Professional Social Work Education Research Articles

Professional Education for Social Work in Britain: An Historical Account (A Book Review)

This article is a review of Marjorie J. Smith's book, Professional Education for Social Work in Britain: An Historical Account, 2022. We present a comprehensive historical expression of the evolution of vocational education for social workers in the United Kingdom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The focus was on the initial training methods in social workers institutions, the transition to formal training schemes, the establishment and challenges of the School of Sociology, as well as the merger with the London School of Economics (LSE). This paper explores the ongoing tension between academic education and practical professional training in social work. As a valuable resource, this paper outlines the philosophical foundations, pedagogical approaches, and institutional challenges that shape social worker training. Through historical exhibitions, committee reports, and practical work reports, this paper provides a rich narrative that emphasises the importance of comprehensive education that integrates theoretical knowledge with practical skills. The review assesses the content, structure, and contribution of this book to the field of social worker education, exploring the target audience, advantages, and potential constraints as well as their relevance in contemporary discussions on training and preparation of social workers. In conclusion, the merger of the School of Sociology with the London School of Economics is not only a strategic step to maintain the quality and coverage of social worker education but also depicts further reflection on narratives that integrate social thinking and action into a more sustainable institutional framework.

Applying Logotherapy in Teaching Meaning in Life in Professional Training and Social Work Education

Abstract Meaning in life is an important topic for professional training and social work education. This article aims to illustrate how Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy could be applied as the framework in teaching meaning in life to social work students and helping professionals. It critically examines the experience of teaching meaning in life and integrating it with various training and education components, such as human behaviours, end-of-life and bereavement care, and self-care of helping professionals. Reflections on these teaching experiences suggest that the significance of teaching meaning in life is recognised by helping professionals and students, especially its dual influence on both personal and professional aspects. Lack of systematic and continuous training and education of meaning in life may be a hindrance for more in-depth understanding and learning. More case examples and discussion may help advance helping professionals’ practice to facilitate service users’ meaning searching. Reflecting on meaning in life may also facilitate helping professionals’ coping with existential challenges in work, but such self-care training should be offered regularly to provide continuous support. This article suggests that teaching meaning in life may have great implications for the psychological health of helping professionals and the service users who receive their professional services.

Can certification improve the professional competence of Chinese social workers?

The social work certification system in China does not require a professional education in social work and makes compromises for a lack of higher education. This brief statement introduces a study we are currently conducting to analyze the impact of the government-led social work certification system on the professional competence of practitioners. As a ‘level evaluation’ rather than an ‘admission requirement’ qualification exam, social workers without professional backgrounds show significant improvement in their professional competence after obtaining a license. This provides a new perspective for the development of social work in other countries, promoting the rapid development of social work through government-led initiatives and lowering barriers.

Directions in constructing a body of knowledge in eco-social work education and practice in Uganda: Actions, channels, and implications

In recent times, Uganda has witnessed human suffering resulting from the occurrence of environmental disasters thereby placing social work professionals, particularly those in civic organizations at the forefront of responses. As such, this article argues that the country’s largely agrarian welfare system and its pursuit of sustainable social development urgently necessitate reframing social work scholarship with an emphasis on eco-social theory for professionals to gain relevance and preparedness for actions and interventions that address environment linked problems. Through case analysis, the paper presents four recent cases of environmental natural disasters as a persuasion towards building an eco-social work body of knowledge. It then highlights the education and practice actions towards an eco-social work knowledge. The channels through which this action should take place are discussed and the implications of eco-social work thinking on professional social work education and practice are explored. It concludes by proposing a model for eco-social work education and practice that integrates formal public environmental safeguards and indigenous knowledge systems that champion protective and co-dependence approaches in people-environment interfaces. 
 How to reference using ASWNet style:
 Bhangyi, V. B. (2023). Directions in constructing a body of knowledge in eco-social work education and practice in Uganda: Actions, channels, and implications. African Journal of Social Work, 13(2), 70-77. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i2.3
 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

Service user involvement in social work education: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Service user involvement in social work education is well-established in some regions and a new developing approach in others. For instance, since policy reform in 2002, it has been customary for service users and carers to be involved in critical aspects of professional social work education in the UK. Yet, expansion in North American contexts has been limited. The scope and extensiveness of service user involvement are increasingly varied, regardless of mandatory or voluntary educational standards. This scoping review mapped and synthesized literature from 2010 to 2018 on service user and carer involvement in social work education to identify innovative approaches and their effectiveness in practice. We used a scoping review protocol to select 35 studies and assessed the studies using a framework for the evaluation of educational programmes. Although most studies were published in the UK, there was greater representation from other regions than previously reported. The findings suggest that social work programs are adopting various approaches to integrate service users in social work education and innovative research methodologies for evaluation. The implications for social work education and practice are discussed.

