Social Work Doctoral Education Research Articles

Theorizing as a pedagogical project: how to teach theorizing in social work doctoral education

ABSTRACT Social work doctoral education is charged with developing stewards of the discipline who can contribute to conserving professional values and generating knowledge to serve marginalized populations and society at large. However, recent studies on doctoral education found that there have been (1) unbalanced curricula between research courses and other courses, such as critical theories and ethics; and (2) a significant gap between research and social justice in doctoral education. Inspired by Swedberg’s work on ‘a process of theorizing’ as a pedagogical project, I have incorporated his ideas into the teaching of a critical theory course in a social work doctoral program. This article aims to articulate how I taught theorizing: I provide an overview of the course, demonstrate how I explain theorizing to students, and outline dialectics of teaching between theories and theorizing to be considered when developing a critical theory course in a doctoral curriculum. I discuss a pedagogical stance and the role of the teacher in theorizing, and suggest practical exercises (such as a ‘theory note’) to assist students in developing their skills in theorizing. Finally, I reflect on lessons learned from teaching this critical theory course, including how I have negotiated with student resistance to theorizing.

“Tone It Down”: The Whitewashing of Black Women Doctoral Students’ Research and Scholarship at Predominately White Institutions—Implications for Social Work Doctoral Education

ABSTRACT While there is growing research on the structural and institutional barriers experienced by Black women faculty at predominantly White institutions (PWIs), little is known about the systemic marginalization faced by Black women doctoral students at these institutions, particularly those in doctoral social work programs. Given the increasing number of Black women doctoral students in social work programs at PWIs, there is a need to understand how social work doctoral education upholds institutional whiteness through attempts to whitewash Black women’s research and scholarship. This article contextualizes the experiences of Black women social work doctoral students using Black feminist thought perspective. The authors provide implications for social work doctoral education to dismantle structures that facilitate whitewashing experiences for Black women doctoral students.

Disrupting White Supremacy

Social workers must participate in ongoing anti-racist and culturally attuned approaches to disrupt white supremacy in our profession, institutions, and society. Our social work mission, values, and ethics demand that we engage in social work education, practice, and scholarship that seeks social justice for all people. In line with these expectations, social work doctoral education is tasked with training the next generation of social work scholars by providing doctoral education that is responsive to society's most pressing social problems. While disrupting white supremacy is an aspirational goal, we argue that white supremacy infiltrates social work education, manifests itself in diverse ways over time, often isolating Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We use testimonios to explore these issues and describe four BIPOC women’s experiences navigating their social work doctoral programs. From these insights, we contend that social work doctoral education continues to uphold white supremacy by promoting Western epistemologies and theories above other equally valid forms of knowledge, including non-Western schools of thought created by and for BIPOC scholars. We provide recommendations for alternative theories and epistemologies for social work curricula and offer implications to support BIPOC students in social work doctoral education.

Utility of Structural Equation Modeling in Social Work Research: A Call to Strengthen Doctoral Education

ABSTRACT The use of structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques in social work has increased over the last two decades. We therefore conducted a systematic review to understand the extent to which SEM is utilized in social work research, given that statistical training is now becoming a part of social work doctoral education. For our review, we utilized the PRISMA method and relied on the Web of Knowledge database. Social work articles published between March 2012 to December 2017 were included in the review. In total, we included 466 studies using SEM methods that were published across 44 social work journals. To our knowledge, this is the most up-to-date review that summarizes the extent to which research published in journals of social work utilizes SEM. Owing to the strengths of SEM over standard regression methods, its increased use demonstrates advanced application of data analysis methods in the dissemination of social work research. Further implications for social work research and education are discussed. Specifically, we discuss the role of social work doctoral programs in equipping students to efficiently utilize SEM techniques in research.

Resisting Dogmatism in Social Work Knowledge Generation: Theorising, Social Justice and Implications for Social Work Doctoral Education

AbstractSocial work doctoral education is charged with the task of generating and critically evaluating knowledge to inform and transform professional practice. To promote the foundational values of social justice and diversity in social work, scholars highlight the importance of multiple ways of knowing and multiple ontological perspectives in social work knowledge generation. Yet, critical scholars have raised concerns about a reviving dogmatism in the philosophical and theoretical orientations (e.g. positivism and empiricism) of social work knowledge. Recent studies also show a significant gap between research and social justice in the social work doctoral curriculum. Critically reflecting and problematising this ‘social’ phenomenon, I argue that it is essential to engage in ongoing theorising to resist dominant discourses, represent marginalised voices in social work knowledge and furthermore, to teach students how to theorise in doctoral education. Drawing from Foucauldian theories on knowledge and power, this article first contextualises the dangers of dogmatism in knowledge generation in social work. Then, I provide a brief review of the historical development of theorising, introducing Richard Swedberg’s work on the topic, particularly his four steps in the ‘process of theorising’. How this noble sociological ‘theory of theorising’ can be incorporated into social work is discussed.

