Graduate Social Work Research Articles

Faculty Rank, Effort, and Success

In recent years publication has become the central criterion in the appointment, promotion, and tenure of graduate faculty. Because normative data about publication effort and success have not been available to guide faculty personnel decisions, the author investigated variation in manuscript submission and acceptance, both within and across academic rank, among 509 faculty of 45 social work graduate programs. The results suggest that although faculty of all ranks made regular efforts to publish and achieved considerable success, higher academic rank was negatively associated with the frequency of manuscript submissions and positively associated with manuscript acceptance. The author concludes that the consistency of these empirical relationships in the cross-sectional data might evidence adherence to a traditional, academic model of publication within the schools where these faculty teach.

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.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Social Work Education

This article explores the benefits of teaching geographic information systems (GIS) technology as a tool in social work curricula. GIS software makes customized and interactive maps that can help social workers gain a better understanding of multifaceted communities. The authors present four examples of GIS applications developed by social work graduate students demonstrating the potential of GIS in social work, and they outline steps for teaching GIS in social work practice courses. Employment and other opportunities are also discussed.

Teaching Geographic Information Systems for Social Work Applications

This article explores the benefits of teaching geographic information systems (GIS) technology as a tool in social work curricula. GIS software makes customized and interactive maps that can help social workers gain a better understanding of multifaceted communities. The authors present four examples of GIS applications developed by social work graduate students demonstrating the potential of GIS in social work, and they outline steps for teaching GIS in social work practice courses. Employment and other opportunities are also discussed.

Guarding the gates of the profession: Findings of a survey of gatekeeping mechanisms in Australian Bachelor of Social Work programs

Gatekeeping is concerned with ensuring that social work graduates meet requisite competency standards for beginning practitioners. The issue which is of particular concern to social work educators within academia and in the field, ultimately has important ramifications for clients, yet it is rarely systematically considered. This paper is the first of two reports on the results of a survey of Australian Bachelor of Social Work programs regarding their gatekeeping mechanisms. The study sought information on the admission criteria to courses, gatekeeping functions associated with field education, and attitudes to counselling out of students for non-academic reasons. It was found that high priority was given to academic criteria at all points in the program, despite acknowledgement in the importance of skills, values and personal qualities. Whilst counselling out for non-academic reasons was used by most schools, few schools had written policies for terminating students enrolment for such reasons. Most schools also reported having difficulty deciding the extent to which non-academic criteria should be applied and how this should be done.

Live Supervision in Family Therapy

In this pilot study, ten social work graduate students receiving live supervision in their family therapy fieldwork practi-cum were interviewed concerning their reactions to and evaluation of live supervision. Results indicate that trainees expect and experience anxiety prior to and during the initial stages of live supervision. After they acquire more experience they feel more relaxed and some of them are intent on receiving live supervision in the future. In addition, trainees generally perceive live supervision as a valuable learning experience. The results appear to support the assumptions in the literature regarding trainee reactions and evaluations of live supervision.

Computer-Based Testing in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT This paper reviews current research dealing with the potential benefits and limitations of computer-based testing for social work education. It adds to the existing knowledge base by reporting the results of a survey completed by social work graduate and undergraduate students regarding their experiences and perceptions of computer-based testing. Recommendations are made for further development of computer-based tests in social work education.

Comparative employment opportunities for social workers

Despite rapid growth in the number of social work graduates in Australia, almost no data are available concerning labour market demand, and the expectations of employers. This study surveyed 6298 p...

The Student as Consumer

In this article, a recent social work graduate reports on her experience as a student in a social work practice course informed by constructivist and social constructionist theory. Based on a weekly journal, the student takes the reader on a journey through a class in which students were invited to share responsibility for the learning process. An isomorphic process in which students experienced the classroom as clients might experience the social worker in practice is described.

A telephone helpline for Alzheimer 's disease: Information, referral, and support

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative terminal disease. It has been the fourth leading cause of death among adults during the past decade, taking more than 100,000 lives annually. Approximately 10 percent of people age 65 and over have probable Alzheimer's disease and 47 percent of those over age 85 suffer from the disease. The National Institute of Aging predicts that there will be 14 million people with Alzheimer's disease by the year 2050. This study examined the helpline of the Alzheimer's Association of Eastern Massachusetts. Its stated mission is to provide access to comprehensive services as well as provide support to callers who are caring for someone with dementia. How information is provided and perceived may impact upon a caller's overall satisfaction with the helpline and their consequent decision tofollow through on referrals. Helpline staff identified callers who sought information regarding a specific family member or patient during November 1991. About 70 percent (100) of the callers consented to afollow-up telephone interview by a social work graduate student in January 1992. Approximately 63 percent of the calls regarded someone who was post diagnosis. Memory loss, confusion, and repetitive questioning were the major problem behaviors noted. The mostfrequent inquiries regarded nursing home placements, family support groups, and diagnostic referrals. Over 75 percent of the callers were not affiliated with the Alzheimer's Association or with a family support group. While overall satisfaction with the helpline was high, callers who received follow-up information through the mail tended to report greater satisfaction. The majority (87 percent) noted they would call the helpline again as concerns arose in the future. The study highlighted the need for professionals to be better informed about Alzheimer's disease and its impact on families. It also emphasized the lack of knowledge concerning available resources. The Alzheimer's Association through its network of helplines can provide valuable information to both informal and professional caregivers regarding the progression of the disease and its management. The Helpline should be recognized as a resource that may provide ongoing support through the duration of the disease.

Working with persons with serious mental illness: implication for social work recruitment and retention.

