published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Service Management / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This study aimed to determine if the Department of Behavioral and Mental Health at a local school district is improving the academic outcomes of the students it provides services to. The purpose was to evaluate its effectiveness in order to improve and expand services. This is important since schools have become a primary setting to address the mental health needs of children and youth. The research design consisted of a quantitative, one-group pretest-posttest as students’ outcomes were assessed before and after treatment. The data was analyzed using a paired samples t-test. The findings from this study demonstrated no statistical significance in students’ grades and attendance, thereby demonstrating the need for further research on this topic.

Key stakeholders in schools must be educated about the importance of increasing access to mental health services in schools. School-based mental health services are designed to increase children's competence and help them meet the societal expectations of school success. The present study examined types of mental health services provided to students in school districts throughout Florida; the extent to which those services were provided to children and families; the beliefs of student services directors and supervisors regarding qualifications of school mental health service providers to provide mental health services; and their beliefs about the impact of mental health services on student academic and behavioral outcomes. Participants in this study included 90 student support services administrators (student services directors, supervisors of psychology, social work, and counseling). Descriptive analyses revealed that the three most commonly provided mental health services were consultation, normative assessment, and authentic assessment. Interestingly, no mental health service providers (school psychologists, school counselors, school social workers) were considered by student services directors and supervisors as qualified to highly qualified to provide intervention services with minimal to no supervision. Results of this study suggest that student services directors and supervisors have significantly different perceptions about the level of qualifications of mental health providers to provide mental health services. Specifically, the type of credential (teaching only vs. student support) which the director or supervisor held impacted their beliefs about the school psychologists level of qualification to provide mental health services. Finally, directors and supervisors, combined, had significantly different ratings about the types of mental health services which impacted academic and behavioral outcomes. Directors and supervisors ratings of impact of mental health services on academic and behavioral outcomes were moderated by the type of credential held. Implications of such results may be that mental health providers are only encouraged to provide those services which they are perceived to be qualified to provide; training programs may need to develop models which promote collaboration and partnership amongst mental health professionals to increase shared skills; and administrators may place an emphasis or de-emphasis on mental health services based on credential and training background.

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine how Swedish high school students view school staff members, in general, but in particular school counselors. The research questions focused on getting the students descriptions of the staff members roles and functions within the school. The study was conducted using focus group interviews. The answers were divided into themes and then analyzed using role theory and previous research. The results showed that the students relationships with family, friends and previous knowledge about the staff members in school, affects their willingness to seek the support of school staff members. For a student in need of support to approach a school counselor, it's important that the student has previously been acquainted with them. There is no general consensus among students on what a school counselor's tasks consists of. It is also rare that a student will voluntarily contact a school counselor themselves if they don't feel they know them well. The experience students get when interacting with staff members at school affects the students decisions regarding who to approach when in need of support.</p>

The purpose of this study was to examine how Swedish high school students view school staff members, in general, but in particular school counselors. The research questions focused on getting the students descriptions of the staff members roles and functions within the school. The study was conducted using focus group interviews. The answers were divided into themes and then analyzed using role theory and previous research. The results showed that the students relationships with family, friends and previous knowledge about the staff members in school, affects their willingness to seek the support of school staff members. For a student in need of support to approach a school counselor, it's important that the student has previously been acquainted with them. There is no general consensus among students on what a school counselor's tasks consists of. It is also rare that a student will voluntarily contact a school counselor themselves if they don't feel they know them well. The experience students get when interacting with staff members at school affects the students decisions regarding who to approach when in need of support.

Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att öka vår förståelse kring vad barn och ungdomarbehöver för att klara skolan och lämna såväl grundskolan som gymnasiet med godkändabetyg. Detta främst utifrån vad ungdomar själva anser vara viktiga påverkansfaktorer. Någotvi menar är högst relevant för det sociala arbetet, inte minst det skolsociala, då utbildningbidrar till att förebygga social utslagning. För att uppnå vårt syfte utformade vi fyraforskningsfrågor; (1) Vilka personliga färdigheter eller förmågor är enligt elevernabetydelsefulla för att få godkända betyg? (2) Vilka faktorer i familj/närmiljön tänker elevernaär centrala för att få godkända betyg? (3) Vilka faktorer/insatser från skolans sida ansereleverna är centrala för att få godkända betyg? (4) Vilka faktorer anser eleverna har haft störstbetydelse för dem under den egna skolgången? I vår uppsats har vi valt att använda oss av enkvalitativ metod. Utifrån en semistrukturerad intervjuguide har vi genomfört intervjuer medfyra elever samt en lärare på en gymnasieskola i en medelstor svensk kommun. För attanalysera vår empiri har vi använt oss av systemteori, copingteori samt resiliensperspektivet.Vi ansåg att dessa teorier på ett fullgott sätt belyste såväl helheten som delarna och därmedtydliggör eventuella samband/ samspel vad gäller vilka faktorer som på ett positivt sättpåverkar de ungas studieresultat. Det resultat vi fick i vår empiri samstämde väl med dentidigare forskning inom området som vi tagit del av. I vår empiri framkommer stöd frånföräldrarna som den viktigaste påverkansfaktorn för att elever ska klara nå uppsatta mål förgodkända betyg, följt av individuella förmågor så som en svårdefinierad inre kraft samtlättlärdhet. Vad som blir tydligt för oss, vilket även teorierna stödjer, är att det inte helt enkeltgår att särskilja riskfaktorer från skyddsfaktorer. Huruvida en påverkansfaktor utgör en riskeller ett skydd för en individ avgörs i relation till den sociala omgivning där individenbefinner sig. / The purpose of this paper has been to increase our understanding of the needs of children andyoung adults in order to pass secondary and upper secondary school. We have put emphasizein the factors and elements young adults themselves find of importance, something we believeis highly relevant for social work, not least the school social, as education contributes toprevent social exclusion. To achieve our purpose, we formulated four questions of research;(1) According to the students, what personal skills or traits are useful in order for them to passschool? (2) According to the students, what factors in the family/immediate environment arecentral in order for them to pass school? (3) According to the students, whatfactors/interventions from the institution are central in order for them to pass school? (4)According to the students, what factors have been the most important for their success duringtheir own time in school? We have chosen to use a qualitative method in our paper. We haveconducted interviews with four students and one teacher in a mid-sized Swedish municipality,using a semi-structured interview guide. To analyze our empiric studies, we have used asystem theory coping theory and resilience theory. We believed that these theories wouldfully illustrate both the bigger picture, as well as the details, and thereby make visible anylinks/connections between factors which in a positive way influence study results. The resultswe derived from our empiric studies were concurrent with other research in the same field. Inour empiric research, we can see that support from the parents is the single most importantfactor for students to pass school, followed by individuals skills such as a loosely defined‘inner power’ and an ability to learn quickly. It has become evident to us- and this issupported by the theories- that it is not possible to separate risk factors from protectionfactors. Whether a factor can be classed as a risk or as protective for an individual depends on the social environment of that very individual.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980.

Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka hur fem rektorer beskrev sina erfarenheter av att leda skolsocialt arbete i grundskolan. Detta är viktigt att studera då elevers skolproblematik har ökat både pedagogiskt och socialt. Med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer med rektorer från både kommunala och fristående skolor undersöktes vilken betydelse rektorers erfarenheter hade för hur de såg på det skolsociala arbetet. Studien omfattade även hur rektorer beskrev sin komplexa yrkesroll och om rektorerna hade upplevt någon förändring inom det skolsociala arbetet över tid. I litteraturen som låg till grund för denna uppsats framställdes det skolsociala arbetet som komplext och tidskrävande. Studiens huvudresultat och slutsats är att skolsocialt arbete idag omfattar en större del socialt arbete än tidigare, vilket tar tid och ekonomiska resurser från det pedagogiska arbetet. Vi frågar oss om detta kan vara en bidragande orsak till att kunskapsresultaten bland svenska elever har minskat. / Title: The future starts in school – Principals’ experience of managing school social work in elementary schools.The aim of this essay was to examine how five principals described their experiences of managing the school social work in elementary schools. This is important to study since student educational and social failure in school has increased. Using qualitative interviews with principals from both municipal and privately owned schools we examined how the principals’ experiences influenced the school social work. The study included how the principals described their complex professional role and if the principals had experienced any changes in the school social work over time. In the literature on which this essay was based on, school social work was described as complex and time consuming. The essay’s conclusion is that school social work today includes a lot of social work, which takes time and financial resources from the educational process. We question if this can be a contributing reason to the decrease in knowledge results among Swedish students.