published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The aim of this study has been to highlight how school social workers experience their discretion, and furthermore how they feel about working in a context mainly dedicated to teachers. The study is executed with a qualitative research method where ten interviews with school social workers, in eight schools in the area of Stockholm have been conducted. The theoretical framework used to analyze the results was discretion, street-level bureaucracy and human service organizations.The main findings of this study imply that the most important ambition of the social work that was conducted in the schools was to help the students reach their knowledge goals. The assignment is, however, not clearly defined, which has lead to school social workers defining the mission and goals themselves. They all have wide discretion and great possibilities to decide how to execute their work, but how they use the freedom that was given seems to vary among them. An additional finding was that being a school social worker is often a solitary role in the organization, and therefore most of them highlight the importance of enjoying independent work and having a co-worker to discuss their work with.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-102).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006. / Title from title page screen, viewed on June 7, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Connie Horton (chair), Adena Meyers, Dan Greybill, Susan Smith. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-139) and abstract. Also available in print.

This study proceeds from the assumption that art as a creative modality, is capable of deepening the individual's awareness of the self and the manner in which he communicates and forms relationships with his self as well as with significant others. This assumption is supported by references to personality theory which is essentially client-centred in origin. The study describes and assesses the value of art as a therapy for the emotionally troubled adolescent, focusing on the process rather than the product. The results would indicate that art is therapeutic as the cathartic experience allows the graphic image to speak in symbolic language for the client, allowing the therapist to observe the client's psychic relationships and his coming to terms with his self. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur skolkuratorer ser på samverkan mellan hem och skola och att identifiera vilka förhållningssätt i socialt arbete samt förebyggande och åtgärdande insatser som skolkuratorer använder i föräldrasamverkan. Betydelsen av föräldrars delaktighet i barnens skolgång är erkänd internationellt, tillsammans med skolkuratorers roll i samverkan mellan hem och skola. Behov av mer förebyggande arbete i form av samverkan mellan hem och skola lyfts fram internationellt, medan behovet av mer främjande och förebyggande arbetet i Sverige lyfts fram utan någon tydlig koppling till föräldrasamverkan. Det finns ingen svensk forskning om skolkuratorers roll i skolans föräldrasamverkan. För informationsinsamling har fem skolkuratorer i grundskolor inom Örebro län intervjuats. Materialet har analyserats med hjälp av tre teoretiska modeller. Resultaten visar att kuratorerna ser många uttryck i skolan för att hem och skola ska vara åtskilda och att de önskar en ökad samverkan. Kuratorerna använder de olika praktikteoretiska förhållningssätten uppgiftscentrerat, systemteoretiskt, empowerment och antiförtryckande förhållningssätt i sitt arbete, med tonvikt på det förstnämnda. Kuratorerna arbetar i högre grad åtgärdande än förebyggande. / The purpose of this study is to examine the view of school counselors concerning the cooperation between the home and school and to identify what practice theories in social work as well as preventive and treatment efforts are used in the cooperation with parents. The importance of parent participation in education are internationally recognized, as well as school counselors´ part in cooperation between school and families. Need of more prevention work are highlighted internationally, combined with models for school and family cooperation. Prevention perspective is also a part in the guidelines for Swedish school health care, but the connection to school and family cooperation is weak. There is no Swedish research concerning school counselors´ role in the cooperation with parents. To collect new information in this area five school counselors working in Örebro län has been interviewed. The material has been analyzed with the help of three different theoretical models. The result shows that even though the counselors want more cooperation there are many signs and expressions to keep the school and parents divided. There are a few different approaches used by the counselors, the task centered, the system theoretical, empowerment and the anti-oppressive. The most used approach is the task centered and the work is more focused on treatment activities than prevention.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The significant increase of social problems experienced by youth such as, teenage pregnancy, child abuse, child sexual offenses, substance abuse and violence impacted adversely on optimal development including learning, retention and throughput within the school context. These social and psychological barriers to learning are commonly addressed by social workers in the course of their work with individuals, families and communities. Therefore it was a natural progression to consider the appointment of social workers in the Western Cape Education System to address the challenges presented by these problems. The practice of school social work has subsequently become essential within the Department of Education. Service delivery in the Western Cape Education Department is centralized and school social workers fall under the auspices of circuit teams with school psychologists, learning support advisors, curriculum advisors and other education officials. This multidisciplinary team is managed by circuit team managers who do not necessarily have training in the disciplines of the respective professionals in their team. This system is called the matrix management system and implies a dual management approach in which health professionals e.g. school social workers, also report to the Head of Specialized Learner and Educator Support (HSLES). The dual or matrix management of school social workers includes a circuit team manager and an “acting senior school social worker.” This study focused on assessing the realities of school social workers being managed under this system and sought to develop guidelines for the management of school social workers. To this end, the present study was conceptualized as Intervention Research within a modified Design and Development model. This form of applied research is used to design and develop interventions to improve social problems using participatory methods. The modification entailed four phases where each phase consisted of operational steps. The first phase focused on project planning that included problem analysis and information gathering as operational steps. This phase aimed to formulate the core problem or focus of the research through rigorous contextualization within the current body of literature on School Social Work and empirical validation using key informants including school social workers. Subsequently document analysis of literature and policies; as well as thematic analysis of interviews and focus groups were conducted. The results informed the core problem or focus for the research. The resultant finding was that dual management impacted negatively on staff morale, professional development, coordination of services, effective service delivery and more broadly posed ethical dilemmas where practices were not aligned to statutory requirements and policy prescriptions of the South Africa Council of Social Workers. The second phase, Design and development, focused on developing a set of management guidelines that would address the problems reported in the experiences of school social workers, specifically related to the dual or matrix management. During this phase data collection included a survey of SSWs, and interviews to inform the management guidelines along with the findings from Phase one. The third phase, Development and Evaluation, focused on testing the proposed guidelines for feasibility and relevance to the problems encountered in a focus group with SSWs. The core findings suggested that SSWs welcomed the statutory base for their work or scope and the explicit recommendations for line management. The participants also responded favorably to the intention, content and recommendations included in the draft guidelines. Clear recommendations were made that were incorporated into a revision of the management guidelines. The evaluation was participatory and resulted in valuable feedback that refined and modified the management guidelines for school social workers. The fourth phase, Dissemination, focused on presenting the iterative process of the research and how the core findings in each phase culminated in the management guidelines. For the purposes of the thesis, dissemination entails the formalized presentation of the development and evaluation process of the guidelines in the form of a doctoral dissertation. Appropriate summative comments are made with clear recommendations for the possible adoption of the guidelines in practice that would enable advanced evaluation in field testing.