An interactive process model of knowledge transfer for social work through university–agency collaboration: Subjective experiences of the agency social workers in Hong Kong

Abstract This article reports on the outcome of an exploratory study on a university–agency collaboration in a Chinese context for transferring social work knowledge from academia to the field and beyond. A six-stage process characterised by interactive contributions from the university and the agency in question was identified from the trainees’ narratives of the content, process and their subjective experiences with the three-year collaboration. The two parties co-constructed and adapted knowledge oriented for a specific clientele and agency context, and they implemented the intervention together with underlying theories and ways of thinking. Through interactive practising and coaching, knowledge was indigenised and disseminated into and beyond the agency. The study highlighted the trainees’ active participation, the deep collaboration between the two parties and the trusting relationship within the changing power dynamics, and the comprehensive planning at the organisational level for a fully sustainable transfer of social work knowledge with tacit characteristics. Multiple implications for continuing professional education in social work are drawn.

Social work education and practice in Africa: the problems and prospects

ABSTRACT This article identifies some of the key challenges hindering effective social work education and practice in African nations. These problems include an orientation that is remedial or curative, involvement of non-social work graduates in social work posts, lack of a regulating or coordinating body, and an overall dependency on extrapolated curricula and Western methods among others. Most African nations although with huge wealth are wallowing in abject poverty resulting in various social maladies such as kidnapping, child abuse, substance misuse, corruption, lack of organised social welfare institutions, unsustainable development, human trafficking, unemployment, lack of leadership and social injustice, as resultant effects of exploitative colonialists and/or imperialists. These call for holistic practice interventions to solve these social ills. This paper strongly advocates that social work in the African continent should be given legal backing to ensure professional social work education and practice. The social work education curriculum should be developed to reflect African social contexts and its approaches to social work practice and not just be restricted to Western approaches alone. On this premise, this paper proposes ‘cultural humility’ and ‘transaction between individuals and environment (TIE)’ frameworks that would enhance social work education and practice in Africa.

Education and training opportunities for local and indigenous social workers: case studies in disability-related fields from an international development perspective

ABSTRACT Many ‘non-professional’ and ‘non-certified’ social workers seem to conduct indigenous social work practices in low- and middle-income countries in Asia. From the perspective of international developmental social work, this case study explores the education and training opportunities for local and indigenous social workers in disability related fields. The data was mainly obtained through field work and practice conducted by the author, whose positionality was considered an international social worker in Sri Lanka and Mongolia. The field data was supplemented by literature. The findings reveal that some local workers in government and non-government sectors, who might not have received professional social work education, engage in practices that can be considered a part of social work using their indigenous and local knowledge and skills. In some cases, these workers also use their knowledge of international concepts and frameworks. Additionally, this study presents some instances of knowledge exchange between domestic and international stakeholders through dialogue-based practices and training in the field. The findings suggest that international social workers are required to explore reflective practice and collaborative knowledge creation with domestic stakeholders, including indigenous social workers and disabled people, through dialogue in the field.

Integration of the Disaster Component into Social Work Curriculum: Teaching Undergraduate Social Work Research Methods Course during COVID-19

AbstractThis article aims to develop community-contextualised pedagogical innovations to embed disaster components into core social work curriculum through a research methods course. Professional social work education continues to lack a community-contextualised curriculum and professional training that reflects the complexities of extreme events associated with community and human service. This absence jeopardises the advancement of social work engagement in better providing humanitarian support for individuals, families and communities affected by extreme events. Through an undergraduate social work research methods course, this case study qualitatively analysed the instructor’s teaching experience, self-reflection and in-class observation. The study presents three major community-contextualised pedagogical innovations of integrating disaster components into the research methods course: public media critique, amidst-disaster community-based participation and observation and practice situation discussion. These pedagogical efforts support the students’ exploration and development of various research paradigms and strengthen their ability to connect research with practice, thus addressing the community-driven, short-term necessities and long-term development requirements. This contextualising process, which forms a community-based living laboratory, inspires instructors to integrate community-driven characteristics into their pedagogical instruments. The process illustrates a potential pedagogical framework for research methods courses, in particular, and for social work curriculum, in general.

