Graduate Social Work Education Research Articles

Is Graduate Social Work Education Promoting a Critical Approach to Mental Health Practice?

A sample of 71 psychopathology course syllabi from 58 different graduate schools of social work was analyzed to determine whether different viewpoints and the concomitant empirical evidence were presented regarding 4 significant mental health topics: concepts of mental disorder, reliability and validity of psychiatric diagnoses, biological etiology, and drug treatment. There is little evidence that graduate psychopathology courses cover viewpoints other than the most conventional and institutional—that of biomedical psychiatry. A small handful of secondary (textbooks) rather than primary (research articles) sources provide the majority of the mental health content in these courses. Implications are discussed. The article includes an overview of both the relevant conventional and critical literature.

Evaluation of Electronic Discussion Forums in Social Work Diversity Education: A Comparison of Anonymous and Identified Participation

ABSTRACT Two Web-based forums for discussing diversity issues were evaluated as part of graduate social work education. Data included surveys from 91 students as well as aggregate Web use information. Outcomes included perceived learning benefits related to cultural competency, improved relationships and benefits of anonymous vs. identified participation in the forums. We found that (1) 75% of the students reported benefits related to learning cultural competency; (2) just over 60% experienced positive impacts on relationships with classmates; (3) 54% believed anonymity improved honesty during forum dialogues; however, students who participated in the author-identified forums perceived significantly more perceived learning benefits related to cultural competency than those who participated in the anonymous forums; and (4) over one-third of students improved their perceived technological competence as a result of participating in the forums. We conclude that online forums can serve as a useful adjunct to achieving cultural competency among social work students.

The Organizational Costs of Caregiving

Employers and employees face a new challenge with the Sandwich Generation that is confronted with caring for both children and elderly parents. This caregiving toll has an effect on individuals' productivity in organizations from the for-profit, non-profit and government sectors. Additionally, the feminization of the workplace has resulted in more women, who traditionally have been the caregivers, serving in the workforce. This study was designed to explore the issues of caregiving for the Sandwich Generation in university-affiliated schools of social work. Graduate social work education programs in the United States were targeted as organizational systems for study. A total of 69 schools responded to the survey. Caregiving stress was an issue for these schools with manifestations in both productivity and organizational climate. The discussion includes a call to action for three major changes in the way organizations do business: deploying additional resources to support employees, maximizing flexibility and stressing prevention.

Making the Case for the Case Method in Graduate Social Work Education

This article begins with the historical roots of the case method followed by a general description of the approach to teaching, development of cases, and the instructor's role when using the traditional case method. Several studies, which validate the efficacy of the case method, were then explored. Potential benefits and outcomes for using the case method as a teaching tool in graduate social work education were then addressed.

The Modern Student and the Post-Modern Curriculum

This paper presents a model of intellectual development, illustrating the model with material from a graduate social work class. This cognitive-developmental model is offered as a way to conceptualize the characteristics of students as learners and the implicit cognitive demands of our curricula. Such a model can help us address the question of fit between students' ways of knowing and graduate social work education.

Factors to Consider in Making Curriculum Decisions About Treatment Guidelines

As interventions based on practice guidelines spread within social work practice, educators must determine how, if at all, these guidelines may be incorporated into the curriculum of undergraduate and graduate social work education. This article provides an overview of the history and the debate surrounding practice guidelines and identifies key considerations that must be addressed in order for faculty to make a rational and deliberate decision regarding the inclusion of practice guidelines within the curriculum.

Faculty in the Middle

This study was designed to explore how organizational life in university-affiliated graduate social work education programs in the United States is affected by the stress of heightened caregiving roles. Analysis of data from 69 schools demonstrated deleterious effects of caregiving stress on organizational effectiveness, including missed obligations, feeling overwhelmed, and distracting others by seeking social support for specific problems. The authors identify two variables that provided partial amelioration of caregiver stress and appeared to contribute to increased organizational effectiveness: larger faculty size and on-site child care.

A Community Building Perspective in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT This paper presents a community building perspective as integral to all aspects of social work education. Community building theories have existed for many years but community building practice approaches are just beginning to emerge. Organizational studies have primarily looked at community building in suburban or rural areas and for prevention of child abuse and neglect (Earls, McGuire & Shay 1994; Garbarino & Kostelny, 1992; Glisson & James, 1992; Halpern, 1996; Mulroy & Shay, 1997; Shay, 1995) or in youth leadership development (Finn & Checkoway, 1998; Lerner, 1996). These studies demonstrate the basic principles of community building practice. These include involving community residents as partners rather than clients as they establish community or neighborhood networks that use empowerment strategies and a community asset approach (Naparstek & Dooley, 1997). This paper examines incorporating community building practice into graduate social work education primarily through field education and eventually throughout the foundation and specialization curriculum. The authors will address the viability of integrating a community building perspective into social work education with the goal of developing practice approaches in community building which social work educators can use and integrate into the classroom and field teaching.

African Americans and Graduate Social Work Education

This article reports on a study of career influences for a sample of African-American and other black graduates of MSW programs. The study isolated significant relationships between enrollment influences and selected demographic and career-related variables. ”Very important“ influences were career advancement, acquisition of new skills, professional status and credibility, and understanding professionalism in social work. Desire for professional development in social work was the dominant influence. Findings suggest that recruitment of African-American/black graduate social work students should incorporate strategies that address issues of job satisfaction, and recognize career priorities and professional aspirations. Implications for graduate social work education are discussed.

