Drawing from a qualitative semi structured interview format, this study aims to better understand and examine how the social work programme among universities in Sweden teach antiracist and/or other critical theories regarding race and racism to its students. Theories of colorblindness and critical whiteness are used to analyze empiricism; previous research from the field is also used to build a holistic understanding. The empiricism is based on eight racialized individuals: seven social work students and one newly graduated. The essay shows the students experiences regarding the critical anti racist practice and education varies little. All students, except one, did not have enough antiracist or race-centered theories that aimed to combat racism and build a better understanding of the dynamic power structures that can affect the social work praxis and outcome. The essay concludes that more work is needed in order to build better equipped social workers of the future that can combat racism in an antiracist social work manner.

Thesis (DPhil (Social Work))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The policy statements of South Africa stipulate that students of social work have to be led in an interactive way during teaching and learning in order to prepare them for their career, but also to attain the outcomes of the current tertiary education system of South Africa. These outcomes have, among others, the purpose of empowering students to develop into critical thinkers. During the mentioned teaching and learning process students are given the opportunity of bringing their own diverse frames of reference and experiences to the learning situation and share with one another. Because different inputs are accommodated in the teaching- and learning process, students get the opportunity to appreciate their own diversity, that of their fellow students, as well as the diversity of society. Students can consciously reflect on this and so doing understand theory better and eventually integrate it. Lecturers in social work are not necessarily prepared and equipped to teach effectively within the mentioned context. Although teaching and learning in social work is unique, the effectiveness of the process of teaching and learning depends on the implementation of a suitable teaching style by the lecturer, as well as the fitting of this style to the particular learning style of the students by which empowering teaching and learning is facilitated. In this research, the Huguenot College, Wellington was used as a case study to critically study the application of interactive teaching and learning. A combined qualitative and quantitative research method was used to involve the final year students in social work in an exploratory study. Eight principal themes, including the traditional Christian character of the Huguenot College and the preferred method of study of the students were researched. Significant findings of this study indicate that: • The students in social work at the Huguenot College are of the opinion that the Christian character of this institute should be preserved to play a role in teaching and learning and that the appropriate accommodation of the diverse spiritual needs of the students augments the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process. • The students in social work at the Huguenot College prefer to study according to a combination of the Assimilative Study Method (observe-and-think) and the Convergent Study Method (think-and-do). These two learning styles correspond with the expectations of the outcomes based education system, according to which, among others, students are expected to be critical thinkers in effective teaching and learning. • Lecturers in social work impair the effective handling of diversity during teaching and learning because class discussions on sensitive issues are ignored and the lecturers do not demonstrate adequate knowledge and understanding of the differences among students in a diverse context. In conclusion the recommendations of this study are given as guidelines for lecturers in social work in order to optimize interactive teaching and learning. The most important recommendations resulting from this study indicate that: • The most relevant and appropriate way in which the Christian character of the Huguenot College can be accommodated has to be examined and implemented and the Christian church communities have to become involved in an appropriate way as co-role players in the teaching and learning of prospective social workers. • The course of the historic events at the Huguenot College must be utilized to stimulate the critical thinking process of the students. • Lecturers in social work must make a concerted effort to increase interactive teaching and learning in social work by, for example, fitting the unique learning styles of the students to appropriate teaching styles in a creative way with the view to optimizing the teaching and learning process.

This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of the California Brief Multicultural Competence Scale (CBMCS) and training as a tool to increase cultural competency skills. The interest of this was to determine if the training brought about a change in empathy or effectively increased knowledge about the importance of culture.

