Social Work Students Research Articles

“The Air Is Being Sucked Out of the Room”: Experiences of Social Work Students of Color with Antiracism Education in the Classroom and Practicum

Abstract This study explores the experiences of social work students of color (SOC) and their antiracism education within a school of social work at a public university. Twenty-one SOC participated in focus groups where they described their experiences with antiracism education. Several key themes were identified: (a) finding community through affinity groups, (b) SOC interactions with White students, (c) differentiating internalized racism and anti-Black racism, (d) the impact of White instructors and the lack of mentors and supervisors of color, (e) microaggressions and incidents of racism, and (f) taking up space. As this is an exploratory study, authors make recommendations for social work schools to pilot in the future. These recommendations include assessing White students’ skill level with antiracism education and practice before placing them in classes with SOC, assessing faculty’s skill set with antiracist teaching and providing ongoing support, creating sustained affinity spaces for SOC as a way to booster wellness, designing and piloting antiracist outcomes for social work students, and developing simulation-based learning with simulated patients as a tool to measure antiracist practice competencies.

Service Utilisation of an Innovative Mental Health Counselling Clinic

Abstract Responding to the increasing challenges to mental health equity, Talk It Out Counseling Clinic (the Clinic), an innovative, public-facing counselling service, was established at the University of Toronto during the pandemic. Operating on the principles of anti-oppression and trauma-informed care, the Clinic trains Master of Social Work students to deliver mental health counselling to populations encountering multiple barriers to mental health equity through phone or video. Guided by a quality improvement framework, this study used chart reviews to examine the demographic characteristics, initial mental health status and service utilisation of clients (N = 116) who completed services at the Clinic during its inaugural year. Three-quarters of the clients identified as Black or other racialised individuals, and over 70 per cent rated their general mental health as poor or fair. Nearly 80 per cent of clients referred to the Clinic proceeded to an intake, amongst whom 69.6 per cent successfully completed the services. Warm handoff was associated with service engagement, whilist men and older clients were more likely to terminate the services prematurely. The study underscores the mental health needs of communities confronting multiple challenges and illuminates the processes conducive to client engagement and service delivery within an innovative, school-run mental health clinic.

Risk perceptions and experience in child protection decision-making: A comparative study of student social workers in Wales and Aotearoa New Zealand

Risk perceptions and experience in child protection decision-making: A comparative study of student social workers in Wales and Aotearoa New Zealand

Exploring the virtual learning landscape: Experiences and practices of social work students

Exploring the virtual learning landscape: Experiences and practices of social work students

Self-control, peer assistance, and satisfaction of online learning among Chinese social work students

ABSTRACT Online learning is a new type of learning practice based on information and communication technologies. It has gained great popularity in higher education in China in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, because it can reach more students over long distances and achieve cost-benefit maximization. Compared with the traditional classroom-based learning model, online learning reduces the control of instructors, thus highlighting the students’ self-management ability and peer assistance. Based on the data collected from an online learning survey of undergraduate (BSW) and graduate social work (MSW) students in China in 2022, this study reveals the effects of social work students’ self-control and peer assistance on online learning satisfaction. The results show that 72.95% of BSW and MSW students have participated in online learning in the previous academic year, and they are generally satisfied with their online learning. Students’ self-control ability significantly affects their satisfaction with online learning. At the same time, peer assistance is a significant mediating variable. It is suggested that in addition to promoting students’ self-control ability and self-study management, making full use of online resources to promote peer assistance and communication among students is also a way to improve social work students’ satisfaction with online learning.

From the classroom to the field and back: a pedagogical kit teaching social work students to complete psychosocial assessments

ABSTRACT Despite the complexity inherent in undertaking and teaching psychosocial assessments, and although assessments are viewed as a critical component of helping relationships and a core skill in social work, the literature lacks in attention to how assessment is taught. The present article addresses this gap and introduces a pedagogical kit teaching students to undertake psychosocial assessments. It is based on the authors’ experience in a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) course in an Israeli college. The proposed kit applies the principles of experiential learning and learning by doing, and is informed by and informs the students’ field experiences. The kit includes four pedagogies: getting started—three steps to familiarity with psychosocial assessment; translating theory to practice through active learning; integrating the different assessment areas; and writing a psychosocial report. For each, classroom implementation and specific objectives are described and illustrated in detail.

