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Research in Social Work Education: Progress and Challenges

This research examines the status of research in social work education and highlights the progress made and challenges faced. It explores the relationship between research and social work and discusses the transition from practice to academia. The study also delves into the support and resources available for research in the field of social work education.

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Research in Social Work Education: Progress and Challenges

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  1. Research: a firmer place in social work education?JSWEC July 2009 Jo Moriarty Jill Manthorpe Martin Stevens Shereen Hussein

  2. Outline • Context • Undertaken as part of wider project • Why this has been a topic of concern • Methods • Email/postal survey • Telephone interviews with sub sample • Findings • Signs of progress and of challenges • Discussion • Taking things forward JSWEC 2009

  3. UK social sciences workforce • Social work academic workforce is: • Comparatively small (<600) • Comparatively mature (47 per cent aged 50+) • Context of: • Divergence between academic salaries and those as senior manager outside higher education • Increase in student numbers JSWEC 2009

  4. Relationship between research and social work • 2000 Karen Lyons ‘The place of research in social work education’ British Journal of Social Work, 30 (4): 433-447 • In 1994 only a minority of social work qualifying programmes taught research methods • Less than a fifth staff held a doctorate • About two thirds involved in some research • Barriers included time and lack of research culture in some departments JSWEC 2009

  5. Methods • Sampling frame of around 800 names across UK • Universities and colleges offering social work qualifying programmes • Either through departmental web pages or (rarely) a list of social work staff in department • Postal or email questionnaire • Email reminder • 252 responses (about a third) • Target was 200 • Slightly more responses from people working in older universities but otherwise responders and non responders seemed similar JSWEC 2009

  6. Not my usual location for data analysis! JSWEC 2009

  7. Gender • 60 per cent of respondents were women • High proportion for social science subject (Mills et al, 2006) • However lower than in profession as whole • Contrasts with student profile JSWEC 2009

  8. Ethnicity • 81 per cent described themselves as White British • Seven Asian respondents • Seven Black Caribbean respondents • Differs from profile in wider profession and among students JSWEC 2009

  9. More Helen Mirren than Lily Allen… Women’s mean age was 48 (Men’s mean age was 52) JSWEC 2009

  10. Pathways to the ivory tower… • 85 per cent had a social work qualification • 67 per cent registered as social worker with a UK Care Council • Average age at which started work in academic sector was 37 • 45 per cent held doctorate JSWEC 2009

  11. Making the transition • “The main message I want to get across is the difficulty with the transition from practice to research. People new to academia need the opportunity to build on their CVs. They do not necessarily get that opportunity if [they are] shoved straight into teaching. It can be very daunting when coming into the academic world after being a rigidly controlled [local authority] environment.” JSWEC 2009

  12. The good news…. • 82 per cent had undertaken some kind of research in last two years • Difference between proportions undertaking research in ‘old’ and ‘new’ universities not statistically significant • 39 per cent had had access to some research training in last two years JSWEC 2009

  13. But…. • More time spent on teaching and administration than research • More than a fifth spent 10 per cent or less of their time on research • Less than a tenth spent 50 per cent or more JSWEC 2009

  14. Finding time with other commitments • “[Programme directors] in social work always have a high admin load. It’s all the outside links that need to be made - contacts with the GSCC.” • “The problem is we have this workload balancing thing. You have to have so many hours teaching and my teaching was spread over each semester…[What made it more difficult was the fact that] it’s all new, so I am writing my teaching materials rather than [being] at the stage of updating them…” JSWEC 2009

  15. “T’ain’t what you know but the way that you do it” • Logistic regression looking at probability of receiving funding from a Research Council, government department, or national charity showed…. • Holds PhD • Years in academic sector • Works in pre 1992 university • Spends more than 40 per cent of time on research JSWEC 2009

  16. Access to research training • Almost half had had training in qualitative data analysis • Just over a tenth had training in quantitative data analysis • Other examples included • Developing grant applications • Writing skills • Using bibliographic software JSWEC 2009

  17. Use of networks JSWEC 2009

  18. Other types of support • Mentoring schemes • Access to research leave • Writing groups JSWEC 2009

  19. Support in workplace • Similar between different types of university • Different by type of funding • Better among those in posts not funded by Higher Education Funding Councils or DELNI JSWEC 2009

  20. What people wanted most often • Better recognition of timing constraints on social work • More training • Help finding out about different sources of funding • More support with applications from within university JSWEC 2009

  21. Other suggestions • Opportunities to work across disciplines • Could help with breadth of research methodologies adopted • Surprisingly little educational research • Partnerships across different universities • Opportunities for learning from each other JSWEC 2009

  22. Research/teaching dividing line? • “I am [studying] at a prestigious university, and they don’t [bother] about students [but]…I am being taught by some of the best academics…At [the HEI where I teach we are] really focused on students and valuing diversity. If you come here as a student, this is about getting you through the course, which really fits my values. Though for me, I really want to be in an academic environment. It is really swings and roundabouts: neither is good or bad, just a different focus.” JSWEC 2009

  23. Discussion • Study suggests that research now has a higher profile in social work • New cadre of professionals with practice and research backgrounds • Opportunities for professional doctorates • Researcher Development Initiative • Limitations in size and scope of research • Small scale projects often being completed without any internal/external funding JSWEC 2009

  24. Thanks to… • ESRC for funding this • Joan Orme for co-ordinating the bid and the combined report • 252 of you for completing a questionnaire • ESPECIALLY the 30 people who completed an interview and a questionnaire • Lizzy, Sean and Carla for help with stuffing envelopes and with data entry (the next generation?) JSWEC 2009

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