Group Work Course Research Articles

Group Work Using Active Learning

An active learning group work course at “A” university in Japan is characterized by two-way interactions between students as well as between teachers and students. The spread of COVID-19 prompted a shift from in-person lessons to online synchronous lessons in 2020 and 2021. This mixed methods study analyzes data from a combined structured and open-ended questionnaire completed by 5,268 students. The results showed that online lessons were significantly more highly evaluated than face-to-face lessons in terms of enhancing students' understanding of student life, sense of belonging, expressing one's opinions and listening to those of others, and self-regulation of attendance and gaining an in-depth understanding of the course material. However, face-to-face lessons were preferred for small class sizes, interactions with students who have different ideas, and group learning activities. Open-ended responses indicated that conducting online classes via Zoom improved students' perceptions of group learning and interaction in this setting.

The value of an online group for teaching group work skills

ABSTRACT This article examines third year social work students’ perceptions of the value of a mandatory, self-help online support group for teaching group work skills. Students overwhelmingly identified the group’s worth as lying in the mutual support received. They also felt that participating in a live group fostered the translation of group work theory and skills into a concrete environment. Experiential group work is the foundation of group work pedagogy in face-to-face classroom settings. This research suggests that this experience can be meaningfully replicated in a virtual context. Other course activities such as journaling and formal reflection and assessment of group process and dynamics support the integration of group work knowledge and skills promoted through the group experience. It is thus a teaching strategy that instructors of online group work courses might incorporate in the course curriculum.

Using Collaborative Group Learning Principles to Foster Community in Online Classrooms

ABSTRACT This article focuses on group work principles to emphasize the importance of collaboration and community as an effective pedagogical approach to teaching in online higher education. Online communities can serve as support groups by bringing together people going through the shared experience of higher education and providing the opportunity for students to share their experiences, feelings, and coping strategies to increase their capacity to learn. In addition to faculty and course material, online communities play an essential role in knowledge attainment. The importance of online communities for knowledge attainment and support groups will be discussed, group work theories will be reviewed, as well as the implications for practice. A case example from experience teaching a graduate level group work course online will be shared.

Classroom or pub - Where are persistent peer relationships between university students formed?

This paper discusses the formation of peers in an anonymous higher education setting using a unique data set of industrial engineering students. For identification, we exploit the random assignment of students into groups and student performance before students met. We compare two different settings for potential peer formation: a voluntary freshman orientation week organized by the students’ union and a mandatory group work course. It is only in the case of the group work course that we report persistent impacts on subsequent academic achievement. In line with our theoretical reasoning, peer effects exist between groups of two students who were already similar before.

Classroom or Pub – Where are Persistent Peer Relationships between University Students Formed?

Abstract This paper discusses the formation of peers in an anonymous higher education setting using a unique data set of industrial engineering students. For identification, we exploit the random assignment of students into groups and student performance before students met. We compare two different settings for potential peer formation: a voluntary freshman orientation week organized by the students’ union and a mandatory group work course. It is only in the case of the group work course that we report persistent impacts on subsequent academic achievement. In line with our theoretical reasoning, peer effects exist between groups of two students who were already similar before.

The application of a small group learning approach to social group work teaching - an exploratory study

ABSTRACT A new modality – the small group learning approach, was developed for social group work courses for social work students in Hong Kong. A research study, aimed at understanding the students’ level of satisfaction with the new approach and exploring its effectiveness regarding enhancing students’ learning in social group work, was conducted for three cohorts of students in the academic years from 2013-14 to 2015-16. The findings indicated that its effectiveness was influenced by the quality of the tutors and the level of co-operation of the students. Strategies for improving the design and the implementation of the approach will be discussed

Underexplored Aspects of Group-work Education in MSW Programs

ABSTRACTWarnings about social group work’s diminished place within social work education date back to 1978. This article reports the findings of a national study exploring the state of group-work education in Council on Social Work Education accredited programs. Our 2014 publication compared study results with those of the 1994 Birnbaum and Auerbach publication. This article highlights additional findings regarding underexplored aspects of group-work education including concentrations/specializations in group work, social work faculty expertise and involvement in group-work associations, efforts to link students with professional group-work associations, continuing education opportunities in group work for field supervisors, online/hybrid group-work course offerings, links between institutional characteristics and group-work offerings, and faculty members’ perceptions of the state of group-work education.