Educating and recruiting practitioners to work in community-based settings with persons with serious mental illness has become a national health person-power issue, particularly in underserved rural areas. This study was conceived in order to obtain a better basis for curriculum development and recruitment strategies. Graduate and undergraduate social work students, representing the greatest pool of mental health practitioners, were surveyed about their perceptions about working with persons with serious mental illness and about factors which are most important to their future job satisfaction. The findings indicate positive perceptions about work with the seriously mentally ill population by a significant number of students, and further reveal that students project job satisfaction factors related to intrinsic reward and ability to learn and grow in their work. The findings also reveal group differences related to educational level, previous work experience in mental health and expressed interest in working with persons with serious mental illness. Important implications for practitioner education, recruitment, administration and job development and ongoing in-service training are discussed.

Using Computer-Assisted Instruction to Teach Axis-H of the DSM-III-R to Social Work Students

An Apple Macintosh HyperCard interactive educational program was designed to train social work graduate students in making accurate diagnoses with DSM-III-R Axis II diagnostic criteria. The teaching efficacy of this hypermedia program (HyperAxis II) was tested in an experiment in which 22 first-year social work graduate students were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group used HyperAxis II, whereas the second group used a training manual con taining the same information. Both groups had statistically significant increases in diagnostic speed and accuracy. Although the HyperAxis II group rated the computer program more difficult to use than the control group rated the training manual, they demonstrated significantly stronger liking for the computer program as an instructional medium.

Social Work Students’ Interest in Working with Persons with Serious Mental Illness

Educating and recruiting practitioners to work in community-based settings with persons with serious mental illness has become a national health issue, particularly in underserved rural areas. To inform curriculum development and recruitment efforts, the authors conducted a needs assessment. Graduate and undergraduate social work students in a rural New England state university were surveyed about their interest, perceived competence, and perceived training needs in working with persons with serious mental illness. The findings indicated that almost half of the students expressed an interest in working with this population. The extent and nature of previous work with this population and educational level were shown to be related to students’ responses, in areas including interest in work with persons with serious mental illness and the perceived ability to handle a psychiatric crisis. The findings suggest important implications for the social work curriculum, additional needs assessment, and recruitment a...

Overview of Major Issues Facing Social Work Education in Hong Kong

The development of organized welfare services does not have a very long history in Hong Kong. As social problems grow in scope as well as in complexity, there is an increasing awareness of the need for trained personnel. Though achievements have been seen in both social welfare services and social work education, these are many complicated issues in training social work graduates in Hong Kong. This paper, attempt's to highlight several of the major issues (indigenization, manpower shortage, the integration of theory and practice, fieldwork placements, and 1997) facing Hong Kong's social work education today and in the future.

Cross-national Social Welfare Policy Analysis in the Graduate Curriculum

This article presents an analytical model for enabling social work graduate students to understand social welfare policies in a cross-national context. The author discusses a policy process model for comparative study that helps to explain why income, health, and social services programs are different among nations. The model examines governmental policies in other nations in terms of legal and assumed jurisdiction, obstacles and constraints to intervention, catalysts for intervention, needs identification, goals and strategies, program description, and evaluation.

Male and female dialogue in social work education

Abstract An experimental, social work graduate class on “Men's Issues” was conducted over a 10‐weekperiod. The class, comprised of both male and female students, grew out of male student concerns that the profession's emphasis on women's issues was resulting in “male bashing” attitudes in both classroom and practice settings. Two co‐teachers used a conceptual and teaching approach inspired by phenomenology and process research, allowing knowledge to develop through group process and feedback exchange. Among other ideas, students explored differences in meanings and styles of intimacy and conflict in same sex and opposite sex encounters. It was concluded that social work graduate programs should offer classes on “gender issues,” preferably co‐taught by male and female faculty members, allowing for both separate and joint meetings for male and female students.

Adjustment of Graduate Students to the Educational Process

Although empirical evidence suggests that part-time and full-time graduate programs in social work are equivalent with respect to various academic outcomes, little is known about the effects of enrollment status on students’ psychological adjustment to the educational process. The effects of extracurricular role enactment similarly are unclear. The author surveyed graduate students at a large state university and found that, among those students, enrollment status, the total number of roles enacted, and the interaction between these variables had no effects on psychological adjustment scores. However, students who were both enrolled full-time and employed full-time had lower levels of adjustment than did other students. Among part-time female students, the extracurricular role of marriage was associated with lower adjustment. The author discusses the study results in light of the scarcity and expansion hypotheses, as derived from role theory. Practical implications for social work graduate education are p...

Bringing Social Work Education to the Bush: Addressing the Rural Decline?

In 1989 Phillip Institute of Technology (based at Bundoora Melbourne) offered its Bachelor of Social Work degree (BSW) and Graduate Diploma in Community Development (CD) in the Central Victorian city of Bendigo. This paper outlines some of the contextual issues and identifies certain key factors in addressing these issues.

Validity of Student Ratings of Field Instruction

Abstract Researchers have suggested that practicum planning might be improved by considering student ratings of the practicum. However, deriving decision aids from empirical studies on the field experience is problematic because validity and reliability of student ratings has not been demonstrated. The study reported in this article compared student ratings of field instructor behavior with field instructor self reports. Shulman's (1982) supervision questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 40 social work graduate students and field instructors. Student ratings of field instructors were more strongly associated with students' global satisfaction than with instructor self-reports. Better indicators of practicum quality are needed.

Social Work Accreditation:

This study reports on how the social work education accreditation process is perceived and experienced by a national sample of graduate and baccalaureate social work programs. Respondents, mainly program directors, identify cost and benefits and share problems. Suggestions for how the system can be improved are included.