Developing Professional Competence in Graduate School: Student Experiences of the Social Work Curriculum

Public Voices ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Kessen ◽  
Kielty Turner
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
The Social ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Work Education

This qualitative study explores the development of professional competence in masterslevel social work students at a faith-based university in the northeastern United States. Through focus groups, students discuss aspects of the implicit and explicit curriculum that helped them develop mindfulness, self-compassion, and empathy – qualities thought to contribute to professional competence in social work practice.Considering their years of study, students identified specific course topics, activities and assignments as well as relationships with students, advisors, and internship supervisors. Support of fellow students and unconventional experiences such as meeting a homeless man on the street had a strong impact on students’ development of the qualities being studied. Implications for social work education and professional training for the helping professions are discussed. These preliminary results are part of a larger longitudinal study in progress.

scholarly journals Preferences and Orientations of Social Work Students towards Methods and Forms of Professional Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
Ginka Mehandzhiyska
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Research Data ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

This article presents results from research on preferences of social work students (n=60) towards particular methods and forms when practicing their profession. A conceptual model has been applied, where measurements and analysis lead to identification of two methodological orientations: micro- and macro-orientation. Based on research data conclussions are made about the profile of the students' interests for practicing the social work profession in particular areas and settings. Presented analysis concludes that social work education prepares professionals with profiles relevant to the needs of social work practice.

scholarly journals Cultivating reflexivity in social work students

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-74
Author(s):  
Grace S.M. Leung ◽  
Debbie O.B. Lam ◽  
Amy Y.M. Chow ◽  
Daniel F.K. Wong ◽  
Catherine L.P. Chung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Over Time

Social work educators are concerned about how best to equip social work students with the ability to self-reflect, because this is a core professional competence. The present study employed both quantitative and qualitative means to evaluate a course which set out to foster reflexivity among social work undergraduates. A quasi-experimental design was employed to examine the effectiveness of the course. Data were collected at pre-course, post-course, and 6 months after completion. We found that, over time, students in the experimental group gained more insight. The students disclosed in focus group interviews that the course had enhanced their understanding toward self, family, and society. The implications for social work education are discussed.

scholarly journals Challenges and Solutions in the Development of Professional Social Work in Vietnam in International Integration: Vision and Orientation

2021 ◽  
pp. 693-701
Author(s):  
Luong Manh Ha
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Major Step ◽  
International Integration ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

The growth of professional social work in Vietnam took a major step forward in 2004, that social work was officially recognized as a profession in Vietnam when the Vietnam Prime Minister approved Decree 32 about Developing Social Work Profession in Vietnam, a national master blueprint to develop social work. This article gives an overview of current challenges and solutions that are being implemented to address the major issues that Vietnam is facing. Especially, the Vision and Orientation to development of Professional Social Work in Vietnam in international integration. Besides that also refers to aims at providing suggestions for maintaining the social work education in Vietnam with professional training direction

Valuing experience in a baccalaureate social work class on human behavior

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-85
Author(s):  
Trevor G. Gates
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Adult Learning ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

Social problems are best understood through active engagement in the community, experiences that bring to light the social problems at hand. Social work education lends itself especially to practical application and experience, as addressing social welfare problems can never be entirely theoretical. Experiential education offers social work students such an opportunity, and the social work field experience offers social work students an opportunity for applied learning.Kolb’s theory of experiential adult learning, which argues that adults learn through concrete experiences, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation, provides a useful framework for understanding the importance of experiential learning in social work education. In this paper, I discuss Kolb’s contribution to adult learning theory, particularly how his theory built upon previous conceptual frameworks for understanding the adult learner. I also apply Kolb’s theory to my own learning and social work education practice. Finally, I reflect upon how my own learning experiences inform my understanding of Kolb’s experiential learning theory and my current perspective as a social work educator in a baccalaureate social work human behavior class in the United States.

Teaching Note: Making Sense of Poverty Through the Use of Simulative Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 269-279
Author(s):  
Cora S. Jackson ◽  
Angela Savage ◽  
Angela Gaddis ◽  
Jana Donahoe
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
Action Network ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Work Education

Undergraduate social work students are often challenged by their inability to integrate the implicit and explicit course content in the matriculation of their studies. As educational mandates push for greater integration of skills and knowledge, some BSW programs are turning to the use of simulations to supplement classroom experiences and enhance competency-based training. This teaching note explores the authors' use of the Poverty Simulation, copyrighted by the Missouri Community Action Network, as a type of experiential learning in BSW education. Simulative learning is then linked to the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) Competencies to explore its usefulness in undergirding implicit course content.

IMPACTS OF SARS CRISIS ON SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS — REFLECTION ON SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

2004 ◽  
Vol 38 (01n02) ◽  
pp. 93-108
Author(s):  
CHING-MAN LAM ◽  
HUNG WONG ◽  
TSE-FONG TERRY LEUNG
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Direct Exposure ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The Relationship

The impacts of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) on the social work students were examined using a combined quantitative and qualitative method. A survey was conducted with 114 social work undergraduate students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong to assess their perception of the impacts of SARS on them at personal and professional level. Four focus groups had been conducted to examine the social work students' interpretation and their reflection of their experience. Results show that the SARS crisis has positive impacts on social work students. The findings indicate that students with direct exposure to SARS perceived themselves as becoming more appreciative in attitude and have greater involvement and devotion to the social work profession. Moreover, the result shows that three variables — recognition of risk, commitment and devotion, and professional reflection are positively correlated. The findings articulate the relationship between experience (risk), profession reflection and meaning generation (commitment and devotion). The findings of this study provide us with insights to rethink on our social work education.

scholarly journals An educational intervention focused on teaching Qualified Empathy to social work students in Finland