Reshaping Social Identity: A Qualitative Report on Experiences in an Interracial Median Group

A median group convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, is described as offering its members multiple opportunities to reshape their social identities and engage in a process of social learning. The group was one component of a course in group work. Group analytic theory positioned the work within a context that was characterized by transition and social trauma. A richly diverse group composition, which reflected many dimensions of the interracial macro-society, was an important aspect of the group. The group was researched using a qualitative, multi-method research design, utilizing participant observation, in-depth interviews and focus groups. These different approaches gave access to the group members’ subjective experiences and meaning-making strategies. The researcher’s engagement with the research process and her own social reshaping emerged as an important dimension of the research. In conclusion, some thoughts on working in an interracial median group in a transformational society are offered.

Challenges and opportunities for applying groupwork principles to enhance online learning in social work

The recent increase in the number of social work courses being offered in online formats raises challenges and opportunities for social work educators. Simultaneously, the literature suggests that group work principles can serve as an important foundation for effective online education. This article examines the obstacles and opportunities for using group work principles to advance effective learning in online education. Three examples of fully online social work classes - a BSW group work course, an MSW group course and an MSW field work seminar - are discussed in order to identify and assess some of these obstacles and opportunities. Recommendations for best practices in online education are identified. The potential role of group work educators as leaders in facilitating effective online learning is also explored.

Learning Strategies and Mutual Aid Groups in BSW Education

Drawing from cooperative learning strategies and the mutual aid model as theoretical foundations, a creative design for teaching group work practice skills to baccalaureate level social work students is presented. Students in a senior-level group work course facilitate a series of six group sessions structured around a course reading with sophomore-level Introduction to Social Work students. Multiple benefits were initially reported including skill acquisition, mentorship, and a sense of increased competence. This design is promising, and social work educators are encouraged to replicate different versions and interpretations of it for further experience and increased quantitative evaluation.

Group Work Education: A Call for Renewed Commitment

Studies demonstrate steady decline in group work courses and concentration in graduate social work programs. This is attributed to the Council on Social Work Education’s recommendation, in 1969, for a generalist practice model; the growing interest of professional social workers in developing casework skills, including psychiatric casework; and the influence of perspectives from nonsocial work disciplines. This article proposes renewed efforts to strengthen social group work education and concerted collaboration between classroom and field. It focuses on essential course content, emphasizes social group work perspectives, and identifies core social group work concepts and tools for inclusion in curriculum and field education.

Has Group Work Education Lost Its Social Group Work Essence? A Content Analysis of MSW Course Syllabi in Search of Mutual Aid and Group Conflict Content

This article presents the results of a content analysis of MSW group work course syllabi in an effort to better understand the extent to which mutual aid and group conflict, two important dimensions of social group work, are included and featured as prominent elements in MSW-level group work instruction.

Student Attitudes and Instructor Participation in Experiential Groups

A total of 330 members of the American Counseling Association were surveyed to determine current group training models in counselor education. The results indicate: (1) the most common model is to have a full-time faculty member both instruct the group work course and facilitate the experiential group, (2) ethical concerns do negatively impact student involvement in the experiential group, and (3) a contributing factor to students feeling comfortable in the group experience was the belief that the instructor was competent. Implications and recommendations based upon these findings are suggested, as well as student-generated recommendations on how to implement the experiential group.

Group Work Education Today: A Content Analysis of MSW Group Work Course Syllabi

This article presents the results of a content analysis of MSW group work course syllabi in an effort to better understand the extent to which social group work education shows consistency with guidelines articulated in the Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups. This study aims to provide a current depiction and in-depth account of the state of group work education today through the lens of course syllabi.

