JBSW

Homophobia Among Students in Social Work Programs
Beverly Black, Thomas Oles, and Linda Moore

This article presents the results of a study examining students' levels of homophobia and changes in these levels at various points in the social work curriculum. The study found that social work courses exert a weak but positive influence on students' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. The level of homophobia expressed by students significantly varied by gender and race. Major course of study in school did not significantly influence levels of homophobia. Students in all cases reported the highest levels of homophobia on statements related to civil rights. Implications for social work education are also discussed.

Approaches to the Incorporation of Diversity: Implications for the Inclusive Curriculum
Wanda Bracy

This article provides a typology of approaches to the inclusion of diversity in the curriculum and a discussion of the issues and concerns in the development of an inclusive curriculum. The typology consists of two broad dimensions that underlie various approaches to inclusion: 1) the diversity as variety perspective; and, 2) the diversity as critical perspective. Various approaches are classified within these two perspectives and for each approach the curriculum goals and objectives, nature of knowledge content, instructional strategies, and contributions and criticisms are presented. The article concludes with a presentation of the phases of curriculum transformation in the development of an inclusive curriculum and presents the parameters that must be considered in the development of inclusion.

Postmodern Social Work: No Truths Outside the Gates of Eden?
Gregory Gross

Postmodernism injects new life into practice at all levels and redefines the meaning of knowledge, diversity and plain, old making sense. This rejuvenating theory offers additional means for understanding client systems, provides new techniques for helping, and promises a vital dialogue within the profession. Extolling the episodic, the unique, and the contradictory, postmodernists de-emphasize grand theory, logical patterns of thinking or doing, and general truths. In place of such traditionalist modernist notions, postmodernists elevate ideas and persons who reside at the margins, deconstruct client narratives, and help people re-write those narratives which fail to liberate the self, family, or community.

Field Can Be Hazardous to Your Well-Being: Fact or Fiction?
Martha L. Ellison

Practitioners know, frequently from first hand experience, that social work can be a dangerous profession. They know that clients of their families can be hostile and violent and that frequently this hostility is directed towards the social worker. One might wonder if social work students understand this facet of the profession. Social work students have a lot of concerns upon entering field. They are anxious about their abilities and roles. Does their anxiety extend to issues of safety, and should it? This is a good question that students may not have thought much about. This study will report the findings of a national study of BSW and MSW field programs to determine the extent and nature of violence field students experience in placement and how programs prepare students for the risks of field practice.

A Study of BSW Students' Perceptions of and Experiences With Risks to Their Personal Safety in the Field Practicum
Carolyn Knight

BSW students were surveyed at the beginning and end of the field practicum to ascertain their concerns regarding and actual experiences with risks to their personal safety in the field placement. Results indicated that the most common sources of anxiety, both at the start and the end of the placement, were the students' clients, work in the evenings, and home visits. A significant proportion of the respondents reported actually being threatened by a client at least once while in placement. Strategies that appear to be most useful in reducing students' anxieties include discussions with the field instructor, fellow students, and the faculty liaison, as well as training in how to respond to potentially dangerous situations. Students' actual experiences with clients also were instrumental in reducing their anxieties.

Graduate and Undergraduate Field Placements in Child Welfare: Is There a Difference?
Diane Elias Alperin

A continuing theme in social work education has been on defining the educational continuum between BSW and MSW degrees. While some authors have focused on the existence of continuity or discontinuity in the curriculum, recent research studies have identified similarities and differences in graduate and undergraduate field placements. Both social work education and the profession of social work have recently focused their attention on the field of child welfare, in an effort to attract more professional social workers to the field. Part of this effort has resulted in a "New Partnership Initiative" between social service departments and social work educators to aid in the reprofessionalization of public social services. The current study was undertaken, in part, to gather information on undergraduate and graduate field placements in child welfare in one state with such a partnership agreement.

As public funding for human services agencies shrinks, privatization of service delivery becomes more prevalent, and efficiency is prioritized. A review of the literature identifies the response during the 1980s cutbacks in funding as an increase in the use of lay resources. This article will address the relevance and concerns this response might invoke for service providers today as privatization moves us into private, nonprofit, and more extensive managed care service delivery. Interviews were conducted with professionals and students of social work regarding use of lay resources and incorporated into the discussion and recommendation portions of the article.

Students and Faculty as Co-Teachers: Processes of Self-Efficacy and Educational Empowerment
Marceline M. Lazzari, Nancy A. Banman, and Robert L. Jackson

When students and faculty share teaching roles and responsibilities, an innovative and challenging learning environment emerges. This paper presents findings from a qualitative research study that sought to explicate the meanings of co-teaching from the perspectives of student co-teachers. Thirty-six undergraduate social work students were interviewed. Student co-teachers reported that their social work education, knowledge, values, and skills were positively affected and their relationships with faculty and students enhanced. The data hold relevance for all social work educators who are interested in creating learning opportunities that more closely replicate the world of practice. In so doing, it appears that processes of self-efficacy and educational empowerment become reciprocally engaged and result in personal/professional experiences that expand the boundaries of traditional educational approaches.