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eija Raatikainen ◽  
Leigh Anne Rauhala ◽  
Seija Mäenpää
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Educational Intervention ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

PurposeThe main goal of the one semester long intervention for first-year Bachelor of Social Services students was to enable them to increase their awareness of a variety of cultures and practices encountered in social pedagogical work and to support the development of their ability to interact empathically with clients.Design/methodology/approachThe aim of this article is to describe an educational intervention focused on teaching Qualified Empathic skills to social work students in higher education at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland. We introduce the concept of Qualified Empathy to describe professional empathic working skills and define it as: Qualified Empathy requires compassion for empathic action and it includes the ability for professional self-reflection, emotional skills and a healthy set of boundaries. Qualified Empathy encompasses the ability to tell the difference between sympathy and empathy, as it includes the capacity to use compassion to act in an empathic way in professional contexts (Raatikainen et al., 2017). The study was a case study, designed to explore the students' experiences of their one semester long educational intervention (n = 20). Our research question was: How do students construct Qualified Empathy as a dimension of their own professional expertise?FindingsThe results of the study demonstrate the progress areas of the students' Qualified Empathy skills. The development stages in the three progress areas are: (1) from emotional reaction to emotional response, (2) from understanding to empathic acting and (3) from client perspective to a more systemic approach. Implications of the results for Social Services students are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, as in all studies, some limitations need to be taken into account. One limitation of this study is the size and “nature of data”. Secondly, challenges with the concept of Qualified Empathy need to be addressed and more research is needed to define it more concretely. Even so, as it is a new concept, we need more discussion on the differences in the definition of empathy and Qualified Empathy. However, this study offers one new perspective for discussion which is the need for empathy training, in social work education practices and in the field. An important ethical aspect of research emphasizes that its implementation must not be to the detriment of the people being researched (Juuti and Puusa, 2020, pp. 168).Practical implicationsOur findings demonstrate that educational interventions can improve students' empathy skills to more qualified skills. We emphasized that maintaining the skill demands continuous reflection as a lifelong process. This article provides an overview of an educational intervention to improve students' Qualified Empathy skills and suggests a definition for educators to frame the teaching of professional empathy or empathy in a professional context – especially in the social work context. Furthermore, with this educational intervention in social work, we offer a way to support the students to – not only – have a more professional approach to empathy but also to find a way to establish a more emotionally sustainable environment for professionals in social services. It is essential for social work education to focus on the growth of Qualified Empathy in students through supervision and guidance which supports their professional competence. By doing so, we contribute to the development of more sustainable working environments in the social work context.Social implicationsProfessional empathy is seen as an important factor in building a socially sustainable society from the perspectives of employees, clients and patients. We noticed that it is important to allow time and space for the learners to internalize the concept of Qualified Empathy. When we allow for this, students begin to recognize and assign more value to it and, as we suggest, they become more adept in their interactions and work with clients.Originality/valueThe study was a case study, designed to explore the students' experiences of their one semester long educational intervention (n = 20). Our research question was: How do students construct Qualified Empathy as a dimension of their own professional expertise? The results of the study demonstrate the progress areas of the students' Qualified Empathy skills. The development stages in the three progress areas are: (1) from emotional reaction to emotional response, (2) from understanding to empathic acting and (3) from client perspective to a more systemic approach. Implications of the results for Social Services students are discussed.

FIELDWORK SUPERVISION: MEETING REQUIREMENTS OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION THROUGH CRITICAL THINKING

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (01n02) ◽  
pp. 3-14
Author(s):  
SEEMA SHARMA
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Third World ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Structural Inequality ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

This paper highlights the process of supervision that aims to developing critical thinking amongst social work students by consciously creating spaces for them, so as to enable them to reflect upon their own position and the social context within which the individuals, groups and societies exist. It is hoped that the paper will generate debate as well as a critical and constructive evaluation of the role of supervision in the context of third world countries, which face the problem of structural inequality in their societies. The paper is also expected to provide insights for fieldwork supervisors who may wish to challenge their students to question the existing status quo in the society. The paper is based entirely on the author's experiences as a field work supervisor, her observations and discussions with students during individual conferences, group meetings, community field visits and through fieldwork reports of the students.

Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Social Work Licensure: An Exploratory Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jay Miller ◽  
Stacy M. Deck ◽  
Erlene Grise-Owens ◽  
Kevin Borders
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Dynamic Source ◽  
Social Work Licensure ◽  
Work Education

Professional regulation, namely licensing, has been a dynamic source of debate for the social work profession. Amid this debate, schools of social work are increasingly considering licensing factors as a mechanism to gauge programmatic outcomes. However, nominal literature exists on social work curricula and licensing. Further, few published articles explore social work licensing from the perspective of those most affected: social work students. This exploratory study used a scaled questionnaire, with supplemental open- ended questions, to examine undergraduate students' (N=207) perceptions about social work licensing. Data from this study suggest that although undergraduate students are confident in their ability to pass the exam, they are ambiguous about the process for taking the exam and need additional preparation. After a review of the literature, this article explicates key findings from the study, discusses implications for undergraduate social work education, and identifies relevant areas for future research.

Many Hands Make Light Work: Team Teaching in Social Work Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-216
Author(s):  
Katharine Dill ◽  
Wes Shera ◽  
Jeanine Webber
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Team Teaching ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Team ◽  
Teaching Environment ◽  
Team Collaboration ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

Teaching is often a solitary endeavor, but teaching with others can enrich the educational experiences of faculty and social work students alike. This teaching note is a call to action for all social work educators to focus on the underlying tenets of the team-teaching environment as a mechanism for enriching the social work educational environment. Role modeling and educating students about team collaboration is an essential component of readiness for practice. This teaching note provides real world strategies for creating and enhancing the team-teaching environment in social work learning spaces that include the classroom and field placement.

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