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An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including integrating AI (artificial intelligence) into social work education, combating LGBTQIA+ discrimination in field placements, and incorporating Critical Race Theory in curricula.

Conscientization is the process of learning to perceive sociocultural, economic, and political oppression to such extent one is moved to act against it. This transformative and liberatory pedagogy has momentous implications for social work education; as its outcome is an increased critical consciousness for both students and faculty. However, the process of conscientization and its foundational mechanisms are understudied. We therefore conducted a descriptive phenomenological study on professors whose teaching or research combat systems of oppression. We provide a composite structural definition of conscientization, and a composite textural-structural description of its catalysts. We discuss how our study builds on the current liberatory education empirical base, as well as the implications of our findings on education and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is growing research on the structural and institutional barriers experienced by Black women faculty at predominantly White institutions (PWIs), little is known about the systemic marginalization faced by Black women doctoral students at these institutions, particularly those in doctoral social work programs. Given the increasing number of Black women doctoral students in social work programs at PWIs, there is a need to understand how social work doctoral education upholds institutional whiteness through attempts to whitewash Black women's research and scholarship. This article contextualizes the experiences of Black women social work doctoral students using Black feminist thought perspective. The authors provide implications for social work doctoral education to dismantle structures that facilitate whitewashing experiences for Black women doctoral students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plagiarism is a continuing and growing concern in higher education and in academic publishing. Educating to avoid plagiarism requires ongoing efforts at all levels and clear policies that explain the several types of plagiarism and potential consequences when it is found. Identifying plagiarism requires complex judgments and is not a simple matter of using plagiarism detection software. Both social work programs and journals should establish clear and widely distributed policies regarding plagiarism. Ongoing education, care in course and assignment development, tracking incidents within each institution, and establishing clear policies may help reduce plagiarism and improve the quality of professional writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there has been increased attention to religion and spirituality (RS) in social work and related helping professions over the last few decades, less attention has been given to whether, where, and how RS content is delivered within Master of Social Work (MSW) programs' implicit and explicit curricula. The present study included the results from 781 full-time MSW faculty surveyed across the United States to better understand (a) how RS is integrated within the implicit curriculum at the programmatic level, (b) how RS is integrated within the explicit curriculum through a course offering and content infusion, and (c) how important faculty consider integrating RS to be across the Council on Social Work Education's nine core competencies. The overall results suggest most faculty consider their MSW program to be respectful and sensitive toward RS, cover a majority of the RS topics within their primary area of teaching (although to varying degrees), and consider RS integration to be important across the nine competencies. However, there are distinct topics related to RS in social work education that may benefit from more intentional integration. Considerations and implications for MSW faculty and programs are discussed along with recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faculty retention is paramount given the steep financial investment required for recruitment. To study factors associated with job satisfaction, participants (N=591) were recruited from the Council on Social Work Education's membership. Results indicated that greater job satisfaction was most strongly associated with colleague and administration satisfaction and satisfaction with pay (not salary) explaining 57% of the variance. An analysis on salary indicated that the number of years in academia had the greatest effect size. Content analysis of an open-ended item revealed that dissatisfaction with administration and leadership was the most frequent reason for someone wanting to leave their position. Results suggested that relationship building is at the heart of job satisfaction, and investments in the climate may facilitate retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work faculty have had to manage the complexities of delivering quality education amid the coronavirus pandemic. While some faculty had support from their institution, factors of service, scholarship, student advising, and technology capacity became meaningful lessons for faculty development. The authors relied on strength as a mechanism to navigate through this unprecedented time. Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema and resilience theory are the anchors of this continuum on opposite sides. The shared perspectives of three Black women faculty as (a) an instructor with an administrative appointment, (b) a teaching fellow, and (c) an adjunct instructor at varying institutions will demonstrate how the SBW schema and resilience theory have guided their ability to adapt to changes during the global pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiences of Black social work faculty with Black administrators is understudied. This mixed-methods study used a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of Black social work faculty and staff (N = 55; Mage = 44.26, SD = 12.07) currently or previously supervised by a Black administrator. The main findings were that participants had more autonomy and positive interactions, formal or informal visible supports, and support and understanding from their administrators. Several respondents identified more affective perceptions and feelings rather than actual behaviors to describe negative experiences. Future research should expand the instrument to include more characteristics of administrators, the context of the respondent, and collect information from Black administrators on how they view their roles when working with Black faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors consider the U.S. Department of State Diplomacy Lab as a venue for research instruction of graduate social work students in advancing practice with refugees, especially in understanding their contributions to community quality of life, which served as the focus of the lab. The first author, the instructor of the course, worked with Master of Social Work students in implementing the one-semester Diplomacy Lab in a community located in the southern region of the United States. The authors identify the tension the instructor faced in ensuring student involvement in the inquiry even though she undertook significant presemester activities in establishing the feasibility of the project since the U.S. Department of State required its project completion in one semester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because dominant social work is mismatched to many contexts, alternative practice and educational approaches have emerged. To highlight educational examples, this phenomenological study explores the experience of 28 Canadian and South African educators teaching alternative social work. These educators conceptualized a multidimensional, integrated, contextualized framework that attends to power and resistance, and extends critical social work education by its focus on the local context. Their pedagogy included experiential, intentional, relational, reciprocal, and participatory, dialogical, land-based, reflective, and reflexive aspects. Their accounts illuminate the importance of developing personal intent, appropriate policy environments, adequate resourcing, and an activist social work body toward entrenching contextualized social work education. Considerations for implementing contextualized social work education in other contexts are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite clarion calls about the need for more research related to social work licensing and education, few studies have examined this area. This exploratory study investigated faculty (N=170) knowledge about social work licensing. Participants identified as a full or part-time faculty member at a CSWE accredited institution in one southeastern state. Researchers examined actual, perceived, and discrepancies in knowledge about licensing. Results indicate that participants tended to overestimate their knowledge about licensing. Findings also show that participants with tenure, and employed full-time tended to overestimate their knowledge to a greater degree, when compared to non-tenured faculty and those employed part-time, respectively. Regression tree methodology showed that being a full-time faculty member was the strongest predictor of knowledge discrepancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canada, like other nations with colonizing histories and ongoing colonial practices marginalizing Indigenous peoples, is searching for pathways leading to reconciliation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission called on the social work profession to engage in the decolonization of social work structures and processes, including how it educates entrants in the profession. This article reports on a project that used focus groups with social work faculty in two Canadian universities to explore perceptions about the ways change might be accomplished. From faculty viewpoints, four main themes are identified: coming to know about colonization, assimilation, and genocide; struggling with whose story it is to tell; questioning individual and collective responsibilities in decolonizing social work; and accepting truth first and trauma stories for reconciliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching courses that contain potentially high-emotional impact such as interpersonal violence (IV), have been noted as challenging. This is exacerbated during a pandemic when rates of IV are on the rise and requirements for physical distancing result in many courses being taught online. Although scholars have identified inherent challenges to teaching IV content online, additional considerations and necessary precautions in terms of student physical and emotional safety have not been adequately examined. Nor has the issue of instructor burden during the isolating restrictions of a pandemic been addressed. In this article, three Canadian social work scholars reconsider the challenges of online teaching environments involving IV course content and provide recommendations with an emphasis on risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to control COVID-19 pushed mental health providers to offer remote services to engage clients. This article discusses transitions in a student-led behavioral health clinic and has three aims: explore experiences transitioning to telehealth services, examine client mental health and quality of life outcomes, and compare client engagement through no-show and cancellation rates. This study is an evaluation and used a nonexperimental design. Data were collected from clinic students and faculty (n=21) and from clients (n=46). Data were analyzed using directed content analysis and univariate descriptive