Advocacy for social justice is a core duty of the social work profession. Social injustice, oppression, and marginalization in the United States demand that social workers critically evaluate and address systemic oppression, in the profession, society, and social work education. This study sought to explore the attitudes of social work students in…

Textbooks used in MSW Direct Practice courses in Canada were analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis, with a particular focus on content related to social work relationships. Positive aspects of relationships were discussed in more depth than negative aspects, little information about boundaries and confidentiality was found, and there was a…

Few studies examine the use of live actors in simulated training for social work students. This paper offers a programmatic exemplar on the implementation of simulation training in ethical decision-making using professional live actors. It offers original findings on the experiences of Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work students (n…

Despite the growing importance of teaching about diversity and its connection to intersectionality, privilege, and oppression in social work education, few studies have examined whether teaching interventions could enhance students' knowledge of oppression. Thus, this study assessed the extent to which students assimilated content related to…

On October 7, 2023, Hamas and Jihad terrorists broke through Israel's security border walls surrounding Gaza and launched an attack on Israeli civilians and soldiers in the kibbutz and moshav communities and army bases located in the Gaza Envelop area, adjacent to the Gaza Strip, breaching an existing cease-fire. Approximately 1,200 people…

In the last decade, various experiences have been organized aimed at helping future social work education professionals reflect on the power relationships that define institutions and social policies. These experiences, based on the participation of users of social services (now known as experts by experience (EBE) and as part of service user…

Social work education faculty are mainly white and female-identified. However, across the United States, they teach a diverse student body, half of whom are students of color. MSW graduates will primarily provide service to communities of color, and we know the lived experience and social location of the teacher affects the experience of students…

As part of their field education, social work students develop and implement change agent projects to influence positive change. Faculty and students, however, have identified a lack of placement options for Black students to allow them to both learn and feel supported in their racial identity. To ensure that Black students have placement options…

The social work profession is grounded in social justice, and yet, social work education can perpetuate dynamics of oppression and privilege present in the larger society. As a result, students may experience microaggressions during their training. In this national survey of BSW students (N = 795), 24.9% witnessed a microaggression by a social…

In today's society, it is of utmost importance to deliver services with compassion, understanding, and cultural competence. Students' awareness of personal cultural backgrounds, issues, and biases is essential to enhance their ability to serve others, particularly marginalized populations. This study demonstrates how students understood the impact…

Despite the centrality of diversity and oppression to the standards of social work, more research is needed to determine the most effective teaching method. The Diversity and Oppression Scale allows researchers to assess students' awareness, responsibility, self-confidence, practitioner and client congruence, and social work responsibilities,…

COVID-19's unprecedented effects on the world emphasize the minimal exigent research on best practices of social work pedagogy during crises. The purpose of this paper is to inform this research and our understanding of social work education's shift at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study draws upon the narratives of four key…

This study explored whether the experience of completing a Bachelor of Social Work degree with embedded diversity education has an effect on a student's cultural humility, specifically looking at the variables of cultural awareness and commitment to lifelong learning. Students were administered the Diversity & Oppression Scale at the beginning…

Inadequate attention to race, racism, and Whiteness in social work education ineffectively prepares White students to work with historically excluded racial and ethnic groups, and undermines the profession's fundamental commitment to social justice. This article presents experiences of eight White social work students confronting race, racism and…

This paper describes a transcultural perspective, employed by one social work program, as an integrative framework for addressing diversity throughout the curriculum. The transcultural perspective incorporates five interrelated but distinct dimensions: (1) culture (recognizing the importance of culture at all levels of practice); (2) understanding…