Groupwork course experiences

Numerous concerns exist in the groupwork and counseling literatures regarding the requirement that students participate in experiential counseling groups as part of their academic coursework. This research examined the use of service learning task groups as an alternate way to address this required component of group counseling coursework to address multiple relationship concerns between faculty and students. Results indicated that while many group counseling skills were demonstrated in the task group, not all skills manifested. Group skills that were more ‘safe’ in terms of counselor risk were demonstrated more often. Less ‘safe’ or risky group skills for the counselor, such as providing feedback to a group member, were demonstrated less frequently. The authors offer implications for research and practice.

Factors affecting perceived learning of engineering students in problem based learning supported by business simulation

Although literature about problem based learning (PBL) is not scarce, there is little research on experiences about learning methodologies that combine PBL and the use of simulation tools. This lack of studies is even more notable in the case of engineering courses. The motivation for this study is to show how such a combination of PBL and simulation has been designed in a group work course for engineers and to analyze how the underlying factors of this methodology are related to perceived learning. This exploratory study focuses on how perceived enjoyment, interaction, collaborative learning, perceived satisfaction, and time dedicated to the course affect the learning perceived by the students in an engineer's degree course. The outcomes of this pilot study show that only three of these factors (satisfaction, time dedication, and collaborative learning) affect the students' perceived learning. Despite the high ratings obtained for interaction and perceived enjoyment, no significant relation between these factors and perceived learning was found. The reasons behind these findings are discussed.

Using a Group Work Practice Standards Inventory to Assess the Impact of a “Social Work Practice with Groups” Course

This article describes the design and delivery of a group work course that has as its primary purpose the meeting of group work practice standards. This multisection course uses a common course syllabus and a team approach to ensure the fidelity of course implementation. The recent development of a standards-based inventory of competencies in social work with groups, which measures the perceived importance of, and confidence in performing practice standards, led to the decision to administer the inventory to the authors' students at the beginning and end of the course to see if students were in fact making significant progress in the group work practice skills articulated in the standards. The results indicated that students were significantly more confident in their group work practice skills; however a few areas, particularly the development of middle-stage skills, were in need of further attention.

Groupwork course experiences

Numerous concerns exist in the groupwork and counseling literatures regarding the requirement that students participate in experiential counseling groups as part of their academic coursework. This research examined the use of service learning task groups as an alternate way to address this required component of group counseling coursework to address multiple relationship concerns between faculty and students. Results indicated that while many group counseling skills were demonstrated in the task group, not all skills manifested. Group skills that were more 'safe' in terms of counselor risk were demonstrated more often. Less 'safe' or risky group skills for the counselor, such as providing feedback to a group member, were demonstrated less

Teaching Standards–Based Group Work Competencies to Social Work Students

Objectives: Accreditation standards and challenges in group work education require competency-based approaches in teaching social work with groups. The Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups developed Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups, which serve as foundation competencies for professional practice. However, there has been no empirical publication about using them in teaching. This pilot study tested a microskills teaching approach to improve competency in the Standards. Methods: The mixed-methods study used a preexperimental, pretest–posttest design involving 123 diverse baccalaureate and master’s students in introductory group work courses. Student responses about the experience were also collected. Results: There were significant, substantial increases in students’ perceived importance of and confidence in using the Standards. Confidence gain scores were significantly associated with performance in role-plays. Comments about the assignments were highly favorable and identified role-plays as contributing most to learning. Conclusions: The teaching approach advanced Standards-based group work education.

Promoting Cultural Competencies Through Use of Growth Groups in Predominantly White Classrooms

The Council on Social Work Education's 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) set forth several core competencies describing student abilities and practice behaviors related to cultural competence. This article discusses a growth-group approach to developing these abilities and behaviors, particularly in reference to EPAS 2.1.1, 2.1.2, and 2.1.4. Growth groups of students were formed in a group work course at a predominantly White university to develop competencies related to self-awareness, prejudice reduction, and the ability to discuss and confront prejudice in others. Findings from a presurvey and postsurvey showed significant change in student outcomes in these areas. A description of the growth-group method and recommendations on the use of growth groups, particularly in predominantly White classrooms, are provided.