In the field of Native social work education, the concept of "culturally relevant education" is poorly defined despite increasing student enrollment and development of programs. This study employed a qualitative approach to explore with twelve students, enrolled in a B.S.W. program at a Native college in Merritt, B.C., their experiences and meanings of this concept. In-depth interviews and a focus group were conducted; data were transcribed and analyzed, using grounded theory and narrative analysis, to generate concepts, elements, and themes. Four interactive themes emerged, that when taken together, tell a story of what "culturally relevant education" meant to these Native students: the four themes were Learning What It Is To Be Indian; Healing Residual Personal and Cultural Issues; Integrating the Two Worlds, Aboriginal and White; and, Becoming the Teacher. The principle finding was that students made cultural relevance for themselves. Various elements, such as Indian Studies courses and Native instructors, seemed to support students making cultural relevance. This study indicates that making cultural relevance was highly individualistic and situation-specific, and required competence in mainstream culture and a First Nation's culture. Educators, programs, and institutions can, and should, help students access the necessary elements. The main criterion for determining such elements should be the extent to which they strengthen student's Aboriginal self- identity and worth: it seems that strong Aboriginal self-identity and worth is what supported the student's ability to make cultural relevance. Further research into the phenomenon of making cultural relevance is indicated.

The problem identified as the focus of this study is the absence of a scale that measures social functioning with validated norms for any population group in South Africa. The need for such an instrument is highlighted by the importance of measurement to social work practice. Descriptions and definitions of "social functioning" in social work literature are evaluated and social functioning is operationally defined. Various approaches to the measurement of social functioning and contemporary ideas concerning the measurement of marital and family life are explored. Literature pertaining to the Heimler Scale of Social Functioning (HSSF), the measurement instrument selected in this study to measure social functioning, is examined and systematized and research findings on the HSSF are reviewed. The examination of the HSSF is focussed on the reliability of the scale for three population groups in South Africa : Whites, Indians and Blacks. The HSSF was administered to client sample groups (N = 281) from three types of welfare agencies in Durban, South Africa. These welfare organisations represent the counterparts of the British welfare agencies from which samples were drawn in the original validation study of the HSSF. As English and Zulu speaking clients are included in sample groups, the HSSF had to be translated into Zulu. The questions included in the HSSF appear to be suitable in a construct that attempts to measure social functioning and the Zulu translation of the HSSF appears to be acceptable. Findings of the study show that the international norms of the HSSF cannot be applied without adjustment across racial and ethnic boundaries and certain changes to the norms for specific client groups are recommended. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1986.

Theories of anti-oppressive social work address social inequity through social justice perspectives. Recent literature in disability studies and social justice has not been extensively included in social work debate. I locate my research in between these two literatures. I examine how women with disabilities are portrayed in texts used in training undergraduate anti-oppressive social workers. I use an experience-based understanding of knowledge as a feminist social worker and a woman with a disability. The analysis of three texts shows that these particular depictions are wide-ranging though dated, and can unfortunately be mistaken as singularly definitive of all women with disabilities.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1979. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, 2006. / School of Social Work, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Advisor(s): William H. Barton, Nancy Chism, Carol Hostetter, Marjorie Lyles, Cathy Pike. Includes vitae. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-118).

This study focused on how mainstream, social work education in the Maritime provinces prepares social workers to work with Indigenous peoples. This study adhered to principles of decolonization and Indigenous ways of researching. Five undergraduate, social work educators were interviewed using open-ended questions and a conversational interviewing style. An interview guide was used, and the broader research questions looked at what is being taught about Indigenous histories, politics, policies, research, cultures and worldviews, how it is being taught and who is teaching it? This study used thematic analysis to identify common themes in the data and themes which were interesting to the overall research questions. Themes identified were history, research as change, eurocentrism & deconstruction, allies, classroom as community and Indigenizing and decolonizing. This study implicated important roles for the schools of social work, social work educators, provincial associations and the Canadian Association for Social work education in addressing the multi-generational trauma caused by colonization and oppression of Indigenous peoples. It was concluded that for this to be successful, there is need for more support in the schools of social work for both Indigenous educators and non-Indigenous allies. / Graduate

