Although several studies highlight the benefit of short-term immersion programs abroad among social work students, few studies have examined their transformative nature. In response, this study aimed to describe the transformative change experienced by MSW students from the Southwest USA who participated in a short-term, immersion program in…

Mindfulness is a state of nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment and has benefit to those in the helping professions. Because research on the effect of training prospective social workers in mindfulness is limited, this qualitative study explored the benefits of mindfulness practice and education with 18 master of social work (MSW) students…

Use of self is an integral concept in social work practice. It is implicitly embedded throughout the Council for Social Work Education's Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards and the National Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics. The present exploratory study developed a pedagogical model for use in social work education: use of…

Social work students are expected to learn about and demonstrate several professional competencies during their academic and fieldwork studies. This study explored the associations between professionalism, resilience, and reflective thinking in a sample of 212 students enrolled in a Master of Social Work program. The sample was predominantly…

Drawing upon Heron and Reason's (1997) participatory inquiry paradigm and extended epistemology, this article explores how six Master of Social Work (MSW) students engaged in sensory arts-based critical reflection concerning their social location, identities, social justice, and social policy. We share our process for creating sensory arts-based…

Purpose: Environmental social work (ESW) is an approach and a perspective in social work focusing on ecological and environmental sustainability and justice within the context of sustainable development (SD). This study aims to analyse students' reflective tasks on challenges for ESW education and practice from a critical theory perspective. The…

Research in distance education has investigated student satisfaction and learning outcomes, comparing face-to-face with online delivery formats, and tested various technological tools, but has yet to consider alternative pedagogies. Liberatory pedagogy facilitates critical thinking, awareness, reflection and social action around constructs such as…

There has been a call for social work programs to better prepare students for field education. This qualitative study examined an innovation titled Practice Fridays developed to enhance competence in MSW students in a classroom setting. Students (N=57) described what they learned through this simulation-based learning activity and the processes…

The Council on Social Work Education's Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards outline expectations for social work education to reflect human diversity in the learning environment. Exposing social work students to a diversity-enriched curriculum can help prepare them for culturally competent practice. This article presents an innovative…

Ongoing colonial power has long been ascribed to government bureaucracy and institutions of higher learning. By consequence, Indigenous communities today are still experiencing challenges regarding the function, foundation and fabric of research that impacts Indigenous peoples, including in the arena of social work education. Writing as an…

This paper explores the pedagogical implications of using arts-based research in an advanced community practice course in a Master of Social Work program. Per the course design, graduate students implemented a photovoice project with undergraduate students focusing on transforming campus rape culture. At the end of the project, graduate students…

Field practicum is an active learning process. This study explores the different learning stages or processes students experience during their field practicum. First-year master's of social work students in field practica were asked how much they had engaged in educational learning activities such as observation, working independently, process…

Advanced generalist practice is the fastest growing area of concentration for Master of Social Work (MSW) programs in the United States, yet a definition remains elusive. This article proposes that three key elements should be included within a conceptual schema of advanced generalist practice. Multidimensional problem-setting, self-reflective…

Social work doctoral candidates and others without much or any formal teaching experience or training are frequently invited to teach a variety of graduate-level social work courses. This beginning teaching experience can be quite challenging both personally and professionally. Yet, it is seldom discussed in the literature, especially from a…

This paper describes a capstone seminar offered as an elective in the final year of a single concentration, direct practice Master's program. In this seminar students use a reflective practice model to systematically review their graduate experience in the context of the questions they have about practice. The seminar challenges students to forge…