Mechanisms of Gatekeeping in the Social Work Profession: Lessons Learned from Canada, Hong Kong and South Korea

Abstract Striving to be a full-fledged profession with statutorily delegated self-regulatory authority has been a goal of the social work profession in many countries since Abraham Flexner’s (1915 ‘Is social work a profession?’, Paper presented at the Forty-Second Annual Session of The National Conference of Charities and Correction, Baltimore, MD, pp. 581, 584–8, 590. denial of its professional status in the USA. A full self-regulation requires two gatekeeping mechanisms: professional education and registration. Whereas professional social work education has been in place in many parts of the world, the establishment of a mandatory registration system is still limited to a few countries. Although two mechanisms share the same mandate and function as self-regulation, they tend to be discussed separately in the literature. How they connect and work with each other is seldom explored. In this article, by examining the development of these two mechanisms in Canada, Hong Kong and South Korea, we present three different ways of how these mechanisms are connected and discuss observations of those connections.

Quality of social work education and practice in the Arab countries: a comparative study of Palestine, Qatar and Tunisia

ABSTRACT This comparative study aims to identify student perceptions of the quality of their social work education and practice experience in 3 Arab states. It considers 8 domains: faculty members, the student cohort, curriculum, textbooks, the library, teaching methods, field practicum, and quality of student assessment. The goal is not to produce a set of league tables but to move social work courses in the Arab states towards the achievement of international standards and recognition while recognizing cultural differences and promoting cultural sensitivity. From this study, of the three states, Qatar received the highest relative strength in the 8 domains. This study has several recommendations to improve the quality of social work education and practice in the three studied universities particularly, and for universities in the Arab world in general. In focusing on the 8 domains, it can encourage researchers to study each one individually and build culturally and regionally appropriate recommendations for institutional improvement and professional education in social work.

Serviço social e pesquisa científica: uma relação vital para a formação profissional

Resumo A formação profissional em Serviço Social demanda a interação com inúmeros fatores da vida cotidiana, sendo a pesquisa científica um dos meios adotados para conhecê-los. Partindo desse pressuposto, objetivamos problematizar o lugar da pesquisa científica em nossa formação profissional, bem como apontar alguns desafios inerentes à esta atividade teórico-prática evidenciando a sua importância no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. A discussão está estruturada em uma breve introdução; depois trataremos sobre o sentido da pesquisa científica; em seguida problematizaremos a importância desta na formação profissional em Serviço Social; por fim, apontaremos algumas reflexões sobre a temática em tela. Fundamentando-se em uma revisão de literatura, sob a luz da teoria social crítica, consideramos que a dimensão investigativa em meio às contradições do sistema econômico e o culto aos estigmas sociais e culturais, é de ímpar relevância para uma profissão comprometida com a ruptura de análises discriminatórias e a construção de uma sociedade humanamente emancipada.

“Human behavior and the social media environment”: group differences in social media attitudes and knowledge among U.S. social work students

ABSTRACT Social media has ethical implications for social work practice, and accordingly, for professional identity and social work education. In Spring 2019, we administered a 57-item survey to undergraduate and graduate social work students (N = 42) in order to ascertain attitudes about and knowledge of social media at a public university in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of the present study is to explore group differences between social work students who were enrolled in the course, Human Behavior and the Social Media Environment (HBSME), and those who were not, on social media attitudes and knowledge, and to make recommendations for social work education and research accordingly. Key differences were observed between students who were enrolled in HBSME and those who were not. In the Discussion section, we examine these differences against the backdrop of professional social work ethics. Accordingly, we make recommendations for social work education and research.

Applying a Rights-Based Approach to Social Work Practice in Africa: Students’ Perspectives

The application of a rights-based approach to social work practice is integral to ridding society of social injustice and human rights infringements. As the next generation of social work practitioners in Africa (a continent at the top of the pyramid in human rights violations), what social work students know about the rights-based approach could prove pivotal in preparing them towards entrenching social justice and human rights tenets in their professional practice, as is consistent with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. This study aims to share the reflections of Nigerian social work students regarding their knowledge of and preparedness to utilize the rights-based approach to social work practice. In employing a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews was conducted among graduating social work students in a large-sized university in Nigeria. Data were subjected to thematic analysis and following the analytical procedure, findings reveal inadequacies in professional social work education and training in the context of equipping students with this practice approach. Although this inquiry involved a cohort of student social workers in their final academic year, the findings may have broader implications for social work education in Nigeria and indeed Africa given the rapidly standardized move in social work education. To offset this trend by means of competency-building, pragmatic suggestions are offered to social work educators with a view to ensuring that social work students are not only equipped in the knowledge of this practice approach but also ready to employ such knowledge to practice.

