7 research outputs found
Reclaiming the practical: Formal and substantive rationality in social work practice
In this article, I argue that the starting point for inquiry about practice knowledge
should be the empirical question, How does the competent practitioner go about
knowing "in" practice? Using the work of J u r g e n Habermas, Michael Polyani, Donald
Schon, and others, I advance a claim for the nonderivative status of substantive
rationality alongside the technical in the construction of professional knowledge. I
maintain that the researcher and practitioner have functionally different relationships
to the practice arena and, therefore, differing cognitive interests for their involvement
in that arena. These interests are assumed decisive for (1) categories in which knowledge
is structured, (2) methods by which truth claims are authenticated, (3) the type of
discourse in which knowledge is communicated, and (4) the mode in which knowledge
is available to the knower
Who is the "self" in self-aware: Professional self-awareness from a critical theory perspective
Professional self-awareness is widely considered a necessary condition for competent social
work practice. Alternate prescriptions for self-awareness rely implicitly on varying definitions
of what it means to be a "self" and what it means to be "aware." I will review three approaches
to professional self-awareness conventionally adopted in the literature: (a) simple
conscious awareness (awareness o f whatever is being experienced), (b) reflective awareness
(awareness of a self who is experiencing something), and (c) reflexive awareness (the self's
awareness of how his or her awareness is constituted in direct experience). Strengths and
limitations of these three epistemological approaches are discussed. An alternate framework,
based on Anthony Giddens's "structuration theory," is developed and advanced as
a more macro-level and less exclusively psychological understanding of practitioner selfawareness.
The article concludes with illustrations from practice
Concept, act, and interest in social work practice: Implications of an empowerment perspective
Within recent social work literature, the concept of empowerment as a practice
perspective has received wide endorsement. In this article, I argue that adopting
the notion of empowerment as a framework for practice requires not only that we
think differently about professional practice but, more fundamentally, that we think
differently about professional knowledge. Using the work of philosopher Jiirgen
Habermas, particularly the distinction he makes among three arenas of human
activityâwork, interaction, and powerâI outline ways in which the functional
and cognitive interests associated with these arenas dictate differing orientations to
practice, alternate commitments to various forms of knowledge as applicable in
practice settings, and different accounts of practitioner error. Implications for professional
education are addressed
Who Is the âSelfâ in SelfâAware: Professional SelfâAwareness from a Critical Theory Perspective
Translating Concept into Act forMulti-Cultural Practice: Comparison of Studentsâ and Field Instructorsâ Perceptions of Diversity Training Effectiveness
Education for culturally competent practice increasingly is a responsibility
for social work educators.Using data collected for an evaluation of the field education
component of a large,Midwestern social work program, the purpose of this
study is to shed light on studentsâ application in the field practicum setting of classroom training
in culturally competent practice. Responses were obtained from field
instructors (n=76) and students (n=70). Students reported learning in areas dealing
with diversity at statistically significant levels; however, instructor ratings of student
competence were significantly lower than student ratings. Results are discussed in
light of necessary attitudes, knowledge, and skills. Implications for program monitoring
and improvement, education, and further research are discussed