Facilitating leadership exploration in MSW students through community-based participatory photovoice project

ABSTRACT While a wealth of conceptual literature attempts to describe the relationship between leadership and social work, there is a dearth of empirical research on teaching leadership skills to emerging social workers. This qualitative study focuses on the impact of using a community-based participatory project—photovoice—as a method to teach specialized community practice in graduate social work education. The study participants consist of masters of social work students at a Hispanic Serving Institution based in the southwestern region of the United States of America. The data sources of the study are reflection papers that students wrote after completing a photovoice project as part of the course requirement. We sought to understand what students learned from implementing and evaluating a photovoice project. Through inductive thematic analysis, findings show that students gained experiences with professional leadership and management skills. The team constructed two themes that capture the essence of what students learned: (i) navigating leadership qualities and (ii) deconstructing preconceptions of leadership.

Teaching Note—Designing and Implementing Interprofessional Simulation: A Social Work, Nursing, and Pharmacy Collaboration

ABSTRACT Simulation is well-documented as an effective pedagogy in teaching social work practice. However, the financial and human resources needed to provide simulation-based teaching in large social work programs are prohibitive. Partnering with other disciplines with established simulation programs is one way to bring simulation to social work students through interprofessional education. This teaching note presents a pedagogical initiative designed to enhance social work, nursing, and pharmacy students’ collaboration on acute care teams. Leveraging social work’s perspectives, the simulation scenario used in this initiative was modified to incorporate a biopsychosocial perspective for assessing and engaging with issues of race, ethnicity, and economic hardship often seen in acute care settings. Implications for curriculum development, pedagogical strategies, and interprofessional education opportunities are discussed.

The COVID-19 Lived Experience Through the Eyes of Nursing and Social Work Students

The COVID-19 Lived Experience Through the Eyes of Nursing and Social Work Students

Association of trauma informed service learning with students’ knowledge, attitudes and confidence

Up to 90% of American adults have had prior exposure to trauma but medical education in Trauma Informed Care (TIC) remains limited. We integrated a TIC curriculum into a pre-clerkship medical student service learning program and measured its association with TIC knowledge, attitudes and confidence after year 1. 353 students participated in the pretest. 103 matched pairs are included in the final analysis. To assess gains from the curriculum, we utilized three instruments: Attitudes Towards Trauma Informed Care, a confidence instrument originally designed for social work students, and a knowledge assessment. We used paired t-tests to assess for score differences between administrations and fit a predictive model for change in score using a generalized estimating equations model. The average unadjusted sum score on the pretest was high—23.5 out of 30 (IQR 22.0–25.3). 69.7% of students somewhat or strongly agreed they had previously heard of TIC. Statistically significant negative associations were found between sum score, Black, Asian/PI, and biracial identities, second-year medical student status and prior familiarity with TIC. Average posttest scores in the matched cohort increased by 1.37 points (95% CI, 0.82–1.91). In the GEE model, Asian/PI race, biracial identity and being a second-year medical student remained statistically significant predictors of lower TIC scores, while identifying as a woman was positively associated. Further study is needed to contextualize these scores and to continue seeking effective resources for increasing clinicians’ capacity to practice TIC.

Strengths Perspective: How Social Work Students Use Mindfulness as a Self-Care Strategy

(1) Background: As helping professionals, social workers are more susceptible to compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout due to regular exposure to clients’ trauma, traumatic situations, and heavy caseloads. Social work students also face similar experiences during their field placement as they prepare to enter the profession. In addition, stress, a significant factor affecting academic performance, is prevalent among social work students. Prolonged stress can lead to chronic health conditions, emphasizing the need to develop effective stress management practice techniques. (2) Objective: To examine the impact of a four-week mindfulness strengths-perspective synchronous series and the impact on social work students’ personal strengths, self-care, stress, and coping strategies. (3) Methods: The purpose of this study was to examine social work students’ experiences with using mindfulness from a strengths perspective. Twenty-three (n = 23) social work students participated in a four-week synchronous mindfulness series that incorporated a strengths perspective, focusing on stress reduction and self-care practices. The series consisted of weekly mindfulness activities and writing prompts, concluding with a focus group in the final week. A thematic analysis was utilized to identify key themes. (4) Results: The researchers identified six themes: consistency and commitment, affirmations and self-love, a caring community, mindfulness strategies, physical restoration, and enrichment and learning. (5) Conclusion: Students were able to develop a better understanding of self-care and the benefits of taking time to incorporate practices for their health and wellness.

