scholarly journals THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC REALITIES OF THE SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rinie Schenck
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University

scholarly journals An Empirical Approach to Study Smartphones’ Usage in Academic Performance of University Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-286
Author(s):  
Nargis Abbas ◽  
Uzma Ashiq ◽  
Syeda Mahnaz Hassan ◽  
Muhammad Alam
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Academic Life ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University

The purpose of this study was to find out the advantages and disadvantages of smartphone usage in the academic life of Social Work students at the University of the Punjab, Lahore. The quantitative research methodology was adopted in this study. The survey of Social Work students from the university was done by employing purposive sampling technique. Students having smartphones were part of this study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from 203 Social Work students of the University of the Punjab. The SPSS was used to analyze the data among the smartphone users. The Social Work students used smartphones not primarily for academic purposes but for social activities. It also operated as a learning aid, which was absolutely essential to students which made them capable to find quick information and got their time saved. Smartphones were also seen more as a distraction in the classroom rather than learning aid as smartphone produce distraction in the classroom and this distraction diverted students’ attention in the class. Students multitasking and non-academic usage of smartphone produced negative impact on students’ learning and resultantly lower their academic performance. Smartphone usage seemed great if smartphone is capitalized to achieve the benefits associated with its use; resultantly the Social Work students can possibly enhance their academic learning that may lead them to success in their academic life.

Challenges of Social Work Students from Historically Disadvantaged Universities during Placements in Semi-Rural Areas in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Varoshini Nadesan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Undergraduate Study ◽  
Historically Disadvantaged ◽  
The University

This study highlights the challenges faced by social work students during their fourth-year field placements. The research was conducted among social work students at two historically disadvantaged universities in South Africa. The aim of the study was to understand the field experiences of final-year Bachelor of Social Work students from historically disadvantaged universities. It was anticipated that these students were placed at rural or semi-rural communities that were close to the university. Students in the fourth and final year of their undergraduate study are expected to receive training that would generate advanced field practice experience in specialised settings to prepare them for the reality of social work practice in the workplace. A qualitative study was undertaken among current and past social work students. The findings highlighted issues pertaining to limited placements, poorly managed student placements, access to communities, and supervision challenges. However, the key findings indicate that once placed, the students felt abandoned by their training institutions and left to rely solely on their field supervisors for academic, administrative and developmental guidance. The study recommends that universities be more adept at fulfilling the needs of students and providing comprehensive support. The study also recommends that a suitably administered system of communication between the university, student and placement agency be implemented as part of the comprehensive support to students.

Cultural friendliness as a foundation for the support function in the supervision of social work students in South Africa

2006 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lambert Engelbrecht
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Support Function ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Afrique Du Sud ◽  
The Social ◽  
Travail Social ◽  
Work Student

English In South Africa it is essential that the cultural diversity of the social work student population be accommodated in supervision. This is possible if cultural friendliness forms the foundation of support in supervision. Cultural friendliness is a disposition that forms part of the supervisor's identity. French En Afrique du sud, il est essentiel que la fonction de supervision s'assure d'accommoder la diversité culturelle de la population étudiante en travail social. Cela est possible si une amitié culturelle forme la base des activités de soutien et de supervision. L'amitié culturelle est une attitude ou disposition faisant partie intégrante de l'identité du superviseur. Spanish En Sudáfrica es esencial que en la supervisión del trabajo social se tenga en cuenta la cultura del estudiante. Esto es posible si la amabilidad cultural es la base de la función de apoyo de la supervisión. La amabilidad cultural es una disposición que forma parte de la identidad del supervisor.

scholarly journals Learning ‘at work’ during social work education:

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-23
Author(s):  
Anette Bolin
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Learning At Work ◽  
The Social ◽  
Reflective Approach ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The University

The aim of this article is to describe and analyse the learning processes of Swedish social work students during and after periods of workplace-based learning. The article describes the process in which the practice learning opportunities that the students have been involved in are reflected upon, discussed, problematised and theorised, both in a series of workshops and via the process of the narrative description of critical incidents. Practice learning opportunities form an integral part of studies of social work in the Social Pedagogy program at the University West in Sweden, where a reflective approach to both campus and practice learning has been developed. In presenting the analysis of the reflective approach to studies of social work the article draws on both Scandinavian and international research and presents Säljö’s theory of situated learning and Nielsen & Kvale’s theory of Mesterlaerer in the analysis of the critical incident narratives of two individual social work students.

THE EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS STUDYING AT AN OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING INSTITUTION

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-280
Author(s):  
Catherina Schenck ◽  
Assim Alpaslan ◽  
George Angelopulo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Course Content ◽  
The University

The article describes the experiences of social work students enrolled at the University of South Africa (Unisa) and the implications for Unisa as an Open Distance Learning (ODL) institution. An online Q-methodology survey and qualitative question was administered to 10 000 students enrolled for social work modules at Unisa, of which, 1,346 completed the survey and the qualitative question. This article focuses on the results of the qualitative data which were analysed according to Cresswell’s methodology. The themes that emerged indicated the role Unisa, as an ODL institution and the Department of Social Work, play in the lives of the students. The study confirms the importance of interacting and communicating with the students. It was revealed that the course content not only provides knowledge and skills about social work, but facilitates life-changing experiences and the development of the person.

