Social Work Courses Research Articles

Seeing diversity through the lens of ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ - Use of film in the COVID-19 era

ABSTRACT This article describes the use of film as a teaching tool in social work education by providing insights from using the film Portrait of a Lady on Fire in a diversity undergraduate social work course during the COVID-19 outbreak. The film was selected because of its course-related content as it involves issues of gender, class, power and oppression. The paper presents the rationale behind the choice of film as a teaching tool, the procedure, the outcomes and the feedback from students. The procedure used was inspired by Russell’s Model for Using Film. The outcomes and feedback from students support the idea of using film as a technique to stimulate discussion and explore concepts associated with diversity and intersectionality; students appreciated the opportunity to discuss such issues with their peers and considered the film as a valuable supplement to online lectures. Implications for using film in social work education are discussed.

Integration, Creation, and Growth: A Path Forward for Sport Social Work Education

Sports fans and the public alike have seen athletes and sport organizations spark conversations focused on equity, mental health, and human rights. Social workers also are professionals that engage in advocacy to destigmatize mental health and to address complex social issues. To align advocacy efforts at the intersection of social work and sport, a small coalition of social workers and interdisciplinary partners convened to create the Alliance for Social Workers in Sports (ASWIS) in 2015. The ASWIS is leading the way in preparing social workers for practice in sport by offering the first Sport Social Work Certificate Program (SSW Certificate). Despite the development of the SSW Certificate, the demand, need, and interest in the sport social work specialization is growing. The purpose of this article is to outline a path forward for sport social work education by discussing strategies to (a) integrate sports into existing coursework; (b) create sport social work courses and field placements; and (c) develop specialization tracks that grow the sport social work workforce and platform for advancing social change through sport. Improving access to education and training can strengthen the specialization of sport social work, and will ultimately benefit athletes, teams, communities, and sport organizations.

Institutionalizing service-learning as a social work pedagogy: experiences, challenges and contributions to acquisition of competencies

Social Work Education (SWE) in the Philippines is a competency-based academic discipline that focuses on the development of student practice behaviors. The goal of SWE is to demonstrate the integration and application of the competencies in practice with various client systems. This is where the SWE of Southern Christian College (SCC) saw the need to adopt service-learning (SL) as a pedagogy that would aid, assess, and enhance students’ readiness for professional practice. Since it is a combination of academic instruction and community service to address identified community needs, SL is viewed to be an effective vehicle to ensure that students apply what they learn from their classes to address real-world problems in communities. This paper will present the process of how SL had been introduced as an academic framework in one of the social work courses in SCC in 2010 and will particularly highlight the experiences, challenges, gains and learning insights. Experiences of students and faculty revolved around their engagements, challenges encountered, personal and professional learning, and social and psychological gains. Based on the data gathered, an SL framework was developed to reflect the practice of SL in the SCC-SWE. In conclusion, SL as a pedagogy in social work education has contributed to the acquisition and development of basic competencies in terms of knowledge, values and attitudes and skills. The gains which service-learners identified superseded the challenges which they encountered along the various phases.

O OLHAR DE GRADUANDOS SOBRE A PROCRASTINAÇÃO ACADÊMICA: CONHECENDO E INTERVINDO

ABSTRACT: This article aims to analyze the view of undergraduate health students concerning academic procrastination and how they perceived an intervention program aimed at self-management of the university experience as a coping strategy. It adopted Bandura's Cognitive Social Theory as its theoretical foundation, mainly the constructs of self-regulation of learning and self-efficacy. The research involved 299 students from the Physical Education, Physiotherapy, Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, and Social Work courses being carried out in three stages: 1) Application of an Academic Procrastination Scale questionnaire and an identification form for the participants; 2) intervention in small groups in the form of workshops based on conversation circles; 3) individualized intervention. It was concluded that procrastination is a behavior present in the students' daily lives and that it becomes important to create spaces for reflection and learning to experiment with a strategy that facilitates coping. The group intervention showed potency, as it made it possible to listen and exchange experiences. In it, the participants were able to analyze procrastination beyond the individual aspects

In the Eye of the Beholder: Using Photography to Teach Gerontology

Due to the widespread access to smart phones and similar technology, photography and photographic images have become an ever-present part of contemporary social life. Photographic methods are also growing in their use in higher education pedagogy. As a specific application, photography can be a powerful tool to educate students about aging processes and issues that impact older adults. This poster will explore the use of photographic methods and tools to teach and integrate aging-related concepts into gerontology and social work courses, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Specifically, the use of digital storytelling, photo mapping, photo voice, and photo therapy will be highlighted. Descriptions of and consideration for assignments along with example student projects will be displayed and discussed as will other potential projects and uses of photographic methods. Attention will be paid to how photographic methods can help students explore the diversity and intersection of individual characteristics and experiences with the aging process and how intersectional identities can influence, and be influenced by, aging and external factors and processes.