A lion in a matchbox: Artistic identity and cracking the professional code in American higher education

Abstract This article is an analysis of the culture of academic professionalism of art programmes in American universities. In the Gilded Age, American universities underwent significant reforms that transformed them in to centres for professional education in Medicine, Law, social work, and other professions, including the visual arts. College art was transformed during these years. Guided by theory set forth by Burton Bledstein, the article decodes this new culture with concepts of time spent in practice and training, the specialized spaces (for art this meant studios and classrooms), and words (the discourse, terminology and language that distinguishes professionals from their clientele). These concepts help embody a collective professional identity of people with boundaries to regulate the social experience art faculty and students in a new, and at times troubled modern culture of professionalism.

“I’ll Find a Way or Make One”: Atlanta University and the Emergence of Professional Social Work Education in the Deep South

ABSTRACT Atlanta University, W.E.B. Du Bois, and professional social work education are forever linked in social thought, social reform, and progressive thinking that served African Americans. As a nascent profession in the first half of the 20th century, social work in the South navigated existing racialized customs and laws that required dual systems. The Atlanta School would become the first professional School of Social Work in the deep South and the first to address the needs of a black professional social work workforce in the region. Implication of this School’s emergence and its role in contributing to innovations in strength perspective, critical race theory, spirituality, empowerment, and research in social work education will be discussed.

(Re) Capturing the Wisdom of Our Tradition: The Importance of Reynolds and Towle in Contemporary Social Work Education

This article argues that social work education has distanced itself from founding principles articulated by Bertha Reynolds and Charlotte Towle in ways that compromise the professional development of the learner in social work education. The authors trace persistent and historical professional social work education themes and identify key changes that have contributed to threats to educational integrity, with particular attention to field education and supervisory practice. After identifying both positive and negative trends and challenges to the quality of field education, the authors examine implications for field supervision and its place in the overall educational environment.

A Call for Self-Compassion in Social Work Education

ABSTRACTMany social work students approach the end of their formal training unprepared to utilize self-care approaches to prevent burnout. Providing students more comprehensive self-care training can help address this issue. One approach to fostering self-care and addressing stress and burnout in social work students is the attitude and practice of self-compassion (SC; i.e., compassion directed inward). Training in SC can be helpful, as it has been shown to be effective in addressing stress and burnout, as well as enhancing practice. This article explores the benefits of integrating an SC approach within professional social work education. A definition, review of the SC literature, and a conceptual sketch for integrating SC approaches in social work education are presented.

Personal reflection and experience of a Fulbright Scholar: teaching a mental health course in Vietnam’s changing culture

This paper documents the experience of developing and teaching a course on mental health for undergraduate social worker students during a semester in Vietnam. Social work is a profession at the early stages of development in Vietnam, requiring much curriculum development. There are over 40 universities with undergraduate social work education programs, but few of the faculty have had training or experience in practicing social work. The paper will summarize the main reasons for developing such a course given the current state of mental health need and services in a changing culture, as well as the current state of professional social work education and the newly established profession of social work. The author describes the contexts underlying the course—the status of social work and social work education in Vietnam, the context of mental health and mental illness in Vietnam, and curriculum adaptation to the cultural context. From this experience, the lessons learned about the role of cross-cultural critical thinking, cultural knowledge, and other strategies will be discussed about teaching a subject like mental health internationally.

Gatekeeping and Competency-Based Education: Developing Behaviorally Specific Remediation Policies

ABSTRACTGatekeeping has long been an integral component of what is now referred to as the Implicit Curriculum, or the context in which professional social work education occurs. Despite its long-standing role within social work education, gatekeeping elicits conflict for both individual faculty members and entire programs of social work education. Much of this conflict stems from a failure to identify objective and measurable standards on which to base gatekeeping decisions. This article proposes using the Council on Social Work Education’s core competencies as behaviorally specific standards for remediation/termination and provides suggestions for developing gatekeeping policies inclusive of these competencies.