statistics. Students and faculty encountered few barriers moving services to telehealth. During a pandemic, client symptoms remained stable. No-show and cancellation rates declined following telehealth. Implications for student-led clinics and training are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the health and safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, in Spring 2020 social work programs nationwide were required to make significant shifts in their instructional methods and field placements. These changes often resulted in faculty members taking on new or additional responsibilities related to teaching and field. This work explores the experiences of full time faculty members from the 18 accredited Masters of Social Work (MSW) programs in Texas. Sixty faculty members completed an online survey about changes to their teaching and field related responsibilities during COVID-19. Results indicate that non-tenure track faculty were most acutely impacted by these changes, leading to significant increases in both teaching and field responsibilities relative to their tenure track peers. Additionally, faculty working at private institutions reported less of an impact on their workload than those working at public institutions. These results underscore the importance of supporting non-tenure track faculty, who are often women and from racial/ethnic groups historically underrepresented in academia, who are afforded less job security and employment related benefits, as they continue to take on additional responsibilities essential to the continued operation of MSW programs. Implications for future research and social work education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching and learning during disasters presents challenges and opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic and concomitant social and economic devastation altered almost every aspect of daily life. Subsequent police brutality, racial injustice, and environmental disasters disproportionately affected historically marginalized communities. Within this context, we, as faculty teaching in a graduate clinical social work program with a specialization in trauma, critically appraised and adapted our teaching to a synchronous online format. We integrated critical elements of trauma-informed and culturally responsive teaching in the development of a pedagogical model. In this article, we present a Trauma Informed and Culturally Responsive pedagogy, and describe relevant teaching principles, concepts, and strategies. We offer lessons learned and provide recommendations for social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing emphasis on micro practice and declining interest in macro practice has rasied concerns regarding the availability and quality of macro internships. Effective training of macro practitioners entering the field remains necessary for reasons including oversight of staff and student internships. This study examines student and faculty perceptions of macro practice field internship experiences within social work programs across the United States and Canada. Findings suggest the majority of internships are offered within MSW programs. Respondents identified a lack of support from social work programs or field departments and a lack of internships as primary barriers to obtaining quality placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use is a chronic social issue that has a substantial effect on social welfare topics in the United States. As one of the primary professions responsible for providing mental health services in the United States, it is imperative that social workers are prepared to meet the challenges presented by this ongoing epidemic. However, several studies have indicated that Masters-level social work (MSW) programs are providing students insufficient instruction on how to adequately address substance use problems. To better understand the role and implementation of substance use education in social work, a survey of MSW program leaders was conducted to identify the perceptions of program leaders on: the emphasis, necessity, and importance of substance use education to social work; the preparedness of MSW students to implement substance use initiatives following graduation; and specific substance use education needs and barriers for MSW programs. The results of the survey indicated that program leaders perceive substance use knowledge to be highly important to the field, but that graduating students are not prepared to provide substance use services following graduation. Program leaders also indicated that a large number of substance use curriculum and resource limitations exist in the MSW educational field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical thinking is a key construct in social work education; however, a universally accepted definition of the construct remains elusive. To determine collective agreement in meaning and viable methods of assessment for critical thinking in social work education, researchers administered an online survey to a national sample of social work educators. Respondents were 184 educators, who provided feedback on critical thinking components. Findings supported social work educators' interest in student reflection, intellectual curiosity, and analytical abilities. We suggest the need for further discussion regarding deconstructing critical thinking into process and demonstration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about financial and economic content (FEC) in social work education, despite the importance of preparing students for practice with low- to moderate-income clients. Additionally, little knowledge exists about faculty perspectives on teaching FEC. This article reports on a qualitative study that examines the perspectives of social work faculty on (1) current coverage and range of FEC in social work education; (2) the degree to which they are receptive to and interested in expanding FEC in the social work curriculum; and (3) the barriers to and their recommendations for expanding FEC in social work education. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 30 social work faculty from programs across the United States engaged in curriculum decisions. Findings show FEC is intentionally taught in various courses, such as social welfare policy, and FEC issues also emerge in an unplanned way in class discussions. Faculty believe FEC is important and relevant for social work practice; however, barriers to including FEC—such as lack of curricular space, time related to program requirements, and lack of faculty preparation—inhibit including additional FEC content. Overall, respondents are cautious but positive about better preparing social workers with additional FEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the academic job market continues to be strong for social work doctoral graduates relative to graduates of other fields, there has been relatively little guidance for students and their mentors on how to prepare for and obtain these positions. Research in doctoral education across disciplines shows that students need help transitioning from their role as doctoral student to navigating the academic job market. This article describes the academic job search process specifically tailored to the social work job market, which is unique both in its chronic undersupply of candidates and in its emphasis on practice. Topics covered include early preparation for the job search, preparing job application materials, the selection process, negotiating offers, and finding the "right" faculty position. The need for the development of career services in doctoral pedagogy to help students prepare for the academic job market is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous educational models in higher education that incorporate Elder wisdom, knowledge, and experience are supported by educators but often not well understood or implemented. This study provides an in-depth exploration of six Elders' experiences serving as members of university instructor teams in a Rural Human Services university program. Results from individual interviews and a focus group with these Elders yielded important findings as to the positive benefits of this model for students, Elders, and university faculty. Importantly, Elders spoke to the transformation of the curriculum in a way that facilitates and bridges the integration of Indigenous knowledge and experiences with a Eurocentric curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers need training to address at-risk alcohol and drug use. Training in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) occurs in social work education, yet little is known about training sustainability and implementation in practice. Thirty-one MSW students, field instructors (FIs), and faculty were interviewed 1 year posttraining to explore their use of SBIRT. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed three major themes: Training feedback, application and implementation barriers and facilitators, and future use and sustainability in practice. Feedback indicated further training needs to overcome institutional, agency-specific barriers and personal barriers. Given varied practice settings, SBIRT training with students and field instructors must be tailored to demonstrate agency-specific benefits and include booster sessions and ongoing consultation to address implementation barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversity and social justice are central values in social work practice and education; however, there is paucity of research examining the ways these issues are infused into students' field education. In this article, we analyze field instructors' discourses about diversity and social justice through their discussion of how they understand and integrate diversity issues into their students' social work practice. Consistent with existing research on diversity and social justice in social work education, and impacts of neoliberalism on the field, findings illustrate the pervasiveness of cultural competency discourses in how field instructors discuss diversity issues including individualism, emphasis on awareness as a central approach to addressing oppression and difference, and powerblind/colorblind ideologies. We discuss implications and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The profession of social work emphasizes social justice in its service delivery, yet there is a paucity of literature on how to teach clinical practice from a social justice perspective. This qualitative study with Canadian social work educators (n=12) suggests the following ways in which educators taught clinical social work from a social justice perspective: (1) integrating critical social theories in conceptualizing clinical practice, (2) engaging in transformative pedagogies, and (3) navigating professional commitments. While addressing various forms of social injustices is a mandate for all social workers, enactment of social justice within clinical practice remains an area of concern. Results suggest concrete ways in which social work educators can engage students in developing their commitment to social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Field Instructor Supervision Scale (FISS) measures field instructor supervision behaviors and can be completed by undergraduate and graduate students in diverse practicum settings. The FISS was validated over 4 years with 684 undergraduate and graduate social work students. The final FISS included 18-items and had two subscales: task support and developmental support. Construct validity was established through exploratory factor analysis; Cronbach's alpha was excellent. The FISS was associated with students' self-reported satisfaction, instructor effectiveness, preparedness for practice, learning, and self-efficacy, providing evidence for