The significance of this project was to incorporate specific tasks into a classroom setting that would be used to enhance retained student's self-regulatory efficacy. The interns hypothesized that group interventions could help children who were retained to increase their belief in themselves and their abilities.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka skolkuratorns roll i arbetet mot mobbning. Systematisk litteraturgenomgång samt användande av innehållsanalys tillämpades för att besvara litteraturstudiens syfte och frågeställningar. Rollteori samt tidigare forskning utgjorde underlag för analys av resultat. Resultatet visade att begreppet mobbning av skolkuratorer kan tolkas olika och medför därav en syn på mobbning som är mångtydig. Skolkuratorer kan i sin förklaring av hur de ser på mobbning utgå ifrån ett eller flera perspektiv. Mobbning kan betraktas ur ett allmänorienterat, individorienterat eller miljöorienterat synsätt. Ett allmänorienterat synsätt utgår ifrån en helhetssyn kring eleverna. Ett individorienterat synsätt betraktar att elevers individuella svårigheter, kroniska tillstånd eller funktionsnedsättningar ger upphov till inblandning i mobbningsincidenter. Ett miljöorienterat synsätt innefattar en psykosocial syn där norm, kultur, familj, lärare samt klasskamrater betraktas som bidragande till involvering i mobbning. Arbetet mot mobbning betecknar en komplex funktion där skolkuratorns roll består av flera aktiviteter. Exempel på ett urval av aktiviteter involverar initiativ som individuella samtal, stödgrupper, medling samt samarbete med familj och skolpersonal. / The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of the school counselor in the work against bullying. A systematic review of literature and use of content analysis were applied to answer the aims and questions of the literature study. A role-theoretical framework and research provided the basis for analysis of results. The result showed that the concept of bullying by school counselors can be interpreted differently, and thus entails a view of bullying that is ambiguous. In their explanation of how they view bullying, school counselors can start from one or more perspectives. Bullying can be viewed from a general, individual or environmental view. A general-oriented view is based on a holistic view of the students. An individual-oriented view considers that students' individual difficulties, chronic conditions or disabilities give rise to involvement in bullying incidents. An environment-oriented view includes a psychosocial view where norm, culture, family, teachers and classmates are considered contributing to involvement in bullying. The work against bullying represents a complex function in which the role of the school counselor consists of several activities. Examples of a selection of activities involve initiatives such as individual discussions, support groups, mediation and collaboration with family and school staff.

This research study is an evaluation of a graduate social work training program funded by NIMH of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare entitled "Teaching-Trainingship Grant in School Social Work." This grant provides training opportunities in a field placement at John Adams High School in Portland, Oregon, for Portland State University School of Social Work Masters degree candidates. Originally approved in June 1969, the grant became operational for the school year 1970-71. In addition to faculty salaries, supplies, professional consu1tation, fees, etc. the grant provides trainee stipends for selected students participating in the program. Both first and second year students in the graduate program are eligible for field placement at John Adams High School where they spend two days per week as school social work trainees. The unit is currently instucted by an MSW social worker who is a faculty member of the School of Social Work at Portland State University. The instructor provides a variety of training experiences for students including direct services to clients and families, supervision, consultation, program development, teaching and research. The primary focus of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program. at Adams High School. Secondarily, this study will attempt to answer three basic questions: Can a graduate school social work field instruction program in public school social work on the elementary and secondary levels be evaluated? Can an ongoing instrument be developed allowing for evaluation of program and individual instruction? Can the study provide analytical data for the program director's evaluation of the effectiveness of his training? This study was undertaken by the authors because of an interest in program evaluation as an integral function of professional social work practice. We feel agencies, particularly those financed through public funds are increasingly being pressured to not only quantify, but to qualify program effectiveness. Funding bodies now require evaluative research documenting direction and effectiveness of social programs. Findings of this study should be of value not only to the funding source and the program director, but also to other students who in the future may wish to conduct similar studies in evaluation of graduate social work field instruction. The following chapter discusses the background and development of John Adams High School and the educational climate that made possible the inclusion of this training program as a part of the learning experiences offered. Chapter III deals with the objectives of the training program. Chapter IV examines evaluative research. Chapter V develops the methodology of the research. The charts and statistics used are examined in Chapter VI. The data are presented and analyzed in Chapter VII. Summary, conclusions and recommendations are then set forth in the final chapter.