ladder beginning with advising and developing an academic plan and leading to BSW and MSW degrees. The paper offers assessment data on the Pathway Program and also suggests the potential for major changes in social work education. Questions about the nature of the university, the role of the faculty member, and the future of social work students in the twenty-first century are discussed.

Perfect Opportunity Perfect Storm? Raising the Standards of Social Work Education in England

Government plans to reform social work in England, led by the Social Work Reform Board, have resulted in far-reaching changes to social work education. These include establishment of The College of Social Work and adoption of its Professional Capability Framework, and transfer of regulation to the Health and Care Professions Council whose Standards of Proficiency competences gate-keep the threshold to practice. A critical scrutiny of the literature on competence and capability used by the architects of change provides a lens with which to explore findings from a content analysis of the new standards. Comparisons are made with the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) competences approved by the American Council on Social Work Education. Fault lines are identified that might seriously jeopardise the future of social work education in England and ways forward are explored to address these. First, given the importance of making what's important assessable, the choice is presented between opting for ‘wicked competences’ or investing in the design of complex assessment models and their operation. Second, the priority of building robust partnerships to contain different stakeholder objectives is underlined. Both are essential to prevent fault lines developing into a perfect storm.

Uprooting Social Work Education

In this article, the authors attempt to deconstruct social work education using a metaphor of a "social work tree." Through reflective dialogue and an arts-based approach, we critically examined the past, present, and future of social work education. This collaborative art project allows us to visually express the colonial roots of social work education and the transformation that is possible when its Eurocentric stronghold is uprooted. We discuss the implications for social work education and suggest ways of moving forward with an allied approach that bridges the gap between mainstream and Indigenous social work education.

Interdisciplinarity in social work education and training in Hungary

The study analyzes the educational manifestations of the interdisciplinary and interprofessional training of social work in Hungary through a questionnaire used earlier in the USA, Canada and Israel and which is employed simultaneously in Hong Kong and Japan. After a short description of interdisciplinarity and the history of Hungarian social work training, the methodology of the Hungarian research is presented. The analysis of the Hungarian results is followed by their comparison with the available international data. While in most Hungarian educational institutions there is no dual degree program for social workers, about two-thirds of their international counterparts provide such training. The possibilities for interdisciplinary collaborations in field placements were similarly evaluated by the respondents of all nationalities. Research was considered to be the most applicable category for interdisciplinarity by Hungarians as well as for North Americans and Israelis. While respondents in USA, Canada and Israel found community-based research and evaluation most suitable for the improvement of interdisciplinarity in the future, in Hungary this possibility was ranked only fourth after the improvement of course content, field education and informal lectures (‘brown-bags’). As a closure, the authors enlist some interdisciplinary considerations to be taken into account in planning the future of social work education in Hungary.

What Adolescents Can Tell Us: Technology and the Future of Social Work Education

The use and usefulness of Information Technology (IT) is rapidly growing around the world, especially among the youth. IT has been shown to impact learning styles, communication, and social relationships in many ways. Recently, significant discussion has arisen around the importance of IT in higher education and more specifically, social work education. This study qualitatively assesses 128 youth aged 13–14 years to understand their access to and use of IT as well as the way it impacts their psychosocial development to provide clues that will help inform the design of social work education for the future. Youth in four school districts reported unanimous access to computers and television and a majority of students used other technologies. Adolescents reported increased ease of communication and ability to get information as well as enhanced social relationships connected to their use of IT. Discussion and implications suggest that in the future, social work education will have to implement IT into its curriculum in order to attract students and provide the best possible learning environment for the next generation, which has included technology in every aspect of their lives.

The Values of the Research University Should be Maximized to Strengthen Social Work Education

THE HIGHER EDUCATION SETTING for professional social work education has changed tremen dously since its establishment in American universities in the early 20th century. Until relatively recently, social work education was almost exclusively lodged in research univer sities.1 However, the substantial growth of programs over the last 30 years has occurred outside research university settings, and the research university is no longer the pri mary host for professional social work edu cation. Concomitantly the schools of social work lodged in research universities now have considerably less influence and play a much smaller role in social work professional education. The future of social work education in