Teaching research methods to social work students in India and Australia: reflections and recommendations

This paper draws on the reflections of two social work educators who have, for many years taught research methods to undergraduate and postgraduate social work students in India and Australia. The intent is to suggest measures for enhancing the quality of social work research education. The reflections are embedded in a social justice and human rights framework, privileging the educators’ unique social and cultural contexts and their commitment to engage with indigenous knowledge. The authors recommend effective social work research education requires the educator to draw on a deep understanding of their own context, as well as globally accepted research traditions. Particularly, we encourage research teachers to adopt student-centred approaches that emphasise a broad ‘research mindedness’ (in their students and themselves), building students’ practical capacities and confidence to become effective, research informed practitioners; capable of contributing to their own communities and to the social work profession more broadly

Hearing parent's voices: choosing quality long day care in northern regional Australia

The last decade saw the rise and collapse of Australia's largest for-profit child care provider. Policy makers assumed that the for-profit sector would ensure a 'market' that provided a wider range of child care choice, and increased opportunities for accessing quality long day care. However, in rural and regional areas, the idea of 'choice' is necessarily limited by what is available within a practical distance. With smaller populations and less likelihood of profit making economies of scale, choice has been reduced to an idea of 'luck', if indeed parents are able to find a vacancy in their child care service of 'choice'. This paper presents qualitative data gathered from 70 parents in Northern Regional Australia, interviewed in two research studies in 2007 and 2009. Parents from Darwin, Cairns, Townsville and Mackay spoke of their search for quality long day care in a complex and rapidly changing child care landscape. For Indigenous and non-Indigenous parents the role child care played in their lives went far beyond an educational tool or child minding service. In communities often characterised by distance from friends and family, fluctuating economic growth and limited services for those outside the mainstream community, quality child care can offer the hub of 'community' that many families seek. At this critical time of child care policy change this research draws on the voices of parents to explore the interplay between conceptions of family, and ideas of choice, quality and the market mechanism

The sexualisation of girls in popular culture: neoliberalism, choice and invisible oppression

The sexualisation of girls in popular culture has captured both scholarly and public attention in Australia. Almost as soon as Emma Rush and Andrea La Nauze's reports, Corporate Paedophilia (2006a) and Stopping the Sexualisation of our Children (2006b), presented evidence that corporations were sexualising children through their advertising practices, others heralded these claims as obsolete (Egan & Hawkes, 2008). The concerns, however, have not abated; instead activists from a range of backgrounds have mobilised against corporate advertising, professionals have published advice books for parents on bringing up girls in this current context, and governments have considered a range of public policy responses (Albury and Lumby, 2010a; Smith and Attwood, 2011). We argue that at this time of heightened awareness and debate it is important to use a feminist lens to examine the way the sexualisation of girls has been framed and discussed. The research reported in this paper specifically examined the way experts and members of the public identified and talked about the sexualisation of girls on a televised debate and an Internet discussion board that followed the broadcast. The 2007 televised debate, Sex Sells – but at what cost to our kids?, occurred at a significant time in the public discussion about the sexualisation of girls in popular culture, when the debate was "simmering and gathering heat" (Albury and Lumby, 2010a, p. 56), and captures a moment when experts and the public were finding their voices in the sexualisation debate, providing insight into the underlying discourses that frame the current debate

When feminist ideas are hijacked: how the demand for men to take up child care responsibilities impacts formal child care policy

Second wave feminists called for a more equal and just society. They demanded the recognition of issues that were traditionally off the political agenda – so called women's issues – from domestic violence, contraception and access to safe abortion to affordable quality child care. Today policy discussions about issues that directly impact women's lives are carefully couched in gender-neutral language. The impact of policy on women's lives is rendered invisible by the disappearance of 'women' into 'people', 'parents' and 'families'. Formal child care policy is an example of a public policy that continues to resolutely ignore the different lives of men and women. This paper presents qualitative data gathered from women in northern regional Australia, interviewed in two research studies in 2007 and 2009/10. Women spoke of their search for quality long day care in a complex and rapidly changing child care landscape. From this data we argue that child care is no longer seen as a women's issue, diverting the public gaze from women's very real struggles in this so-called time of 'choice' and equality. Was this what feminists called for when we demanded men share the responsibility of raising children

Going places: international social work student exchange: facilitating good practice, reciprocity, and mutual benefit

