Oral History in Social Work: Research, Assessment, and Intervention. Ruth R. Martin

Social workers often experience higher levels of burnout compared with other healthcare professionals. The capacity to manage one’s own emotional reactions efficiently, frequently in complex care settings, is central to the role of social workers. This article highlights the complexity of emotions in social work research and practice by exploring the perspective of emotional intelligence. The article is both theoretical and empirical, based on reflections from a qualitative longitudinal study interviewing fathers with behavioural and criminal backgrounds, all in their 40 s. The analysis contains an exploration of the researcher position that illuminates the reflective, emotional aspects that took place within this interview process. Three overall themes emerged – first: Recognising emotional complexity; second: Reflecting on emotional themes; and third: Exploring my own prejudices and preconceptions. The findings apply to both theoretical and practical social work, addressing the need to understand emotions as a central part of critical reflection and reflexivity. The argument is that emotions have the potential to expand awareness of one’s own preconceptions, related to normative societal views. This form of analytical awareness entails identifying and paying attention to one’s own, sometimes embodied, emotional triggers.

Download Full-text

Impact of a Global Pandemic on Scope and Diversity of Social Work Research and Practice: Complexity Theory a Lens to Review Current Thinking

Australian Social Work ◽

10.1080/0312407x.2021.1908876 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 74 (3) ◽

pp. 261-263

Author(s):

Fiona McDermott

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Complexity Theory ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Social Work Research ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Current Thinking ◽

Review Current

Download Full-text

Calling Social Work to the Movement for Educational Justice

Social Work Research ◽

10.1093/swr/svaa014 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Annahita Ball

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Youth Development ◽

Work Practice ◽

Well Being ◽

Social Work Practice ◽

Valuable Insight ◽

Educational Justice ◽

Social Work Research ◽

Conditions For Learning ◽

History Of

Abstract The persistent and systemic inequities within the U.S. public education system have grave implications for children’s and youth’s outcomes, yet these inequities go far beyond academics. Marginalized and vulnerable students experience injustices across the educational system, including disproportionality in school discipline, unequal access to advanced courses, and poor conditions for learning. Social work has a solid history of addressing issues that intersect across families, schools, and communities, but the profession has had little engagement in the recent educational justice movement. As educational scholars advance a movement to address educational inequities, it will be increasingly important for social work researchers to provide valuable insight into the multiple components that make up youth development and support positive well-being for all individuals within a democratic society. This article encourages social work researchers to extend lines of inquiry that investigate educational justice issues by situating social work practice and research within educational justice and suggesting an agenda for future social work research that will advance equity for all students.

Download Full-text

Doctoral research amidst the Covid-19 pandemic: Researcher reflections on practice, relationships, and unexpected intimacy

Qualitative Social Work ◽

10.1177/1473325020981090 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1-2) ◽

pp. 570-578

Author(s):

Luke Ray Campbell

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Participant Recruitment ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

Face To Face ◽

Social Work Research ◽

Doctoral Research ◽

University Of Edinburgh ◽

Interpretive Method ◽

The University ◽

Radical Shift

Responding to the Special Issue call by the Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice Journal, this article reflects on the challenges faced by a Social Work doctoral student at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) during the Covid-19 outbreak. Having already commenced their fieldwork through a series of Freirean-style dialogical interviews via Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (B.I.N.M.), the nationwide-lockdown demanded a drastic deviation from the intended in-person face-to-face interviews with lone parent participants. Significant academic consideration had already been given to the researcher’s existing academic, professional, and social relationships to north and northwest Edinburgh - the geographical focus within the study - via a process of reflexivity prior to commencing the interviews, yet the shift from discussions in neutral venues (e.g. community centres and public cafes) to dialogues conducted exclusively via digital platforms brought about a radical shift in interpersonal dynamics as both researcher and participant were exposed to each other’s homes, families, and other aspects of domestic life. The change in circumstances bore major implications not only for participant recruitment, but also created an unexpected intimacy within the interviewer-interviewee relationships.

Download Full-text

Research End-User Perspectives about Using Social Work Research in Policy and Practice

The British Journal of Social Work ◽

10.1093/bjsw/bcab022 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Clare Tilbury ◽

Mark Hughes ◽

Christine Bigby ◽

Mike Fisher

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Well Being ◽

End Users ◽

Research Translation ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Social Work Research ◽

Telephone Interviews ◽

Research Engagement ◽

Engagement Strategies ◽

User Perspectives

Abstract Research funding and assessment initiatives that foster engagement between researchers and research end-users have been adopted by governments in many countries. They aim to orient research towards achieving measurable impacts that improve economic and social well-being beyond academia. This has long been regarded as important in social work research, as it has in many fields of applied research. This study examined research engagement and impact from the perspective of research end-users working in human services. In-person or telephone interviews were conducted with forty-three research end-users about how they used research and interacted with researchers. Content analysis was undertaken to identify engagement strategies and thematic coding was employed to examine underpinning ideas about research translation into practice. Participants were involved in many types of formal and informal research engagements. They viewed research translation as a mutual responsibility but indicated that researchers should do more to improve the utility of their research for industry. The findings highlight the iterative nature of engagement and impact and raise questions about the infrastructure for scaling up impact beyond relationships between individual researchers and their industry partners.

Download Full-text