Merging information literacy and evidence-based practice for social work students

2016 ◽  
Vol 117 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 201-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tricia Jane Bingham ◽  
Josie Wirjapranata ◽  
Shirley-Ann Chinnery
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Constructivist Teaching ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University ◽  
Solution Focused

Purpose – This paper outlines a teaching and learning collaboration between information literacy (IL) professionals and a social work academic at The University of Auckland. The collaboration was developed for the purpose of introducing evidence-based practice (EBP) and related IL skills to a third-year social work cohort preparing for their first practicum. Embedding the research–practice connection in the minds of students at this level of study is essential, as using evidence in practice is considered to be a fundamental professional objective. Despite this perspective, it is not uncommon for research to be viewed as an ancillary, if not discretionary skill in social work, with the research–practice gap well recognised in the social work literature. EBP offers students a clearly defined, systematic research framework imminently suited to the novice learner which emphasises the importance of research for practice. Research skills, in particular IL and the ability to find, evaluate and apply information, are essential to the development of effective EBP. Apart from the practical skills of being able to find evidence, critical thinking and reflective skills are key skills also inherent to IL processes and practice, and mastery of the evidence-based approach is impossible without mastery of these key IL competencies. Taking a solution-focused frame, theoretically underpinned by a constructivist teaching philosophy, we detail specific EBP and IL teaching practices, challenges and the remedies applied. The paper concludes with key lessons learned and future directions for teaching EBP and IL skills to social work students at The University of Auckland. Design/methodology/approach – A solution-focused frame is theoretically underpinned by a constructivist teaching philosophy. Findings – This paper offers insights derived from seven years of teaching EBP and IL skills to social work students and investigates specific teaching challenges and details the remedies applied. Research limitations/implications – As a case study, this article deals with one instance of EBP and IL teaching. Focusing specifically on EBP in the social sciences, this may not be relevant for other disciplines. Practical implications – This paper offers insights into methods for merging EBP and IL skills teaching in the social sciences, providing practical examples of activities which can be used in teaching, underpinned by relevant theory. Social implications – To be effective practitioners, social workers must understand the importance of research to practice, in particular how this can improve their professional knowledge and practice. Forging the research–practice connection aids the development of competent practitioners and enhances the well-being of social work clients. Originality/value – The authors outline constructivist–connectivist learning activities that can be used to advance students’ IL skills, develop research capacity and enhance the importance of the research-practice connection in social work practice. While much research has been done on EBP and IL connections in the medical and nursing literature, there is limited literature discussing EBP and IL integration in social work.

scholarly journals Integrating Social Work Into Interprofessional Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 454-472
Author(s):  
Keith Adamson ◽  
Rachelle Ashcroft ◽  
Sylvia Langlois ◽  
Dean Lising
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Social Work Faculty ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
The Social ◽  
Professional Leadership ◽  
The University

The University of Toronto Interprofessional Education Curriculum (IPE) is an exemplar of advancing interprofessional education with a focus on preparing students for practice in healthcare settings. Our paper begins with a detailed overview of the University of Toronto’s IPE program including the range of participating faculties, an overview of the curriculum including examples of learning activities, and the social work specific expectations that are embedded in the core and elective components. Following, is a discussion on mitigating the challenges and engaging opportunities associated with integrating social work in a healthcare-focused IPE program at a major Canadian University. Our exploration of mitigating challenges and engaging opportunities will span five key areas: a) Creating meaningful learning experiences for social work students; b) Implementing mandatory or elective IPE participation; c) Scheduling of IPE activities; d) The role of social work faculty in driving student involvement in IPE; and e) Strengthening social work professional leadership for IPE.

Diferencias de género en el interés por las materias de los estudiantes del grado de trabajo social en la Universidad de Almería [Gender Differences in the Social Work Students’ Interest For Subjects at The University of Almeria]

Portularia ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (Addenda) ◽  
pp. 197-204
Author(s):  
Carmen María Salvador-Ferrer ◽  
Antonio-José Macías-Ruano ◽  
María José González-Moreno ◽  
Alexandra Ainz-Galende ◽  
Jesús Mayor-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
The Social ◽  
Trabajo Social ◽  
The University

scholarly journals How well does the preparation for practice delivered at the university prepare the student for their first practice learning opportunity in the Social Work Degree?

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 62-81
Author(s):  
Christine Walton
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning Opportunity ◽  
North East ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Framework Approach ◽  
The University

This paper sets out to consider the requirement that social work students studying for the Degree in Social Work should be prepared for and assessed as ready and fit to practice before undertaking their first practice learning opportunity. The purpose of the study is to examine the essential elements of good preparation and to evaluate how well the teaching and assessment has prepared students in the South Yorkshire and North East Midland partnership from the perspective of their practice assessors.This qualitative study involved two key stages. Firstly, a focus group eliciting views from practice assessors on what the purpose and content of preparation for practice should be. Secondly, semi-structured interviews with practice assessors considering how well prepared for practice the first group of Social Work Degree students had been. Interviews were transcribed and data analysed using a ‘framework’ approach. Three major themes emerged, the communication of information on the preparation between student and practice assessor, the ability of students to relate their previous learning to practice and the understanding students demonstrated of the social work task and role.All practice assessors were positive about the benefits that preparation at the universities could have for practice but the majority of students did not share information on their preparation with their practice assessor. From this project it has been possible to make recommendations concerning the content of preparation but most importantly the importance of requiring that information on the content and learning in preparation should be shared by students with their practice assessor as the starting point for making direct links into their first practice learning opportunity.

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