Experiences of Pregnant and Parenting Female Students in Social Work Doctoral Programs

ABSTRACT Women in many fields have described challenges during their doctoral work due to pregnancy and parenting, but no research has explored these issues within social work education. This cross-sectional survey describes pregnant and parenting female students’ (N=75) experiences in social work doctoral education. Participants identified challenges in finding balance between family and academic responsibilities, a lack of supports and resources for pregnant and parenting students, decreased productivity, and less access to professional development opportunities due to pregnancy or parenting. While many received informal support from faculty, chairs, and mentors, few had access to accommodations, like parental leave, official lactation spaces, and childcare and some described implicit bias and stigma against caregiving. Implications for social work doctoral programs conclude the article.

Holistic Admissions and Racial/Ethnic Diversity: A Systematic Review and Implications for Social Work Doctoral Education

ABSTRACT Research evaluating holistic admission practices in social work doctoral programs is nascent. This systematic literature review aims to answer two questions: What holistic admissions practices exist in U.S. graduate education? and Are these practices effective in increasing racial and ethnic diversity? In September 2019 we conducted searches of six databases using eight key word combinations to locate the relevant extant literature. The final sample of 16 articles described varying aims of holistic admissions and showed promising practices for increasing racial and ethnic diversity in graduate programs primarily through the expansion of indicators of success used during the review process or through improving retention rates of underrepresented minorities and ensuring that recruitment practices are fair and equitable. Promoting the admission of underrepresented racial minority doctoral students is key to ensuring the social work profession mirrors the diverse populations it strives to serve.

Disrupting hegemony in social work doctoral education and research: Using autoethnography to uncover possibilities for radical transformation

Social work has enhanced its profile in the United States by adopting a particular dialect of scientific inquiry wherein positivism and evidence-based practice are considered gold standards of social work research and practice. This ideological shift permeates doctoral education and research training, as well as social work more broadly. Little attention, however, is paid to the pedagogical approaches used to train doctoral students into a “science of social work,” and we know even less about critical methodologies in doctoral education. This collaborative autoethnography weaves together the personal narratives of three doctoral students and one early career faculty member navigating an academic context within a large public university in the United States. We employ a participatory and intersectional approach to analyze narrative data in terms of how our identities interact with the structures relevant to where we study and work. Three themes emerged from our collaborative analysis: becoming disillusioned by disciplinary shortcoming; confronting dissonance with radical solidarity; and making change on the inside using perspectives from the outside. We argue throughout that critical reflexivity is a tool to document, resist, and transform hegemonic discourse that narrowly defines what it means to embody social work research, practice, and education.

Social Work Doctoral Education in Australia: The Case for Further Development

ABSTRACT Social work education in Australia has been based in universities since the 1940s. There are now 32 higher education providers offering social work programs across Australia. The significant growth in master’s level qualifying programs in Australia, along with recent higher education policy changes, has increased the need for social work academic faculty members with doctoral qualifications. This paper presents the findings of a scoping review of literature on social work doctoral education. Despite a growing literature on social work doctoral education in international contexts, the review found that there is a lack of Australian research and evidence on social work doctoral pedagogy, the number and diversity of doctoral students, the doctoral student experience, and doctoral graduate employment intentions and outcomes. Addressing the lack of Australian research in this area would be an important step to enabling Australian social work to address future research training and capacity needs and directions. IMPLICATIONS There is a lack of research on Australian social work doctoral education and this is a neglected aspect of social work scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) research. Research into social work doctoral education would provide baseline information on the number and diversity of students, doctoral student experiences, graduate outcomes, and employment intentions. Development of social work SOTL about doctoral education would support future research capacity and enable the advancement of social work research knowledge and skills.

Qualitative research skills acquisition within social work doctoral education using project-based learning

The future of social work research relies on the intellect and competence of current doctoral students. These future scholars who receive doctoral education that values qualitative inquiry will create a system where qualitative research traditions receive the same privilege as quantitative research traditions. Project-based learning provides learning opportunities that can challenge assumptions about what academia considers “real” research. This descriptive qualitative study explored key attributes of using project-based learning within two consecutive social work doctoral courses to encourage qualitative research skill development. Students and instructors participated in ideawriting and focus groups to assess the usefulness of PBL within these courses. The findings suggested that PBL may be useful for deepening knowledge about qualitative inquiry and reducing epistemological unconsciousness.