Assessing the Comparability of Classroom Environments in Graduate Social Work Education Delivered via Interactive Instructional Television

This article reports the comparison of MSW student perceptions of the classroom learning environment among one on-campus and two distance sites linked electronically via interactive instructional television for 13 courses from 1994 through 1998. The authors describe supports provided by the school to make the distance classroom environments comparable. Data analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in students’ overall perceptions between distance and on-campus sites or between the two distance sites, although some differences in policy and practice courses are noted. Implications of the findings and recommendations for future research are presented.

Comparing Student Evaluations of Distance Learning and Standard Classroom Courses in Graduate Social Work Education

This study compared the student course evaluations of standard education and distance learning courses in the school of social work of one southern university. The sample included 14 distance learning (DL) and 122 standard education courses. A 20-item quantitative student course evaluation and a 7-item qualitative questionnaire were used to compare differences between social work courses taught in a standard classroom setting with those taught using distance learning technology. Comparisons of identical courses taught in both formats found that students rated distance learning higher than the standard classroom for a course having predominantly lecture content. Conversely, ratings for clinical practice courses were just the opposite with lower ratings for distance learning than the standard classroom. Results of a qualitative survey (n = 39) of students conducted at the end of a course taught by distance learning found that 73% of the students felt that distance learning technology interfered with class participation. However, 73% of the students felt the instructor handled technological problems in a professional and patient manner. Although 54% of the students reported that they would take another course by distance learning, more research is needed to determine what social work courses can be most effectively taught by distance and classroom formats.

Non-Violent Group Supervision Within a Violence Clinic Context

ABSTRACT The relationship between students and their supervisors can have a significant impact on the learning process of social work graduates. This paper will demonstrate why, because of this relationship, one of the most important parts of graduate social work education is the practicum. The therapeutic strategies used in this setting model important and appropriate problem-solving interventions which will allow the students the opportunity to put into practice the theoretical material they have been learning in the classroom. It can also help the students to develop both knowledge and skills while providing an important community service. The supervisory process during the practicum will, therefore, enable the students to empower their clients.

Spirituality and Religion in Graduate Social Work Education

Spirituality and Religion in Graduate Social Work Education

Should there be a Moratorium on the Development of Social Work Education Programs? No!

calaureate programs (including joint programs) increased from 354 to 388. Graduates of these programs increased from 7,209 in 1987 to 12,356 in 1996. During the same time, the number of accredited MSW programs increased from 97 to 117, while graduates of these programs increased from 8,811 to 14,484 (Lennon, 1997; Spaulding, 1988). Al though an interpretation of these raw numbers is inadvisable because of vary ing response rates of schools and peri odic recoding of CSWE membership records, the data clearly reveal continu ing growth in undergraduate and gradu ate social work education.

Spirituality and religion in graduate social work education

Summary. Recognition is growing of the relevance of spirituality to social work practice, which has led to recommendations that spiritual and religious content be included in the M.S.W. curriculum. This article will review the literature on religious and spiritual content in social work education, report the results of a study of the development of spirituality‐related courses in M.S.W. programs, and discuss the implications of this research for curriculum development.

Introducing Sexual Diversity into Social Work Education

ABSTRACT Social workers encounter sexuality-related issues in a variety of practice settings. Yet, less than half of professional preparation programs incorporate content on human sexual diversity in their curricula (Diaz & Kelly, 1991). Such an omission poses problems for competent practice with persons-in-sexual situations, especially in a pluralistic society and a multicultural world where there are varied beliefs, values, and options regarding adult sexual expression. This article describes a humanistic group approach to introducing sexual diversity into graduate social work education. It incorporates democratic values and guidelines, group process, and sexual diversity exercises into a professionally ethical approach to a controversial subject in the classroom.

Federal Support for Social Work Education: Section 707 of the 1967 Social Security Act Amendments

In this article, we trace the history and brief impact of federal support for social work education through section 707 of the 1967 amendments to the Social Security Act. The key factors that contributed to the passage of section 707 and the first year of federal policy implementation are analyzed using 185 applications from educational institutions that sought funds for initiating or expanding undergraduate and graduate social work education.

The Macro Practice Curriculum in Graduate Social Work Education:

No abstract available for this article.

The "Boutique Effect" in Graduate Social Work Education

The authors replicated a study conducted by Brooks (1982) in order to analyze current trends in specializations in social work curricula. Results indicated that specializations in the areas of mental health, family and children's services, aging, health, and industrial social work increased. At the same time, there was movement away from the areas of corrections, school social work, poverty and minority issues, and public social services. The authors conclude by discussing the overall impact of these trends, or what they call the "boutique effect," on at-risk populations and the social work profession.

Practice Interests and Self-Identification among Social Work Students: Changes over the Course of Graduate Social Work Education

Abstract To explore the influence of social work education on students' professional identification and practice interests (and to examine recent concern that students' career goals no longer match social work's traditional mission), authors of this study surveyed 180 graduate students at one school of social work at the beginning and end of the 1991-92 academic year. Analysis focusing on the students' interest in 12 practice areas was undertaken for three cohorts: beginning MSW students, second-year MSW students, and BSW graduates who entered directly into the second year of MSW study. The results indicate that most students are still attuned to social work's traditional mission, and that graduate education does have significant influence on practice interests and self-identification, especially for beginning students. Implications for the design of graduate programs are also explored.