Factors Associated with the Intention to Work with Older Adults Among First Year Social Work Students in Israel

ABSTRACT This study examined a model based on the Terror Management Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to identify factors associated with social work students` intention to work with older adults. A cross-sectional study with a sample of 375 first-year Israeli social work students was undertaken. Attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control were directly associated with this intention. Contact with older adults was related to anxiety about older adults, which along with anxiety about self-aging, was related to the TPB constructs. The model explained 63% of the variance of the students` intention to work with older adults.

Integrating the Grand Challenges for social work into an undergraduate capstone course

ABSTRACT Over the last decade, social work has focused on identifying widespread societal problems that should drive research, teaching, and practice in the coming years. There are very few scholarly articles about the integration of the Grand Challenges into curricula, despite reports that about half of social work academic institutions have done so. This study provides pre-post data from a cohort of social work students who focused their undergraduate capstone experiences on the Grand Challenges. The vast majority of undergraduate social work students were initially unaware of the Grand Challenges. Students felt that they had significantly more perceived competence to address almost all of the Grand Challenges at the end of the course. There was increased interest in addressing smart decarceration. Integration of the Grand Challenges into undergraduate curricula should occur, especially as social workers prioritize work on restorative justice and mass incarceration.

What has been done for social workers’ self-care practice? A systematic review of interventions

Improving mental well-being is essential for social workers. Self-care services are often facilitated to enhance it, but there is limited research exploring their characteristics and effectiveness. We conducted a systematic review of self-care interventions targeting the mental well-being of social workers. A comprehensive search of four English and one Chinese databases yielded 2969 studies for initial screening. Fourteen eligible studies were finally included and reviewed. The results underscored mindfulness as prevalent and effective, with social work students being the main service recipients. Although with limitations, the findings inform future research and self-care services for social workers.

Legal Education for Non-Lawyers as ‘Legal First Aid’: A Participatory Inquiry into Law for Social Work Students

The article documents the experience of the authors in creating and re-calibrating a compulsory legal module within a Bachelor of Social Work degree as a course in ‘legal first aid’. The article explores the pedagogical approach the authors developed, which is based on continually explaining to students the reason for studying law in a way that is tailored to skills they can use in their practical placements and profession. For social work students, the ‘legal first aid’ approach enabled them to develop confidence and skills in triaging the seriousness of particular situations, understanding what they can do in the short term, and knowing how and when to usefully engage with legal professionals. The article also illustrates the value of a participatory inquiry method when refining course aims and approaches. The article details the participatory inquiry undertaken by the students and teachers with the aim of improving future iterations of the course. The rich insights that can be obtained from a participatory inquiry method offered much more robust insights than mainstream course evaluation methods, providing clear direction for future course refinements. These insights may be useful to course coordinators of other programs who are wishing to design or redesign course content.

Social Media and the Levels of Stress of the Social Work Students in Misamis University

A descriptive correlational study was conducted to determine the influence of social media use on the stress levels of the Social Work students of Misamis University. Using different modified standardized surveys on stress and social media use, one hundred and thirty-six (136) students enrolled in the first semester of S.Y. 2020-2021 in the BSSW program were surveyed online using Google Forms. A focus group discussion was also done among the faculty members and students to corroborate and validate survey results and to ask for their recommendations for the enhancement of the school's welfare programs. Findings showed that students exposed to social media use are more affected by academic stress. The most popular social media site used is Facebook. Students also spend about 2 to 5.3 hours per day on social media sites, mostly for informational, conversational, and phatic purposes. Students' social stress is also affected by their frequent use of Twitter. The length of time spent on Twitter, on the other hand, has an inverse effect on students' psychological stress.