The Life and Career of Matthew O. Howard

The Life and Career of Matthew O. Howard

Mentoring Matters: An Innovative Approach to Infusing Mentorship in a Social Work Doctoral Program

ABSTRACTSocial work doctoral students must identify how to prioritize their time and how to gain the many qualifications required by the academic job market. Mentoring has long been recognized as an effective strategy for promoting academic success and degree completion in doctoral studies. This article describes three student-led initiatives in a social work doctoral program that sought to infuse mentorship throughout the program. The content of these innovative initiatives is discussed, as well as their implications for social work doctoral education.

Social Work Doctoral Education: Current Trends And Challenges

Social Work Doctoral Education: Current Trends And Challenges

Investigating Diversity in Social Work Doctoral Education in the United States

ABSTRACTDespite its emphasis on social justice, social work in the United States has not always attended to issues of diversity in doctoral education. This article examines the state of the discipline’s research on traditionally underrepresented students in U.S. doctoral social work programs. An analysis of relevant peer-reviewed articles from social work journals revealed that this research has focused on demographic trends, degree motivation, student barriers, existing supports, and career navigation. Diversity in U.S. doctoral social work education is vastly understudied with the majority of scholarship focusing on ethnoracial difference. The limitations of this study are discussed, and future research directions are proposed including the need to examine various kinds of social differences and a wider range of support initiatives.

Doctoral Education in Social Work: The Decade Ahead

ABSTRACTScientific and professional developments in the coming decade will have profound implications for social work doctoral education and the research and academic careers doctoral students are preparing for. These developments include the knowledge explosion, corporatization of the university and related effects, and the emergence of the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative delimiting key directions for social work research and practice. We consider potential effects of these developments on doctoral social work education and proffer curricular, pedagogic, and programmatic recommendations for improving doctoral education in the coming decade.

Cultivating a Research Tool Kit for Social Work Doctoral Education

ABSTRACTSocial work doctoral education can prepare students to become research scholars whose work has impact by providing and promoting the development of an appropriately sophisticated and diverse research methods tool kit. Students can cultivate their tool kits through course work, mentored research experience, and specialized workshops. The tool kit is best grounded in guided reading of methodological texts—that is, reading methodological texts while conferring with advanced peers, faculty, and research supervisors—which provides essential teaching and experiences to enhance understanding and use. This article lays out a rationale for guided reading and provides an example of primer text and recommended readings to support guided reading for one set of related research methods: randomized experimentation and finite mixture modeling.

Cultivating a Research Tool Kit for Social Work Doctoral Education

Cultivating a Research Tool Kit for Social Work Doctoral Education

Social Work Doctoral Education in Transition

This introductory article to the symposium on doctoral education in social work aims to provide a framework for the symposium. Doctoral education in social work is continuously in flux. As society and the profession are constantly changing and as academia is also in a state of transition, doctoral education in social work needs to be reassessed. The five papers in this symposium start with understanding the changing environment and then they deal with issues such as policy research, the scientific inquiry, and transdisciplinary research. Finally, it discusses issues of racial and ethnic diversity in doctoral education. The hope is that this set of papers will help shape the discourse regarding social work doctoral education and will help doctoral directors and their peers better plan.

Doctoral Social Work Education

This article is intended to forecast major environmental changes that may impact social work doctoral education and assess what should be done in anticipation of these changes. We apply an open system and future studies perspective to guide our work. We present a set of predicted societal changes that will impact social work as a profession and doctoral education in particular. We then present and discuss major expected changes in higher education and further assess some of their potential impact on social work doctoral education. We conclude with a synthesis of how these pending changes may impact social work doctoral education and what can be done in anticipation of these changes.

A Scientific Framework for Social Work Doctoral Education in the 21st Century

The emerging discourse about the science of social work has urged doctoral social work programs to reexamine assumptions about conducting research and responding to new expectations for scholarship. This article examines three promising models to guide scientific research in social work (evidence-based practice, team science, and multi- and transdisciplinary models). We first conducted a systematic review of social work publications (1985–2016) and found a notable increase in publications that discussed either research-informed or evidence-based practice or multidisciplinary approaches, but not team science or transdisciplinary approaches. Next, we engaged in a comparative analysis of each model’s purpose, number of researchers, and breadth of disciplinary focus. Finally, we completed an exploratory assessment of PhD program websites to identify the presence of these models. Information provided on these websites followed a similar pattern as noted in the publications. Implications of these models for doctoral education in the 21st century are discussed.