“Social Work Is a Profession, Not an Ideology”: A Qualitative Analysis of Student Perceptions of Social Justice Discussions in the Classroom

Candace Hansford, Gretchen E. Ely, Chris Flaherty, Nancy Meyer-Adams

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe student perceptions of their experiences around social justice discussions in the social work classroom through a qualitative, grounded theory framework. Student responses from a qualitative section of a survey were analyzed and sorted into three categories: perceived discrimination, heightened self-awareness/self-assessment, and future social work practice. Each of these categories was derived from comparable multiple themes stemming from the student responses. A conceptual model resulting from the analysis suggests that students who shared experiences of perceived discrimination during classroom discussions could develop an enhanced self-awareness, which would result in an added empathy for clients in their future social work practice. Suggestions for teaching strategies and directions for future research are also discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)199-217
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Teaching in Social Work
Volume37
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 27 2017

Keywords

  • Classroom discussions
  • perceived discrimination
  • social justice
  • social work education
  • social work students

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Sociology and Political Science

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