The purpose of this interactive workshop is to promote conversations and generate ideas around good practice in International Social Work Student Exchange with a particular focus on concepts of reciprocity and mutual benefit for students and faculty of both travelling and host institutions and organisations. These concepts and others are emerging from the 'Going Places' research project which aims to document, analyse, develop and disseminate exemplary practices in International Student Exchange in the Asia Pacific. Participants in this workshop will have an opportunity to share experiences, critique perceptions and assumptions, offer critical comment and reflections on emerging data and contribute to the understanding of themes and phenomenon. The workshop is designed as a scaffolded interaction with participants, through three tiers of engagement. Firstly organisers will share the background to, and emerging themes from, the 'Going Places' research project. The presentation will proceed from the premise that International Social Work requires graduates who are prepared to work across cultures, in a range of contexts, with a sound understanding of the social, economic and political factors that impact on community wellbeing. Incorporating international student exchange as part of University studies is one means of promoting the international skills of graduates, enhancing their abilities to work across cultures and to work with those who hold different cultural assumptions (Gothard, Downey & Gray, 2012). The organisers will present a case study based on early research findings that exemplifies the issues raised above but which also highlights the risks associated with such programs, such as the potential for international student exchange programs to operate unidirectional initiatives from the Global North that lack reciprocity (Nuttman-Schwartz & Berger, 2012) and reinforce colonial assumptions and "professional imperialism" (Gray 2005, p. 235). Following this initial presentation, participants will be invited to reflect on the emerging themes, share experiences, and explore alternative understandings of the data, in small interactive and collaborative groups. In the final session of the workshop organisers will present the outcomes of the small group work undertaken by participants in a collaborative plenary session thus providing opportunity for ongoing discussion and network building. The implications for good practice and mutually beneficial international social work student exchange will be elucidated as outcomes of the workshop. The manner in which international student exchanges take place raises significant issues for the social work profession, social work educators and educators from other tertiary disciplines seeking to foster truly reciprocal, ethically sound and mutually beneficial relationships with partner institutions. "Promoting Dignity and Worth" is relevant for higher education institutions and particularly social work educators as they seek to develop and embed appropriate curriculum and learning experiences that reflect social work values and professional ethics. Organisers envisage this workshop will be of interest to social work educators involved in organising international exchanges or in hosting exchange students. Students and practitioners who have engaged in international exchange opportunities will also offer great insight as will practitioners who support students involved in diverse international social work activity

Teaching international social work in a global classroom

Social work educators are challenged with preparing students for international social work and work with immigrant and refugee populations. This pilot project aimed to develop an online global classroom to teach an international social work course to social work students participating from five different locations: United States (N=25), South Africa (N=4), Mexico (N=11), Hong Kong (N=6), and Australia (N=2). Qualitative data were collected from students regarding their experiences in this global classroom. Thematic analysis revealed the development of rich authentic learning, where their interactions with international classmates led to a transformative learning experience and a beginning sense of social work in a global context. Implications for future leaning and teaching of social work content across global borders are discussed

Stepping forward to learn: Thai students reflect on hosting Australian international exchange students

The value of international student exchange programs is well documented – from the perspective of visiting students and sending institutions. This paper reports on research that aimed to capture different perspectives by talking with host Thai students who interacted with and translated for visiting Australian social work students. This focus on the exchange experience from the perspective of the hosting Thai students foregrounds these seldom-heard voices, highlighting the benefits of engagement and reflective learning for host students and institutions. The analysed data shows that there are numerous opportunities for host students to benefit from international exchange and to develop the attitudes, knowledge and skills that are necessary prerequisites for intercultural learning and sensitivity. The paper illustrates the high demands on hosts and can inform good practice in the planning and design of exchange programs

Sustaining quality learning abroad opportunities in Australian schools of social work

Student learning abroad experiences are encouraged to develop students’ intercultural understanding and global citizenship. This article reports internationally collaborative research exploring social work student short-term mobility programmes and international field education placements. Findings from interviews with staff from Australian schools of social work are presented. Themes developed from the data explore the establishment and ongoing resourcing and sustainability of international exchange programmes, including implications for risk and safety, relationships and partnerships, and reciprocity. The complex landscape of student international experiences is discussed, and it is proposed that the lack of adequate resourcing of learning abroad opportunities threatens their sustainability

Criminal records and post-prison employment in Ghana: Formal and informal means of performing criminal background checks

This article contributes to the discussion on criminal record-keeping and post-prison employment from the perspective of a developing country. We present and discuss the results of a qualitative research based on interviews with 13 employers in Ghana about the use of criminal background checks in the hiring process. Data suggest a perceived lack of trust towards formerly incarcerated individuals primarily rooted in traditional cultural and moral values. Participants perceived that being associated with people with a criminal record is largely disapproved at the societal level. As a result, formerly incarcerated individuals are discriminated against in the employment setting. We also found that community dynamics and relations manage to overcome the lack of accuracy and reliability of state-provided criminal history information. Due to the absence of reliable access to criminal records through official channels, employers resort to informal means relying on community ties to get access to information about the past and character of job applicants. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for research, policy and practice