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2017-03-27T19:20:27Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação completa_versão final digital.pdf: 1307441 bytes, checksum: f6bd4ca46869eb1c6594b66dfcbd2b1e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-27T19:20:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação completa_versão final digital.pdf: 1307441 bytes, checksum: f6bd4ca46869eb1c6594b66dfcbd2b1e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-01 / Esta pesquisa buscou desvelar as demandas institucionais e as respostas profissionais mobilizadas pelos/as assistentes sociais nos programas de assistência estudantil das universidades federais de Pernambuco (UFPE, UFRPE e UNIVASF). Para tanto, foi feita uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, enfocando o contexto da contrarreforma universitária, em sua nova fase, iniciada no início do século XXI. Esse estudo pretende responder à seguinte questão: como os/as assistentes sociais inseridos nos programas de assistência estudantil estão respondendo às demandas institucionais, tendo em vista que essas demandas expressam um projeto de educação divergente daquele defendido pelas entidades representativas da categoria, especialmente, o conjunto CFESS/CRESS. A nossa hipótese de trabalho apontou que a intervenção do Serviço Social, nesse espaço sócio-ocupacional, é atravessada pela lógica produtivista, a qual demanda o desempenho de atividades imediatistas. No desenvolvimento desse estudo, buscamos apreender as principais determinações para a ampliação da contratação de assistentes sociais para os programas de assistência estudantil. Nesse sentido, realizamos uma análise bibliográfica referente à atual configuração das políticas sociais e, particularmente, do ensino superior e foi visto também o debate promovido pelo conjunto CFESS/CRESS em torno do trabalho dos/as assistentes sociais nas instituições de ensino. Além disso, foi realizada uma pesquisa de campo junto aos profissionais de Serviço Social que atuam na assistência estudantil nas universidades federais de Pernambuco. Como resultados, foi identificado que a inserção dos/as assistentes sociais no ensino superior está relacionada com a tendência de seletividade e focalização que marca os programas de assistência estudantil, que as demandas institucionais são caracterizadas por ações imediatistas e que esses/as profissionais não têm conseguido ultrapassar as requisições institucionais. / This research aimed to reveal the institutional demands and professional answers mobilized by social workers in student assistance programs of the federal universities of Pernambuco (UFPE, UFRPE and UNIVASF). Therefore, a qualitative research was conducted, focusing on the context of the university counter reformation in its new phase, which began in the early twenty-first century. This study aims to answer the question: how social workers inserted in student assistance programs are responding to institutional demands, thinking these demands express a dissenting education project that advocated by organizations representing the category, especially, the set CFESS / CRESS. Our working hypothesis pointed out that the Social Services intervention in this socio-occupational space, is crossed by the productivist logic, which demands the performance of immediacy activities. In the development of this study, we seek to grasp the main determinations to expand hiring social workers to the student assistance programs. Thus, we did a literature analysis for the current configuration of social policies and, particularly, higher education and has also seen the debate promoted by CFESS / CRESS set around the work of social workers in educational institutions. In addition, a field research was conducted with the professionals of Social Services who work in student assistance in the federal universities of Pernambuco. As a result, it was identified that the integration of social workers in higher education is related to the tendency to selectivity and targeting that marks the student assistance programs, the institutional demands are characterized by immediacy and that these professional haven’t managed to overcome the institutional requests.

