Social work in higher education: Demise or development?

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.A prolonged period of Conservative government in Britain (1979-1997) has resulted in profound changes in the nature of social welfare, including education. One of the characteristics of this period has been a decrease in the status and autonomy accorded to professions; and a change in the relationship between 'the providers' and 'the consumers' of services. More specifically, the years from 1989 to the mid nineties have been marked by rapid legislative and organisational change in the personal social services. They have also seen significant change in the institutional policies and culture of higher education. Changes in both these sectors have impacted on the arrangements for the education of social workers, responsibility for which is shared between the professional accrediting body, employing agencies and higher education institutions. The starting point for this research was a recognition that, in line with other moves promoting deprofessionalisation and instrumentalism, qualifying training might be relocated outside the higher education system. An initial question, 'can social work survive in higher education?', prompted an exploration of the external influences and internal characteristics which have resulted in this sense of vulnerability. The research utilised interdisciplinary perspectives, grounded in a policy framework, and an inductive approach to collection of empirical data, to examine the view that social work education is open to conflicting policies and values from higher education and the professional field. The possibility that the subject would share similarities with other forms of professional education was also examined. The thesis therefore presents a case study of the epistemology and relationships of a particular form of professional education. Consideration of the literature pertaining to the three contextual factors, social work, higher education and professional education, and of the empirical data derived from social work educators support the concluding argument. This posits that biography, culture and structure interact to produce a discipline with inherent tensions, partly due to its position on a boundary between two systems and partly reflecting the nature of the subject. While its location within higher education is deemed appropriate by social work educators, decisions about its location and form are largely exercised by other interest groups: its survival and development therefore require constant negotiation

Living to Learn, Learning for Life: Housing Honors Classrooms and Offices in an Honors Residence Hall

I left the interview with high-hopes: being Assistant Director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Honors Program sounded like an excellent fit for me. A full-time job, a real income, and no longer having to depend on year-to-year contracts as an adjunct were appealing. The opportunity to teach tied into my strengths, and since I had taught UNL honors classes previously, I knew the high quality of the students. I also knew the director and was excited about the prospect of working with him. As I wended my way, in heels and suit, through the extensive construction going on in the renovation of the honors offices, I had only two reservations: my office would be in the Neihardt Residence Center, and Neihardt had no classrooms, so I would have to walk across campus to teach. I mulled over those points with skepticism. Did I really want to spend most of my days in a residence hall when I had been out of college for nearly 30 years? How uncomfortable would that location be after being in my own little office tucked away from the noise and commotion of the students changing classes? Would I feel terribly out of place among people less than half my age? What would be the students’ expectations of me? Would I turn into a surrogate mom or, more likely, grandma? And would I like having to walk across campus to my classrooms when I was accustomed simply to going downstairs in the building, especially in January in the minus-twenty degree wind chills or the heat and humidity for which the Midwest is famous? What would I do if I forgot something or misjudged traffic and was late? When the offer came, however, I accepted it immediately despite those reservations; after all, I was clearly aware that no absolutely perfect job exists. The result: I have never regretted taking the position and my fears were in vain

Parental assistance in children\u27s reading in the home

The literature reviewed in this thesis shows that many successful reading programmes have been carried out by parents and teachers working together, sharing the responsibility for developing children\u27s reading skills. Research studies have also shown that parents want more feedback and assistance on how to help their children with reading. The purpose of this study was to investigate two areas of home reading, that Is parents reading to their children and children reading to their parents. The study examined what parents said they did with their children when their children read to them. It also examined the frequency with which parents read stories to their children and the beliefs that parents had about this practice. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 149 parents of children In Grades 2, 3 and 4 In one non-government primary school. The data indicated that many parents In this study did not encourage their children to practise before reading aloud, encouraged the use of sounding out as the main strategy for recognizing difficult words and immediately prompted their children to correct any mistakes made. The results suggested that these parents may have been influenced by their own educational experiences in reading from 15-25 years ago. Nevertheless, a number of parents in this study appeared to be aware of changes in reading methods adopted in schools In the past 5-10 years and said that they were using a wider range of procedures and strategies with their children. The majority of children were read stories several times a week, although some children were read stories less frequently. Many of the parents were apparently aware of the benefits of reading stories to their children, such as developing a positive attitude towards reading and modelling reading behaviours. The study highlighted the need for teachers to take the initiative in providing more Information and guidance to parents to keep them informed of school reading policies and of recent research in reading. With this in mind, it is the intention of the researcher to follow up this study with a parent/teacher Information session

Living to Learn, Learning for Life: Housing Honors Classrooms and Offices in an Honors Residence Hall

I left the interview with high-hopes: being Assistant Director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Honors Program sounded like an excellent fit for me. A full-time job, a real income, and no longer having to depend on year-to-year contracts as an adjunct were appealing. The opportunity to teach tied into my strengths, and since I had taught UNL honors classes previously, I knew the high quality of the students. I also knew the director and was excited about the prospect of working with him. As I wended my way, in heels and suit, through the extensive construction going on in the renovation of the honors offices, I had only two reservations: my office would be in the Neihardt Residence Center, and Neihardt had no classrooms, so I would have to walk across campus to teach. I mulled over those points with skepticism. Did I really want to spend most of my days in a residence hall when I had been out of college for nearly 30 years? How uncomfortable would that location be after being in my own little office tucked away from the noise and commotion of the students changing classes? Would I feel terribly out of place among people less than half my age? What would be the students’ expectations of me? Would I turn into a surrogate mom or, more likely, grandma? And would I like having to walk across campus to my classrooms when I was accustomed simply to going downstairs in the building, especially in January in the minus-twenty degree wind chills or the heat and humidity for which the Midwest is famous? What would I do if I forgot something or misjudged traffic and was late? When the offer came, however, I accepted it immediately despite those reservations; after all, I was clearly aware that no absolutely perfect job exists. The result: I have never regretted taking the position and my fears were in vain