Thesis (DPhil (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Traditional means for social work students to share their capstone field work experiences in the academic setting have primarily focused on articulating this experience using verbal skills, reports and other forms of written documentation. The ability of students to explain the nuances of agency environments, clientele, the acquisition and demonstration of transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, organizing and planning skills and critical thinking abilities in a descriptively rich fashion is quite limited. The aim of the study is to determine the perceived meaning, and significance of students’ photographed artifacts. This qualitative study incorporated an exploratory design using visual imagery, reflective writing techniques and photo-elicitation interviews. This process provided students the opportunity to illustrate the depth and breath of their capstone field work experiences. The study resulted in 110 participant-produced photographs taken in three domains: At the agency, Outside the agency and Personal. Six overarching themes developed from the analyzed data: (1) safety, (2) environment and atmosphere, (3) transportation, (4) frustration and stress, (5) inspiration, coping and hope and (6) transferable skills. The findings reflect the unique perspective of students’ capstone field work experience that can be shared with social work students, educators, and practitioners.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The impetus for this study is contextualised within social work teaching and learning and arose from the emergence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) of social work students. The researcher had become increasingly interested in the ways in which these ACEs impacted on students in social work classrooms and felt compelled to enquire what the responses of teaching and learning in social work should be. The rationale for the study was further established by the dearth of research in this focal area. The research goal was to gain an understanding of the experiences of third-year students and the perspectives of social work teachers with regard to the role of adverse childhood experiences during teaching and learning activities and to recommend meaningful teaching practices. There were seven research objectives that focused on obtaining theoretical perspectives from the literature and on exploring and describing the adverse childhood experiences of students within the context of teaching and learning in social work. The research objectives generated the central research question: What are the learning experiences of third-year social work students at a South African university with regard to the role of their own adverse childhood experiences? A qualitative approach and case study design was deemed the most appropriate research philosophy and method to address the study’s objectives and central research question. The case study design was used to explore how individuals (third-year social work students at the University of the Western Cape) experienced a particular phenomenon (in this case adverse childhood experiences) in relation to teaching and learning within a social work context. To provide credence to the two purposes of this research, namely exploring and describing, two methods and two sources of data were utilised: (i) a reflective assignment in a specific social work third-year module from which 20 assignments were selected using purposive sampling; and (ii) individual interviews with ten student participants (derived from the sample of assignments) and two teaching staff participants. Three overarching topics emerged from the findings, namely the adverse childhood experiences of student participants; the after-effects of adverse childhood experiences in the context of teaching and learning in social work; and suggestions by participants for social work teaching and learning in the context of adverse childhood experiences. Each topic was delineated further into themes, sub-themes, and categories. The conclusions are that there was compelling evidence showing students to have endured formidable adverse childhood experiences; that students experienced overwhelming emotional reactions and responses during teaching and learning that exposed vicarious traumatisation; and that gaps present in current teaching and learning practices in social work render these practices insufficient to meet the learning needs of students. Three core recommendations relating to teaching and learning are offered: To develop the content of professional learning in the social work curriculum regarding the professional use of self, self-awareness and virtue ethics; to reconstruct and reaffirm the signature pedagogy regarding teaching and learning approaches and methods in social work; and to align fieldwork and placement learning with student profiles while also focusing on lecturer attentiveness and responsiveness. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die impetus vir hierdie studie is vervat in die onderrig en leer in maatskaplike werk van maatskaplike werk studente wat afbrekende kindertydse ervarings (AKE’s) deurgemaak het. Die navorser, wie se belangstelling al hoe meer geprikkel is deur die wyse waarop hierdie AKE’s studente in maatskaplike werk in die lesingsaal beïnvloed, is genoodsaak om inligting in te win oor wat die reaksie op onderrig en leer in maatskaplike werk behoort te wees. Die rasionaal vir die studie is verder deur die gebrek aan navorsing in hierdie fokusarea versterk. Die doel van die navorsings was om begrip vir die ervarings van derdejaarstudente en die perspektiewe van maatskaplikewerkdosente te ontwikkel oor die rol van AKE’s tydens onderrig- en leeraktiwiteite, en om betekenisvolle onderrigpraktyke aan te beveel. Die fokus van die sewe navorsingsdoelwitte was die inwin van teoretiese perspektiewe, asook die eksplorering en beskrywing van studente se AKE’s binne die konteks van die onderrig en leer van maatskaplike werk. Die navorsingsdoelwitte het die sentrale navorsingsvraag gegenereer: Hoe ervaar derdejaarstudente hul eie afbrekende kindertydse ervarings in maatskaplike werk aan ’n Suid-Afrikaanse universiteit? n Kwalitatiewe benadering en gevallestudiemetode is as geskikte metodes beskou om die studie se doelwitte en sentrale navorsingsvraag te ondersoek. Die gevallestudiemetode is gebruik om na te vors hoe individue (derdejaarstudente in maatskaplike werk aan die Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland) ’n spesifieke fenomeen (in hierdie geval AKE’s) ten opsigte van onderrig en leer binne die konteks van maatskaplike werk ervaar. Om geloofwaardigheid te verleen aan die twee doelwitte van hierdie navorsing, naamlik ’n verkennings ondersoek en beskrywing, is van twee metodes en twee databronne gebruik gemaak: (i) ’n Reflektiewe taak in ’n spesifieke derdejaarmodule in maatskaplike werk waaruit 20 take met behulp van ’n doelbewuste steekproef gekies is; en (ii) individuele onderhoude met tien deelnemende studente (gekies uit die steekproef van take), en twee deelnemende dosente. Drie oorkoepelende onderwerpe het uit die bevindinge na vore gekom, naamlik die AKE’s van studentedeelnemers; die nagevolge van afbrekende kindertydse ervarings binne die konteks van die onderrig en leer van maatskaplike werk; en voorstelle van deelnemers vir onderrig en leer van maatskaplike werk binne die konteks van AKE’s. Elke onderwerp word verder in temas, subtemas en kategorieë weergegee. Die gevolgtrekking is dat oortuigende bewyse bestaan wat toon dat studente ontsaglik AKE’s deurgemaak het; dat studente oorweldigende emosionele reaksies en response ervaar tydens onderrig en leer wat tot indirekte traumatisering lei; en dat daar tekortkominge is in die huidige onderrig- en leermetodes vir maatskaplike werk wat nie genoegsaam aandag gee aan die leerbehoeftes van studente nie. Daar is drie kernaanbevelings rakende onderrig en leer: Om die omvang van professionele leer ten opsigte van die professionele gebruik van die self, selfbewustheid en deugsaamheid in die maatskaplike werk-kurrikulum te ontwikkel; om maatskaplike werk se kenmerkende pedagogie oor onderrig- en leerbenaderings en metodes te rekonstrueer en te herbevestig; en om praktiese plasing en leer tydens plasing met die profiel van ’n student te belyn, terwyl die fokus ook op die oplettendheid en reaksie van die dosent moet wees.

