The focus of this study was to examine the relationship between the MSW curriculum at one university and 100 MSW students' reported preparedness to interact with the court system in regard to a client. Preparedness to appear in court and the benefit of learning court competencies are assessed using participants' social work employment history and…

Faculty retention is paramount given the steep financial investment required for recruitment. To study factors associated with job satisfaction, participants (N=591) were recruited from the Council on Social Work Education's membership. Results indicated that greater job satisfaction was most strongly associated with colleague and administration…

In this exploratory study, the professional socialization of 23 clinical social workers based in New England is examined. Building on a landmark framework for understanding professional socialization, this article extends the conversation to assess professional identity among the study participants as well. Findings suggest that clinical social…

This article examines how structural racism amplified the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 for African American, Asian/Asian American, and Latino/a/x and Hispanic social work students during the unplanned transition to synchronous and asynchronous education at three social work programs across the United States, creating additional…

The purpose of the present study was to recognize the factors influencing social work students' evidence-based practice (EBP) behaviors. The authors sought to examine the roles of attitudes, EBP feasibility, and familiarity with EBP in implementing EBP behaviors. Social work students (161 in total) completed a self-report questionnaire measuring…

Although individual susceptibility to burnout within a similar structural context is well-documented in other helping professions, little is known about the relationship between personal attributes and burnout in social work. Furthermore, despite a large number of entering MSW students with prior work experience, there is a paucity of research…

In social work field education, mentoring is underused and lacks research data. There is a paucity of research that examines the effect mentoring has on social work field directors who administer field programs at the undergraduate and/or graduate level. This exploratory study fills this void by examining the mentoring opportunities and…

Social work is emerging as a rapidly developing profession in mainland China, a unique context that affects how these new social workers view themselves, their professional identity, and their work. Few studies explore the lived experiences of these new social workers as they enter agencies and begin working with clients while interacting with…

An 11-month long analysis of social work faculty position advertisements examined differences in job descriptions between past and present findings, rural- and urban-located social work programs, doctorate and nondoctorate conferring institutions, and public and private institutions. Additionally, this investigation addressed 2008 Educational…

It is important to develop commitment to community practice among social work students to encourage their engagement in this field as professionals later in life. This research examines factors that affect commitment to community practice among social work students. A structured questionnaire was administered to 277 social work students in one…

The development of standardized, valid, and reliable methods for assessment of students' practice competence continues to be a challenge for social work educators. In this study, the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), originally used in medicine to assess performance through simulated interviews, was adapted for social work to…

This Field Note presents a follow-up to a pilot study that explored pre-field placement anxiety for 1st-year MSW students. Previous studies report that students experience significant anxiety as they anticipate their field placement, and research indicates that anxiety has the potential to affect learning. A sample of 204 students reported…

A sabbatical spent doing social work in a family and children's agency is described. Emphasis is given to conceptualizing the evolution of practice skill from observing one's work, the enhancement of teaching competence, the opportunity for scholarly achievements and the fostering of school-agency relationships. (Author/MLW)

Little is known about field placement experiences of growing subgroups of students, particularly older, part-time, and field employment-based. Because of the centrality of field placements within MSW education, these student subgroups in field placements at one northeastern school were surveyed (N=779). A MANOVA analysis examined students'…

This study compares the assessment of 30 teachers, 120 field instructors, and 287 students with regard to what students of social work do during their fieldwork practice and the importance they attach to these activities. The study used a Job Analysis Questionnaire developed specifically for this study. Results indicated differences among the…