A Hedonic Analysis of the Value of Parks and Green Spaces in the Dublin Area [on housing market]. ESRI WP331. November 2009

We use a hedonic house price model to estimate the value of green spaces and parks to homeowners in the Dublin area. Using a dataset of house sales between 2001 and 2006 and combining it with available data on the location of green spaces in Dublin it is possible to assess the different values assigned to green areas by homeowners. We find that the value of green space depends first of all on how far from the property it is located. We also find a difference in the values assigned to open access parks and green spaces. For every 10% increase in the share of green space and park area near a house, its average price increases by 7% to 9%. We also attempted to identify different individual parks and rank them according to their value, however due to spatial multicollinearity the results were mixed

Social Work in England and Wales

Estudi dels punts clau de la política, la teoria, la pràctica, l’educació i la investigació sobre el treball social a Anglaterra i Gal·les. Hi ha un cert debat sobre els mètodes que s’usen i els grups de clients que contracten als treballadors socials. Els punts clau que influeixen en la política i la pràctica del treball social són la sensibilitat cultural i la pràctica antiopressiva, la personalització de serveis en relació amb el consumisme i la implicació d’usuaris en els serveis. Tanmateix, parlarem breument de les influències recents en la pràctica actual del treball social. No podem entendre en quin punt ens trobem ni valorar com hem de procedir sense abans comprendre com i d’on venim.Estudio de los puntos clave de la política, la teoría, la práctica, la educación y la investigación acerca del trabajo social en Inglaterra y Gales. Hay cierto debate sobre los métodos que se usan y los grupos de clientes que contratan a los trabajadores sociales. Los puntos clave que influyen actualmente en la política y la práctica del trabajo social son la sensibilidad cultural y la práctica antiopresiva, la personalización de servicios en relación con el consumismo y la implicación de usuarios en los servicios No obstante, hablaremos brevemente de las influencias recientes en la práctica actual del trabajo social. No podemos entender en qué punto nos encontramos ni valorar cómo debemos proceder sin antes comprender cómo y de dónde venimos.This chapter examines key areas in social work policy, theory, practice, education and research in England and Wales. There is some discussion of the main methods used and the client groups with whom social workers engage. Key areas which currently influence social work policy and practice in England and Wales are cultural sensitivity and anti-oppressive practice; personalisation of services, linked to consumerism, and issues of service user involvement in services. Nevertheless, we will look briefly at recent influences on current social work practice. As some would have it, we cannot make sense of where we are, and how we might judge how to go, if we do understand where we came from, and how

Social work education in the United Kingdom

This chapter examines key areas in social work education theory, practice, and research in the UK, including the main methods used and the client groups with whom social workers engage. The chapter sketches the origins and development of social work education and identifies key features currently framing social work education (SWE). The latter include factors associated with higher education systems and policies as well as those specific to social work in its organisational frameworks and as a profession. The staffing of social work programs and the role of research in relation to theory and practice development are discussed. A major section presents the predominant practice models, methods, theories and perspectives and their associated histories and epistemological challenges. Mention is made of contributing disciplines (e.g. sociology and law) and the key teaching and learning strategies utilised, including in relation to issues of cultural relativism and understanding, and international influences. Conclusions are drawn regarding the health of the discipline in the UK

Social Work and Social Services in Europe - a changing landscape

Este artículo analiza algunas de las diferencias y similitudes, así como las posibles áreas de convergencia, en las políticas de bienestar social, la organización de los Servicios Sociales, las preocupaciones, y la educación y formación de los profesionales sociales en Europa. Se centra especialmente en la Unión Europea como un bloque político dentro de una Europa más amplia, e identifica algunos aspectos de su función en la elaboración de las políticas y prácticas nacionales, incluyendo los ámbitos de la migración y la educación superior. Plantea que las influencias de las tendencias mundiales y regionales de una gran movilidad internacional de la población, conlleva que las profesiones sociales puedan verse cada vez más inmersas en intervenciones «transnacionales» y que, por lo tanto, hayan de ser conscientes de que los sistemas de bienestar y las actuaciones y prácticas profesionales van más allá de las fronteras nacionales. El respeto por la diversidad cultural y el compromiso con la promoción de los derechos humanos y la justicia social, nacional e internacional, se consideran valores esenciales que deben ser compartidos por las profesiones sociales en Europa, y adoptados por los organismos regionales de representación profesional y educativa.This article considers some of the variations and similarities, as well as possible areas of convergence, in social welfare policies; the organisation of social services; the concerns; and the education and training of social professionals across Europe. It focuses particularly on the European Union as a political bloc within a wider Europe, and identifies some aspects of its role in shaping national policies and practices, including in the fields of migration and higher education. It presumes that global and regional trends and influences, together with international population mobility, indicate that social professionals may find themselves increasingly drawn into «trans-national» interventions and that they therefore need to be aware of welfare systems and professional policies and practices beyond national borders. Respect for cultural diversity and commitment to the promotion of human rights and social justice, nationally and internationally, are regarded as essential values to be shared by social professionals across Europe, as espoused by regional bodies representing social professionals and educators

Honors in Practice, volume 12 (2016), Editorial Material

Masthead Editorial BoardProduction EditorsContentsEditorial Policy, Deadline, and Submission GuidelinesDedication to Patrice BergerEditor’s IntroductionAbout the Authors .NCHC Publication Order Form