Specifying Sociological Options and Social Welfare Strategies

As a profession, social work applies knowledge constructs from various social sciences. In this article attention is given to the relation between sociology and social work. The specific areas reviewed include conceptions of the social arrangement, the role of complex organizations, and social change theories. Each of these three broad areas have internal variations which have implications for sociology, social work, and attempts to integrate the two

Student self-efficacy as an outcome of social work education

Social work educators need reliable and valid measures of educational outcomes to meet the increasing demands of social work program development and the accreditation process. The research reported here is one element in an ongoing program that is attempting to develop a social work educational assessment approach using the Social Cognitive Theory construct self-efficacy. In this replication study with 331 MSW students, we found evidence supporting the reliability and sensitivity to change of the Social Work Self-Efficacy scale

EPAS objectives and foundation practice self-efficacy: A replication

This replication study continued the examination of the psychometric properties of the Foundation Practice Self-Efficacy Scale (FPSE) with a sample of MSW students. As in the original study, evidence regarding the reliability, validity and sensitivity to change of this measure was found. First, internal reliability estimates for the FPSE all exceeded .95. Second, in terms of validity, the large positive correlation that had been predicted between the FPSE and the Social Work Empowerment scale was observed. Third, the amount of change in students’ FPSE total scale scores between pretest and posttest was found to be statistically significant. The final version of this manuscript for citation is: Holden, G., Anastas, J., & Meenaghan, T. (2005). EPAS objectives and foundation practice self-efficacy: A replication. Journal of Social Work Education, 41(3), 559-570

Determining attainment of the EPAS foundation program objectives: Evidence for the use of self-efficacy as an outcome

Building on research related to social cognitive theory and its construct of self-efficacy, this article describes the development of the Foundation Practice Self-Efficacy scale (FPSE). This measure is designed to assess graduate social work programs’ attempts to achieve the educational policy objectives for foundation year graduate study set by the Council on Social Work Education. Preliminary evidence regarding the reliability, validity and sensitivity to change of this measure are presented. The authors discuss changes in MSW students’ self-efficacy over the course of the foundation year. The final version of this manuscript for citation is: Holden, G., Anastas, J., & Meenaghan, T. (2003). Determining attainment of the EPAS foundation program objectives: Evidence for the use of self-efficacy as an outcome. Journal of Social Work Education, 39, 425-440

March 22, 1982

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia

Outcomes of social work education: The case for social work self-efficacy

Has social work education been effective at promoting the development of specific practice skills and how can students’ skill levels feasibly be assessed? This paper describes the development and testing of the Social Work Self-Efficacy Scale, which assesses social workers’ confidence regarding a broad range of social work tasks. Pre-post data from two cohorts of social work students are presented showing significant positive change in MSW students’ self-efficacy, suggesting a new approach to outcomes assessment in social work education. Final version of background manuscript for citation: Holden, G., Meenaghan, T., Anastas, J. & Metrey, G. (2002). Outcomes of social work education: The case for social work self-efficacy. Journal of Social Work Education, 38, 115-133

Examining User Performance in the presence of Latency and Jitter in Distributed Interactive Applications

Latency and jitter inherently limit the maintenance of consistency in Distributed Interactive Applications such as computer games, distributed whiteboards and real-time, collaborative environments. Although there has been much research into methods for maintaining consistency, there is a distinct lack of research exploring the connection between latency, jitter and the end user experience in Distributed Interactive Applications. We have developed an application that allows us to conduct trials under controlled latency and jitter conditions. This provides data, which can be analysed to characterise how people adapt to various degrees of latency and jitter. We present results that highlight how an increase in latency and jitter affect the end-user experience, thus confirming the need for techniques to combat latency and jitter in Distributed Interactive Applications. We alsoe note that the effects of jitter are significantly greater than those of latency

Student self-efficacy as an outcome of social work education

Social work educators need reliable and valid measures of educational outcomes to meet the increasing demands of social work program development and the accreditation process. The research reported here is one element in an ongoing program that is attempting to develop a social work educational assessment approach using the Social Cognitive Theory construct self-efficacy. In this replication study with 331 MSW students, we found evidence supporting the reliability and sensitivity to change of the Social Work Self-Efficacy scale