Whiting & Birch (E-Journals)
Not a member yet
1165 research outputs found
Sort by
Knowledge production and social work
Get PDFPractice research can in itself be regarded as a specific form of knowledge production in social work with substantial potentials. Its possibilities as well as its challenges depend on the broader picture of knowledge production in the field. Important phenomena and trends in this broader picture are identified and discussed by using three perspectives on knowledge production: the epistemology, sociology of knowledge, and conceptualization of professions. Challenges can be identified in several of the newer trends and may be most clearly seen in the substantial changes in the dominant societal recreation of ‘professionalism’, which at the same time from a traditional point of view must be regarded as deprofessionalization. It is suggested, that practice research in this situation can play an important role in a knowledge production scaffolding a new understanding of professionalism and expertise
The Mirror method
Get PDFIn this article the Mirror is introduced as a reflective self and peer evaluation method, largely suitable for different social work sectors. It shows how Mirror was developed to be a learning structure that goes beyond the boundary between individual and collective. The consequences on knowledge production, learning and well being at work are discussed. It is argued that, when essential elements of the adaptation of the method are met in the operating environment, the Mirror process enhances expertise and well-being at work
Insights from the classroom
Get PDFA novel approach to expand ing student training in graduate masters of public health is to incorporate ethnographic methodological training, both observation and fieldwork, into courses teaching students about structural and environmental factors impacting on health outcomes. One such course is offered at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, where a course entitled ‘Structural Approaches in Global Health’ has both extended students’ prior methodological training, while also harnessing students’ insightful observations from their fieldwork and analysis of the New York City public health landscape
‘Teaching Hope’
Get PDFThis article provides a brief analysis and evaluation of a one-off cross-placement student group based around the theme ‘advocacy’, and presents the views of both the facilitator and the students who took part. It asks the questions: ‘Are cross-setting student groups useful in terms of development of reflective capacity in social work students?’ ‘Do themes from advocacy provide a good starting place for the discussion of social work values?’ and ‘Can advocacy principles be applied across social work settings, and what are the potential benefits and obstacles?’. Some conclusions and recommendations are offered
Cultivating reflexivity in social work students
Get PDFSocial 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
When is a personal care task not just a task?
Get PDFThis small scale study examined social work students’ attitudes to undertaking personal care tasks whilst involved in practice learning opportunities (PLOs) in private sector residential care, mostly with older people. A rationale for placing students in residential settings, within the requirements of social work education in Scotland, and the value of this for their learning, is explored. The authors then examine why students should be involved in undertaking personal care. A literature review highlights the main areas of study, namely value-behaviour congruence, notions of professionalism and the interface with managerialism, and the importance of an ‘ethics of care’ approach.The main findings from the study centred around the process of attaining value-behaviour congruence, the transformation of students’ attitudes from negative to positive, the centrality of relationship building and explicit values, a generalised lack of acquiring or drawing on formal academic knowledge, and factors associated with an emergent social work professional