Graduate social work students are mandated to be cultural competent to work with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients. This exploratory study examined how best to teach graduate social work students to be culturally competent in working with LGB clients by assessing their perceived competence of attitudes, knowledge and skills as well as their demonstrated competence through case vignettes. The study compared a current pedagogical method of infusing LGB material across the curricula with two types of brief trainings (didactic lecture and experiential) . This mixed methods study utilized a pretest/posttest design to examine the effects of the trainings as well as qualitative responses from the participants. Results offer suggestions as to which pedagogical approach might be most effective in helping social work students gain competence for working with LGB individuals.

BACKGROUND: Academic training of social work students is fundamental to the development of quality workforce. Social workers have worked with drug users and their families since the formation of social work field. Due the diversity of target groups and a number of services in which social workers can act, many of them are employed in services for drug users. Education and training of social work students does not focus enough on the field of addictology. AIMS: To provide a systematic overview of the results of published research studies, dealing with university education of social workers in the field of substance abuse in Europe and the USA. To find out how the training of social workers in the field of substance abuse is organized. METHODS: The resulting product is a systematic review of scientific articles. Articles have been searched in national databases according to the specific criteria, keywords and their combinations. The target group consists of studies dealing with the university education of social workers in the field of substance abuse. The tool for managing reference (EndNote) was used for data analysis and data processing. To clarify and categorize data, PRISMA flow diagram was used. From a total of 552 studies found, 19 articles were included into the analysis as eligible. Then...

This essay is a qualitative study that explores the importance of social workers with different levels of work experience and their attributes to social work education, who meet the challenges of working life. The study made a comparison between social workers who have one to two years of work experience and five to ten years of work experience at the Social Service Centre in Kalmar. Semi-structured interviews have been used. The essay contains information about the regime New Public Management (NPM) that gives knowledge of how the public sector looks today, which gives a greater understanding of what the interviewees are faced with regarding their challenges in working life. Referring to previous research, it was found that a common occurrence within social education students is a feeling of being unprepared and feeling uncertain about future careers. The results gained from the study showed that the social workers with five to ten years of work experience use knowledge from education more in their everyday work, compared to the social workers with one to two years of work experience. Also the social workers with more work experience had gained an overall view of what social work is about, owing to the education. In the result, it was also found that all interviewees regardless of work experience felt that social work education should include more practice to prepare them for working life.