criterion-related validity. The FISS can be used by field education programs to evaluate students' perception of field instructors' task and developmental support and by researchers to examine the relation between support and student outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A national survey of social work educators teaching in CSWE-accredited social work education programs in the United States was conducted to explore their perceptions about integrating social justice content into their teaching. A content analysis of written commentary provided by 139 educators revealed four key areas relevant to their efforts: (a) the effect of program mission and integration, (b) the effect of faculty preparation and engagement, (c) the effect of students' positionality, and (d) the challenge of connecting an abstract concept to concrete practices. Findings from this study have highlighted not only the difficulties educators face trying to make this abstract concept more concrete for students but also the significance of the educational context as relevant to the challenges of meeting this obligation. Practical implications for social work education programs and educators as well as areas of further research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This descriptive study used a mixed-methods approach to explore social work dissertation committee chairs' (N = 150) conceptualizations of their role including their understanding of successful relationships, perceptions, and experiences with the scope of the role. Most chairs had no formal training and learned through their own experiences as students and committee members. The majority believed the chair role included academic support but disagreed on whether the role should include psychosocial support (e.g., self-care, physical, mental health) and family support (e.g., pregnancy, parenting, family issues). Qualitative data provided further details and examples of how chairs learned or prepared for their role, conceptualized their role, and defined successful and challenging relationships and the scope of their role. Implications for social work education including strengthening training for chairs and supports for chairs and students are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Native American students, faculty members, and administrators of a tribal college were interviewed by two investigators from a mainstream midwestern university in this qualitative study. The study examines the participants' perspectives on continuing their education and identifying a pathway for Native American students who received their associate degrees in addiction studies or human services from the tribal college to complete their social work education at a mainstream university. Three themes emerged from the data supporting the formation of a combined cohort of Native American and non–Native American students working together as a pathway for Native Americans to attend a mainstream university for a degree in social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which author discusses several issues including a collection of conceptual essays, survey studies; a variety of strategies to present and evaluate the implementation of innovations in social work education.

The study explored the characteristics and experiences of branch campus social work education programs and educators in the United States. Eighty-one branch campus social work educators in 26 states completed an online survey. Findings revealed that undergraduate and graduate branch campus social work education was primarily delivered face-to-face to nontraditional students. Half of these programs were recently established, and the majority were expected to grow. However, teaching these students was not necessarily viewed as a shared responsibility. Although some branch campus faculty reported higher workloads and limited connections to parent campus colleagues, faculty generally reported great satisfaction teaching branch campus students. Practical implications are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Difficult conversations about isms, power, privilege, and oppression are an essential part of social work education, and they present unique challenges for students and faculty. The current study examined students' and faculty's perceptions of the safety of the classroom and the competence of the faculty in facilitating difficult conversations at a graduate school of social work in New York City. Student and faculty versions of a survey were distributed to both groups. Results indicated students rated the experience of having difficult conversations at the school significantly more negatively than the faculty did. The majority of respondents expressed the need for courses and training to be more fluent in having difficult conversations. Future directions are discussed based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the phenomenon of microaggressions as experienced by students and perpetrated by students and faculty in one of the most ethnically and racially diverse MSW programs in the nation. Microaggressions are the daily slights, insults, and invalidations experienced by minorities, which are, in essence, subtle forms of racism and discrimination. Students (N=43) completed a questionnaire, providing descriptive and qualitative data on microaggressions targeting race, ethnicity, and other diversity characteristics and environmental microaggressions. Findings indicate that even where there is great diversity with the percentages in favor of people of color, microaggressions are strong and persistent. This study supports the need for more sophisticated multicultural teaching strategies and an increased focus on cultural humility among students and faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "Religion and Spirituality in MSW Programs' Implicit and Explicit Curricula: A National Survey of Faculty" which appeared in the May 11, 2022 issue.