In the field of Native social work education, the concept of "culturally relevant education" is poorly defined despite increasing student enrollment and development of programs. This study employed a qualitative approach to explore with twelve students, enrolled in a B.S.W. program at a Native college in Merritt, B.C., their experiences and meanings of this concept. In-depth interviews and a focus group were conducted; data were transcribed and analyzed, using grounded theory and narrative analysis, to generate concepts, elements, and themes. Four interactive themes emerged, that when taken together, tell a story of what "culturally relevant education" meant to these Native students: the four themes were Learning What It Is To Be Indian; Healing Residual Personal and Cultural Issues; Integrating the Two Worlds, Aboriginal and White; and, Becoming the Teacher. The principle finding was that students made cultural relevance for themselves. Various elements, such as Indian Studies courses and Native instructors, seemed to support students making cultural relevance. This study indicates that making cultural relevance was highly individualistic and situation-specific, and required competence in mainstream culture and a First Nation's culture. Educators, programs, and institutions can, and should, help students access the necessary elements. The main criterion for determining such elements should be the extent to which they strengthen student's Aboriginal self- identity and worth: it seems that strong Aboriginal self-identity and worth is what supported the student's ability to make cultural relevance. Further research into the phenomenon of making cultural relevance is indicated. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Social work can be perceived as a global profession, built upon a certain foundation of global values and ethical principles - like human rights, social justice, equity and empowerment - that are applicable everywhere regardless of context. In contrast, it can also be perceived as a locally based profession that needs to take local-specific conditions – such as culture and indigenous traditions – into account. Regardless, it is a profession that exists all over the world, due to globalization having spread both social issues and profession itself across national borders. From a postcolonial perspective, contemporary international social work is equivalent to a new form of imperialism, i.e. that what started out as a western profession has now spread its values and methods to non-western contexts where they are not as well suited. This puts the profession in an almost paradoxical situation, as social work’s aim is to help socially vulnerable people improve their living situations and inspire them to self-actualization and empowerment, but by advocating this in the non-western world, western social work imposes ideas and methods onto contexts where they do not occur naturally. This brings a dilemma for social work regarding how to deal with global issues. One option is to acknowledge social workers’ role as ‘helpers’ and strive to help people regardless of context, using existing methods and values. Another option is to acknowledge the West’s historic role as imperialists trying to take over the world, and thus let the third World solve their own issues without further involvement in order to avoid contemporary colonialism. By interviewing Swedish social work students - whom all have completed educational field placements in non-western countries - this study strives to analyse how social work students that have experienced social work in non-western contexts relate to international social work and issues that come with it. This includes theoretical understanding, the role of social work education and their own roles as future professionals. The results show that the students found it frustrating to simultaneously want to help out and not be perceived as imperialistic. The conclusion was that the most important contributions western social workers can make in non-western contexts is to be aware of historical events and the contemporary part they play in global power structures, as well as try to humbly adapt to foreign cultures and accept differences rather than assume your own culture as automatically normative.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Many teaching and learning practices in higher education, including social work education in South Africa, tend to be characterised by a transmission mode of instruction, whereby knowledge moves from the expert educator to the student. This study investigates the extent to which an authentic learning framework can be used to improve the teaching of meso practice in social work to a class of 80 second-year students at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. A modified version of educational design-based research, was deployed which created a set of guidelines to inform future research and course design. Design-based research includes an iterative process, however, and the four-phased modified version of design-based research used in this study deploys just one roll-out of a redesigned course on meso practice, using the elements of authentic learning (Herrington, Reeves & Oliver, 2010). Phase 1 consisted of a review of the literature on meso practice education and the authentic learning framework. Phase 2 involved an analysis of practical problems identified by six educators and four field instruction supervisors, based on the way they teach and supervise students in the area of meso practice intervention. In Phase 3 the course was implemented and evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by the student participants and four field instruction supervisors. Phase 4 consisted of a reflection on the entire process, to produce design guidelines using the elements of authentic learning and the inclusion of affect in course design. Mixed-methods research was undertaken, incorporating primarily qualitative data with quantitative data from a survey conducted with the students. Findings from this study have led to an augmented list of authentic learning elements, which includes the use of affect in meso practice and the development of guidelines for educators which have the potential to be relevant and applicable in other courses, contexts and disciplines. / NRF / Pillay, R. (2017). Crafting a meso practice course using elements of authentic learning for undergraduate social work students in South Africa. PhD thesis. University of the Western Cape