Home Current Issue Previous Issues Manuscript Submissions Editorial Board Consulting Editors Contact Us Library Orders Advertising in JBSW	Volume 2, Number 1 Fall 1996
		Homophobia Among Students in Social Work Programs Beverly Black, Thomas Oles, and Linda Moore This article presents the results of a study examining students' levels of homophobia and changes in these levels at various points in the social work curriculum. The study found that social work courses exert a weak but positive influence on students' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. The level of homophobia expressed by students significantly varied by gender and race. Major course of study in school did not significantly influence levels of homophobia. Students in all cases reported the highest levels of homophobia on statements related to civil rights. Implications for social work education are also discussed. Approaches to the Incorporation of Diversity: Implications for the Inclusive Curriculum Wanda Bracy This article provides a typology of approaches to the inclusion of diversity in the curriculum and a discussion of the issues and concerns in the development of an inclusive curriculum. The typology consists of two broad dimensions that underlie various approaches to inclusion: 1) the diversity as variety perspective; and, 2) the diversity as critical perspective. Various approaches are classified within these two perspectives and for each approach the curriculum goals and objectives, nature of knowledge content, instructional strategies, and contributions and criticisms are presented. The article concludes with a presentation of the phases of curriculum transformation in the development of an inclusive curriculum and presents the parameters that must be considered in the development of inclusion. Postmodern Social Work: No Truths Outside the Gates of Eden? Gregory Gross Postmodernism injects new life into practice at all levels and redefines the meaning of knowledge, diversity and plain, old making sense. This rejuvenating theory offers additional means for understanding client systems, provides new techniques for helping, and promises a vital dialogue within the profession. Extolling the episodic, the unique, and the contradictory, postmodernists de-emphasize grand theory, logical patterns of thinking or doing, and general truths. In place of such traditionalist modernist notions, postmodernists elevate ideas and persons who reside at the margins, deconstruct client narratives, and help people re-write those narratives which fail to liberate the self, family, or community. Field Can Be Hazardous to Your Well-Being: Fact or Fiction? Martha L. Ellison Practitioners know, frequently from first hand experience, that social work can be a dangerous profession. They know that clients of their families can be hostile and violent and that frequently this hostility is directed towards the social worker. One might wonder if social work students understand this facet of the profession. Social work students have a lot of concerns upon entering field. They are anxious about their abilities and roles. Does their anxiety extend to issues of safety, and should it? This is a good question that students may not have thought much about. This study will report the findings of a national study of BSW and MSW field programs to determine the extent and nature of violence field students experience in placement and how programs prepare students for the risks of field practice. A Study of BSW Students' Perceptions of and Experiences With Risks to Their Personal Safety in the Field Practicum Carolyn Knight BSW students were surveyed at the beginning and end of the field practicum to ascertain their concerns regarding and actual experiences with risks to their personal safety in the field placement. Results indicated that the most common sources of anxiety, both at the start and the end of the placement, were the students' clients, work in the evenings, and home visits. A significant proportion of the respondents reported actually being threatened by a client at least once while in placement. Strategies that appear to be most useful in reducing students' anxieties include discussions with the field instructor, fellow students, and the faculty liaison, as well as training in how to respond to potentially dangerous situations. Students' actual experiences with clients also were instrumental in reducing their anxieties. Graduate and Undergraduate Field Placements in Child Welfare: Is There a Difference? Diane Elias Alperin A continuing theme in social work education has been on defining the educational continuum between BSW and MSW degrees. While some authors have focused on the existence of continuity or discontinuity in the curriculum, recent research studies have identified similarities and differences in graduate and undergraduate field placements. Both social work education and the profession of social work have recently focused their attention on the field of child welfare, in an effort to attract more professional social workers to the field. Part of this effort has resulted in a "New Partnership Initiative" between social service departments and social work educators to aid in the reprofessionalization of public social services. The current study was undertaken, in part, to gather information on undergraduate and graduate field placements in child welfare in one state with such a partnership agreement. Right to Resources or Competency? Carol A. Westphal As public funding for human services agencies shrinks, privatization of service delivery becomes more prevalent, and efficiency is prioritized. A review of the literature identifies the response during the 1980s cutbacks in funding as an increase in the use of lay resources. This article will address the relevance and concerns this response might invoke for service providers today as privatization moves us into private, nonprofit, and more extensive managed care service delivery. Interviews were conducted with professionals and students of social work regarding use of lay resources and incorporated into the discussion and recommendation portions of the article. Students and Faculty as Co-Teachers: Processes of Self-Efficacy and Educational Empowerment Marceline M. Lazzari, Nancy A. Banman, and Robert L. Jackson When students and faculty share teaching roles and responsibilities, an innovative and challenging learning environment emerges. This paper presents findings from a qualitative research study that sought to explicate the meanings of co-teaching from the perspectives of student co-teachers. Thirty-six undergraduate social work students were interviewed. Student co-teachers reported that their social work education, knowledge, values, and skills were positively affected and their relationships with faculty and students enhanced. The data hold relevance for all social work educators who are interested in creating learning opportunities that more closely replicate the world of practice. In so doing, it appears that processes of self-efficacy and educational empowerment become reciprocally engaged and result in personal/professional experiences that expand the boundaries of traditional educational approaches.