This exploratory study examined MSW education’s organizational-level lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) competence. Data were gathered from a sample of MSW program directors, faculty members, and students (N=1385) from 34 MSW programs in the United States. Hierarchical linear modeling analyzed differences in perceptions of organizational LGBT competence between MSW programs and among participants in the same program. Results showed organizational LGBT competence varied significantly among MSW programs and indicated program directors, faculty members, and students had different perceptions of the competence of their shared program. Specifically, directors rated the LGBT competence of their program higher than faculty, and faculty rated their program higher than students did. Implications for research and suggestions for social work education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Council on Social Work Education has designated field education as social work’s signature pedagogy, putting field supervisors in a key role of preparing students as competent social workers. This study examined field supervisors’ Evidence Based Practice (EBP) behaviors using a modified version of the Evidence-Based Practice Process Assessment Scale-Short Version. Supervisors (N= 129), from two undergraduate and one graduate program were invited to complete an electronic survey, resulting in a final 34% response rate (N= 44). Results indicated participants were somewhat familiar with EBP techniques, but did not think it feasible to carry out EBP in their settings, nor did they frequently demonstrate EBP behaviors in practice. Recommendations for overcoming barriers to implementing EBP behaviors in agency settings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Social workers’ unique skills and professional perspective can contribute to improved practices in psychopharmacology, yet it is unclear how social work programs prepare students for this area of practice. This study examined instruction of psychopharmacology through a national Web-based survey of MSW program directors and instructors of psychopharmacology content (n= 171). Nearly two-thirds (63.7%) reported their program integrates psychopharmacology usually into one or two existing courses, whereas 20.5% indicated their program offers a stand-alone course. Lack of faculty expertise and having no room in the current curriculum structure were identified as the top barriers for programs not offering any psychopharmacology content. The profession’s critical, social justice, empowerment, client-centered, and systems perspective appears to ground the teaching of psychopharmacology in social work programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Integrated health care serves a vital role in addressing interrelated physical and behavioral health conditions, but social work graduates often lack sufficient training to work on integrated teams. We surveyed 94 deans of master’s of social work programs to assess the current and planned integrated health care curricula and the aptitude of schools to teach this material. We applied chi-square analyses to evaluate differences among programs that reported already teaching integrated health content and programs not yet delivering this curriculum. Findings suggest that deans of schools not yet teaching this material not only felt less prepared but also reported a lower capacity to do so. Implications and next steps to increasing integrated health curricula are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Stigma is a significant barrier to recovery and full community inclusion for people with mental illnesses. Social work educators can play critical roles in addressing this stigma, yet little is known about their attitudes. Social work educators were surveyed about their general attitudes about people with mental illnesses, attitudes about practice with people with mental illnesses, and attitudes about students with mental illnesses. On average, educators’ general and practice attitudes were not negative. However, respondents did view a student with a mental illness differently from a “typical social work student.” Findings suggest that we, as social work educators, must raise our awareness and address our own attitudes to support students and uphold our social work values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although social workers recently have renewed the profession’s historical focus on the financial well-being of vulnerable families, they receive little professional education to prepare them for this work. This study examines the implementation and outcomes of infusing a financial capability and asset building (FCAB) curriculum in a variety of social work courses in 11 minority-serving baccalaureate colleges and universities. Analysis of in-depth interviews with 24 faculty and administrators finds that respondents believe students gained understanding and appreciation for FCAB. Faculty also reported greater confidence in teaching FCAB concepts and skills. Pre- and posttest surveys with 261 students indicate changed attitudes, confidence in helping clients with basic financial management, knowledge about financial capability, and improvement in some personal financial behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work practitioners increasingly use mindfulness techniques, and research into the impact of this practice is being explored by multiple related disciplines, such as psychology and education. Cultivating the potential benefits of mindfulness at multiple practice levels necessitates curricular integration of mindfulness training. This article reports on the evaluation of a 14-week mindfulness-based pedagogical model implemented in two sections of social work field seminars. Using a pretest and posttest survey design that included an existing five-dimension mindfulness scale, students exhibited significant change in three facets of mindfulness: observing, nonjudgment of inner experience, and nonreactivity to inner experience. Implications for social work education and directions for future research are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political involvement is an integral component of the social work profession, yet there is no explicit reference to social work participation in election-related activities in either the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics or the Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Social work education may offer an opportune time to shape crucial patterns of future electoral participation among social workers. This study examines BSW, MSW, and PhD student electoral involvement during the 2012 presidential election and ways social work program administrators across the country encouraged students to acquire skills and experience in election-related policy practice during the election season. Findings indicate that the extent of opportunities offered to students varied