Teaching to Tech: A Quasi-Experimental Assessment of a Technology-Enhanced Social Work Course

ABSTRACT Professional interests and social problems demand social work practitioners who can “harness technology for social good.” Although the field has acknowledged the need to train social workers to use technology in practice, existing scholarship has tested few models for doing so. This article describes and tests an information and communication technology-enhanced course for macropractice. Results from a quasi-experimental test of the technology-enhanced course yield positive gains in students’ technological efficacy, but not in their attitudes toward technology. Ultimately, models that capacitate students to use technology in social work practice, like that described here, are needed. However, their effectiveness in promoting future use in social work practice likely depends on their ability to change skills and attitudes.

Students Enrollment in Social Work Courses in Indian Higher Educational Institutions: An Analysis

This study aims to analyse students’ enrollment in social work courses in Indian higher educational institutions. The higher education system in India is one of the world's largest systems of its kind. There are 526 social work educational institutions and 181 Universities (20 per cent) imparting social work education and training at different levels. The data from the reports of All India Survey on Higher Education for the period of 2010-11 to 2018-19 was analysed. More than half (59.12 per cent) of the institutions are teaching undergraduate courses in social work (BSW), and more than 95 per cent are teaching postgraduate courses (MSW). Male students outnumbered female students in both courses. The share of students enrolled through distance mode of education in BSW and MSW programmes is 22 per cent and 34.09 per cent, respectively. Student enrollment at the M. Phil level has witnessed a sudden decline, but there has been a consistent increase in the Ph.D. programme. India has added around 0.36 million BSWs/MSWs in the past eight years, averaging forty-five thousand professional social workers per annum. The changes in the socio-political environment, human relationships and social space, technology, and globalisation processes and global agenda will decide the future of social work in India.

Assessing Understudy View Of Scholastic Learning Conditions Inside Eight Wellbeing Science Courses

The reason for this cross sectional review is to examine understudy impression of learning conditions at a significant Australian College. Different parts of climate are analyzed between courses, year levels, instructive foundations and sexual orientation. The positive discernment held by Flinders University wellbeing science understudies towards their schooling and learning conditions is ideally characteristic of comparative courses inside Australia and globally. While future investigations might assist with affirming this, the current discoveries offer an opportunity to investigate the fundamental reasons for this energy in more profundity just as think about likenesses and contrasts between the particular wellbeing science disciplines. Radiography and clinical imaging, word related treatment, drug store, nourishment and dietetics, physiotherapy and social work courses at Flinders University. Accommodation examining was utilized and scores were analyzed across gathering factors recognized by means of segment data.

Growth in Motivation, Performance, and Positive Emotions: Experiential Learning in Macro Social Work

The Control Value Leaning Theory can be used to understand and impact student knowledge, interest, and experiences in content relating to health professions and associated topics, including working with organizations and communities and being a part of a task group or interdisciplinary team. This case study reports on the experiences of 19 students in a graduate practice social work course: Practice of Social Service Delivery II. Students’ increased control and input in assignments and perception of the assignments’ value were associated with increased motivation, performance, and enjoyment. Experiential learning opportunities that emphasized greater student choice and value increased students’ exposure to the professional realm and appeared to increase the perceived importance of a course topic in which students previously had low knowledge and interest.