The benefit, harm, and complication of humor in social work: A qualitative inquiry

Summary The use of humor in social work is an underrecognized and underexplored area of practice despite its potential to heal, harm, and complicate communication. To date, very minimal scholarship has been published on humor in social work. Therefore, this qualitative study sought to examine how social workers use, perceive, and experience humor. Data were gathered from 22 participants who identified as social workers via an online survey. Data also included learning artifacts (e.g., discussion board posts, humor therapy treatment plans) from 19 graduate-level social work students who completed a humor in social work course in the northeast region of the United States. Both datasets were analyzed thematically. Findings Participants perceived social workers as using humor in clearly distinct ways, as a tool to promote generative growth, and as a weapon to harm already marginalized populations. In total, participant responses highlight the complexities of humor, including its subjective and dynamic nature, which can lead to multiple and sometimes conflicting experiences. Applications The findings suggest that social workers view humor positively, yet they engage in its use without adequate training, strategy, and reflection, sometimes violating professional ethics. Results further indicate that social workers will continue to employ humor in their professional work to the benefit and detriment of those around them. To support reflective and informed practice, additional research is needed on the use and misuse of humor in social work.

Immersive virtual environments as a tool to improve confidence and role expectancy in prospective social work students: a proof-of-concept study

ABSTRACT This paper explores the use of immersive technology in social work education, specifically through a virtual simulation called ‘Branch-VR’ designed for young people taking part in a Widening Participation Programme for entry into social work training. The study involved 24 participants aged 17–18, who interacted with a branching narrative simulation of a social work home visit, making decisions that influenced the outcome. Utilising a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design, the paper examines participants’ attitudes toward using immersive technology as a training tool, its impact on their role expectations when engaging with service users in a home environment, and its influence on their confidence in pursuing a career in social work. The findings suggest that immersive simulations like Branch-VR can bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. This approach also boosts learners’ confidence (W = 196.000, Z = 2.808, p = .005), providing a safe environment for experiential learning and decision-making. The paper underscores the importance of integrating immersive technology with traditional training methods, emphasizing its role as an augmentation to foundational social work education.

Digital competence in social work education: readiness for practice

ABSTRACT In line with the digital turn in service provision, social work students should acquire relevant knowledge and skills, preparing them for work within digitalized welfare services. In Norway, these expectations are articulated in a national learning outcome (LOC) that addresses digital competence and the ability to assist in developing and using technology. Previous research has revealed digital knowledge gaps between education and practice . Here, we explore how social work educators perceive of and engage with digital competence as expressed in the LOC. Through focus group interviews with social work educators in Norway, we discovered that the knowledge gap is linked to five key findings: (a) uncertainty about the content of the LOC, (b) unfamiliar technical language, (c) the rapid development of digitalization, (d) the distribution of responsibility and (e) critical reflection. Critical reflection is expressed as a solution to the challenges. We argue that there must be knowledge about the subject matter (digital competency) that provides a foundation for such critical reflection (digital literacy). More conceptual clarity is needed regarding the LOC and what digitalization means in an educational context, in order for both digital competency and digital literacy to take their natural place in education.

Barriers to and enablers for the success of postgraduate students in social work

ABSTRACT All over the world, higher education institutions (HEIs) are concerned about low enrollment, delayed completion rates, non-completion, and the subsequent smaller number of graduates of Master’s and doctoral programmes. This is also true for the postgraduate students in Social Work at a South African public university, with statistics showing a high dropout rate and extended completion times. The poor throughput rate of the postgraduate programme in Social Work motivated the exploration of barriers to and enablers for student success in this programme. This was done through a qualitative descriptive design, using an online questionnaire with open-ended reflective questions. The collected data was uploaded to Atlas.ti 9 and analyzed by means of inductive thematic analysis. The findings of this study indicated barriers pertaining to supervision, personal challenges, and the distance-learning delivery mode of academic programmes. External factors and enablers that impacted the success of postgraduate students were also identified.