widely across programs as well as across types of electoral activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faculty members are key stakeholders to support social work students' learning about race and racism in practice and to promote the professional standards established by the field. This qualitative study examines how 15 clinical social work faculty members teaching advanced practice in the Northeast conceptualize and incorporate their understanding of race and racism in their teaching. An analysis of participants' responses to a case vignette suggests clinical social work faculty members view race primarily as an individual ethnic or cultural identity and lack conceptual, historical, and sociological knowledge about racism and its links to other forms of oppression. This study suggests that additional faculty development opportunities and institutional support are needed to encourage faculty efforts to address race and racism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the process of developing and testing the Poverty Attribution Survey (PAS), a measure of poverty attributions. The PAS is theory based and includes original items as well as items from previously tested poverty attribution instruments. The PAS was electronically administered to a sample of state-licensed professional social workers. The three scales of the PAS—individual, cultural, and structural—demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability. We conducted exploratory factor analyses and forced three-factor analyses and retained items with factor loadings at or above .50. The items on each scale loaded as predicted with few exceptions. The PAS is a new tool for standardizing poverty attribution research. We discuss implications for social work education, research, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Social work has professional and academic standards consistent with transgender affirmative education and practice. Nevertheless, a growing body of research suggests that transgender issues are largely absent from social work education, resulting in practitioners who are uninformed or biased against transgender issues. The present study expands the literature through a mixed methods study exploring perceptions of transgender issues in social work education from the perspectives of transgender social work students (n = 97). Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal barriers to transgender affirmative social work education including (1) transphobic microaggressions within classroom and field settings, (2) the absence of transgender specific education and expertise, and (3) the general lack of visibility of transgender issues. Recommendations for transgender affirmative social work education are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work educators are responsible for ensuring that future practitioners are culturally competent and have the ability to work effectively with people from different backgrounds. The purpose of this article is to address the current limitations in measuring cultural competence and to report the results of a qualitative study examining stakeholders’ conceptualizations of the definition, educational process, and evaluation of cultural competence in social work education. Findings support long-standing assumptions in the literature regarding the need for social workers to develop certain knowledge and attitudes as prerequisites of becoming culturally competent, and emphasize the need for further exploration of the way social workers define cultural competence, translate it into discrete practice behaviors, and assess how students demonstrate these behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Students (n = 244, 76% MSSW) and faculty members (n = 40, 36% tenure or tenure track) at a social work program at a large public southern U.S. university were surveyed to assess within- and between-group differences in perspectives on student writing. Faculty members expressed significantly greater concern with student writing than students. Latina/o, African American, female, and undergraduate students all reported more writing challenges compared to their peers. Likewise, full-time faculty members who teach mainly online or had less training in writing instruction reported more challenges than their colleagues. Overall, our findings support the need for writing interventions that acculturate students to the discipline through a more inclusive, culturally competent discourse as well as increased faculty preparation for teaching writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As social work educators, much of our practice involves helping students think critically about complex political, economic, and social issues. One of the most complex and contentious sociopolitical issues of our time has been civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. This teaching note considers how we, as LGBT instructors, may respond to students’ comments about LGBT-related issues when such comments are representative of ideas that challenge our personal identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every week there is a national news story involving a collegiate student-athlete, and oftentimes the tale relates to a social work education issue. There are 731 social work programs, yet none offers coursework in student-athlete behavior and their environment. Student-athletes experience the same developmental challenges as nonathletes, and mental health disorders, substance abuse challenges, and criminal justice involvement can be exacerbated by their dual roles. This article describes the structure of collegiate sports and athletic department counseling and case management strategies; explores social work education content areas, educational policy and accreditation standards, and related student-athlete vulnerabilities; and it presents avenues to explore student-athlete developmental issues within social work curricula. The article concludes with the benefits of integrating collegiate athletics into social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports results from a national Internet-based survey administered anonymously to a cross-section of social work faculty in the United States. Drawn from a sampling frame of 700 accredited or in candidacy schools, data were collected between November 2010 and March 2011. We investigate the role of sex, sexual orientation, race, religious affiliation and beliefs, religiosity, political ideology, sexism, and interest in sexuality/LGBTQ issues. Race, religiosity, political ideology, and sexism are associated with sexual prejudice, which was endorsed among a small percentage (14%) of the sample (n = 303). Outcome scores were not statistically different based on the targets' sex. Strategies are recommended to reduce sexual prejudice among social work faculty and to increase institutional support for acceptance in the academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]