The Intrepid Elective

The field of social work has a professional and ethical commitment to social justice. However, scholars have identified potential dangers that may threaten that commitment. To transform dangers into opportunities that strengthen social justice service, schools of social work could incorporate critical pedagogy within the Master of Social Work (MSW) curriculum. By training future social workers in critical social work practice, social work education becomes an advocate for marginalized populations. If not educated from an anti-oppressive framework, social workers have the potential to harm, oppress, and control rather than support and serve. The weight of this responsibility and firsthand social work education experiences led to the development and implementation of an elective course in critical social work informed by the Critical Transformative Potential Development (CTPD) Framework. The course follows a method that puts the CTPD theory into practice to bridge the micro-macro divide by engaging students in actively dismantling ideologies and practices of dominance. The course aims to produce anti-oppressive social workers who can better navigate social justice terrain. A student’s perspective on the course highlights strengths and areas for improvement. Future iterations of this class or similar courses of study could be adapted by and adopted for other social work education institutions. Because social work education is fertile ground to plant seeds that will grow social workers rooted in anti-racism and anti-White supremacy, there is the opportunity, with a radical education, to transform the field in a critical direction, better prepared to overcome the social justice challenges of the era.

Social Work Education that Addresses Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation: An intersectional, anti-oppressive practice framework

Practice, policy, and research focused on trafficking for sexual exploitation and commercial sex involvement occur in the United States within a white, heteronormative social environment that must be addressed pedagogically in the classroom. Social work education increasingly includes the topic of trafficking for sexual exploitation as a stand-alone course or as sessions embedded within other courses. Yet, very little scholarship critically examines how instruction in social work on this topic can apply intersectional, anti-oppressive frameworks across micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Furthermore, current literature suggests that some social workers use exclusionary practices when addressing trafficking and commercial sex involvement, further exemplifying the need for anti-oppressive curricula. The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse how key anti-oppressive theoretical and practice frameworks should influence education on trafficking for sexual exploitation and commercial sex involvement in social work. Written by two scholars and social work instructors, we describe how we apply these frameworks to pedagogical exercises in social work courses. Finally, we argue that intersectional, anti-oppressive social work education is critical to training social work students and, ultimately, addressing the needs of people experiencing or at risk of trafficking.

‘Urn and Learn’: engagement and allyship in an introductory social work course

ABSTRACT First-year students studying social work often need help to successfully transition to the demands of university life and the many facets of the profession. Professional socialization should also include allyship and engagement with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/gender diverse, intersex and queer communities (LGBTIQ+); developing a strong sense of community; and becoming committed to additional years of study. I present an activity called ‘Urn and Learn,’ a series of coffee and tea sessions embedded in an introductory social work course that aimed to promote both allyship with sexual and gender diverse communities and enhance the sense of belongingness to the university community. Improvements in student and instructor satisfaction were observed following this course. The benefits of delivering the Urn and Learn teaching activity are discussed.

Engaging with Transformative Paradigms in Mental Health.

When graduates of Australian social work courses embark on a career in mental health, the systems they enter are complex, fragmented and evolving. Emerging practitioners will commonly be confronted by the loneliness, social exclusion, poverty and prejudice experienced by people living with mental distress; however, social work practice may not be focused on these factors. Instead, in accordance with the dominant biomedical perspective, symptom and risk management may predominate. Frustration with the limitations evident in this approach has seen the United Nations call for the transformation of mental health service delivery. Recognising paradigmatic influences on mental health social work may lead to a more considered enactment of person centred, recovery and rights-based approaches. This paper compares and contrasts influences of neo-liberalism, critical theory, human rights and post-structuralism on mental health social work practice. In preparing social work practitioners to recognise the influence of, and work more creatively with, intersecting paradigms, social work educators strive to foster a transformative approach to mental health practice that straddles discourses.

They Didn't See Us Coming: The Hidden History of Feminism in the Nineties

They Didn't See Us Coming: The Hidden History of Feminism in the Nineties

Responsible Pedagogy During a Pandemic: Teaching Social Work Courses on Interpersonal Violence During COVID-19

ABSTRACT Teaching courses that contain potentially high-emotional impact such as interpersonal violence (IV), have been noted as challenging. This is exacerbated during a pandemic when rates of IV are on the rise and requirements for physical distancing result in many courses being taught online. Although scholars have identified inherent challenges to teaching IV content online, additional considerations and necessary precautions in terms of student physical and emotional safety have not been adequately examined. Nor has the issue of instructor burden during the isolating restrictions of a pandemic been addressed. In this article, three Canadian social work scholars reconsider the challenges of online teaching environments involving IV course content and provide recommendations with an emphasis on risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trial by Fire: Innovative Approaches and Evaluation of Course Transition During COVID-19