The purpose of the present study was to explore and examine the stressors and coping mechanisms used by Master of Social Work (MSW) students. A quantitative survey with some qualitative questions was conducted using a sample of MSW students from California State University, San Bernardino. Data for this study was collected through a self-administered, online questionnaire survey distributed by the MSW program administration. Quantitative data was analyzed through SPSS software by conducting descriptive statistics, frequencies, and independent sample t-test. Qualitative data was analyzed by coding and identifying major themes. Student groups were compared based on program format, which was determined on their standing status as a stipend recipient. The majority of survey participants were non-recipient students (n=45, 60%) and 24 identified as Title IV-E Child Welfare stipend recipients (32%). Results showed that there was no significant difference in the amount of stress experienced by students depending on their program format; however, some differences were identified in preferred coping mechanisms. Based on the results of this study, it is respectfully recommended that the MSW program at California State University, San Bernardino further explores and considers the responses of the students. This study also calls for future research related to MSW students’ stressors and coping mechanisms.

The purpose of this research was to determine, describe and analyze the patterns of social service curricula in Uruguay. This exploratory study obtained data about structured and unstructured social service education, and the educational and professional backgrounds of educators and social service workers. The research process included: (1) administration of a questionnaire to University of the Republic's School of Social Service (EUSS) faculty to determine their perceptions of School curriculum, and their personal backgrounds; (2) administration of a questionnaire to social service workers in Montevideo to determine their perceptions of their professional education, and their personal backgrounds; (3) analysis of structured social service at EUSS and the Institute of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters’ (IFCL) Department of Social Service (formerly School of Social Service of Uruguay); (4) analysis of in-service social service education offered in Montevideo; and (5) observation of and participation in social service activities essentially in Montevideo. Forty-four faculty members of EUSS and one hundred and twenty social service workers responded to questionnaires. The results of the present research may be summarized thusly: (1) the social service professional respondents demonstrated a complete dedication to their profession and to the well-being of less fortunate members of Uruguayan society; (2) perceptions held by EUSS faculty about twenty-two courses of the EUSS 1979 curriculum were: nine courses, satisfactory in content; twelve courses, improve content; and one course, considerable content improvement required; (3) social service curricula of EUSS and IFCL differed notably in their requirements in social sciences, methodology and special course work; (4) the curricular mission of the Institute for Domestic Social Training (IFFS) appeared overly concerned with the family unit; (5) EUSS practicum training was poorly supervised by faculty, a broad spectrum of training sites was not used, and agency personnel were not utilized sufficiently for supervision of interns; (6) in-service educational offerings were limited in scope and number, and schools of social service were not meeting the continuing education needs of professional workers; (7) rural social service needs were not being met by structured and in-service education, nor was sufficient research being done about rural social problems; (8) insufficient research was being directed toward the indigenization and reconceptualization of social service curricula; (9) EUSS instructors were all part-time and limited in post-graduate training; (10) interest in postgraduate courses and a masters' degree program was high among EUSS faculty and social service professionals; and (11) graduates of Uruguayan schools of social service were limited in their ability to conduct independent research or to accept mid-level administrative positions due to minimal training in these two educational areas. EUSS faculty and social service professional defined social service priority curricular areas of emphasis for the 1980 as health, primary and secondary education, children, housing, the family, and social rehabilitation. Several conclusions and recommendations were derived from this research, including: (1) EUSS and IFCL curricula differed in emphasis on the social sciences and methodology courses; (2) social service education should be divided, and undergraduate education should be the responsibility of IFCL, and post-graduate education, as a structured masters’ degree program, the responsibility of the University of the Republic through a newly founded Graduate School of Social Service. In-service education should be a cooperative program involving all public and private social service educational institutions; (3) social service educators and professional workers should unite to influence national social policy formation; and (4) social service educators and professionals should give high priority to research to meet future needs of the Uruguayan society.