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 virus produced unprecedented challenges in the delivery of social work education nationwide. This study focused on the innovative approaches and transition efforts of one college of social work in the United States. The evaluation data of these efforts for six face-to-face and online Master of Social Work (MSW) courses and visual data from polls conducted to assess the socioemotional status of students in two online MSW courses were analyzed. The results suggest that students were highly satisfied with the transition efforts. Three themes emerged, suggesting the need to balance course instruction with teacher–student empathy, flexibility, and compassion toward students’ challenges. This study suggests future strategies that could be permanently implemented with a focus on social justice.

Efficient, yet Effective: Improvements in Suicide-related Knowledge, Confidence, and Preparedness after the Deployment of a Brief Online Module on Suicide in a Required MSW Course

ABSTRACT Although social workers are increasingly likely to encounter suicidal clients in their practice, many are under-prepared to address the issue of suicide, and significant deficiencies in suicide education exist in social work graduate programs. This study examined the acceptability and effectiveness of a brief yet comprehensive online module covering suicide risk assessment and treatment deployed as part of a required master’s level social work course. Students completed online pre- and posttest surveys that measured suicide-related knowledge, perceived preparedness, and confidence, and rated various elements of the module. A total of N =53 MSW students participated in the study, of whom N = 45 completed both the pre- and posttests. Scores for suicide-related knowledge, perceived preparedness, and confidence increased significantly from pre- to posttest (p’s < .001). The majority of students (95.7%) were satisfied or highly satisfied with the overall content, comprehensiveness, and format of the module. However, most (70.2%) reported a preference for face-to-face or hybrid delivery methods for suicide-related material. Implications discussed include the use of synchronous elements to address student anxiety related to suicide-related content, the utility of pre-prepared online learning modules to address curriculum related barriers, and the importance of well-designed online materials.

What are the experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic students in relation to their progression on an undergraduate social work course in one university in England?

ABSTRACT This research explored the progression experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (B.A.M.E) social work students that were failing and those that were successful on the undergraduate Social Work Degree. Extant empirical literature found that B.A.M.E students have different experiences of social work education and disproportionately experience progression problems compared to their white counterparts. The research was conducted using constructivist grounded theory with data collected and analysed concurrently, through an iterative process and the use of the constant comparison method. The research was conducted at an English post-1992 city-based university, and data collection involved individual interviews with 16 B.A.M.E participants at different stages of progression and analysis of university records. The findings from this research explain the lived experience of B.A.M.E social work students, especially in relation to how students understand and evaluate their self-concept with clarity, their experiences of racial discrimination, and in how students are supported to nurture their community cultural wealth. These key concepts are interdependent and there is power inherent in each of these areas. Guidance has been developed on how students can be supported to nurture their community cultural wealth in developing high self-concept clarity, tackling inequalities and enabling a more successful course progression.

Formulating and teaching a course in international social work: Some curriculum and pedagogical insights from the Indian context

This article engages with International Social Work education. The subject is new, and in many countries, especially in India, content for teaching has only begun to be formulated. While many attempts are being made across the world to provide international social work with a sound theoretical base, these efforts are only beginning to take shape in India. This article traverses the thinking, experience, and insights of a social work educator who has engaged in such a process – the development and teaching of a course on international social work for postgraduate students of an institute in Mumbai.

Social Work Skills Days – ‘Keeping It Real’

As part of the South Yorkshire Teaching Partnership, a part time secondment of a Practice Consultant was made to the Sheffield Hallam University (SHU). The remit was to contribute to teaching from a practitioner's viewpoint. One example of curriculum development was working with the Social Work Skills lead on the report writing and court skills days offered on the BA Social Work course. The skills days on report writing and court skills, had previously been delivered separately. By using the same case study and linking the report writing to the evidence submitted as part of the court bundle, students could see the importance of ensuring their writing was clear, factual, and demonstrated analysis of the case. This strengthened their written and legal skills. When students were presented with a full court bundle on the same case, they could compare their writing to the examples in the bundle. This enabled them to critically reflect on their own writing and whether it would stand up to scrutiny during cross-examination. It offered students the opportunity to learn to write for different purposes and reflect on the tools and techniques of writing and developing their professional voice.