Can We Assess Suitability at Admission? A Review of MSW Application Procedures

Miller, Jaclyn; Koerin, Beverly B.

doi:10.1080/10437797.1998.10778938

Cited by 58 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Definitions of professional or personal suitability and the criteria thereof vary (Miller & Koerin, 1998); however, the term "can be applied to the academic, personal, and professional elements" of counseling programs, including social work (Brear, Dorrian, & Luscri, 2008, p. 2). As such, understandings of professional suitability can include elements concerning the "less tangible aspects of [social] work," such as values (Kelly & Horder, 2001, p. 695), aspects that greatly affect the success of the helping relationship.…”

Section: Professional Suitability and The Helping Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gatekeeping By Schools Of Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…CASWE (2013) accreditation standards require schools of social work to have policies regarding professional suitability. The definition, criteria, and assessment methods and tools used by schools may differ (Miller & Koerin, 1998), thereby contributing to a variety of practice guidelines and approaches across Canada (Barlow & Coleman, 2003).…”

Section: Gatekeeping By Schools Of Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At admission, consideration may be given to personal characteristics such as maturity, self-awareness, and ethics, as well as social work commitment and values, and employment and volunteer experience (GlenMaye & Oakes, 2002;Miller & Koerin, 1998). This information is typically gleaned and scored from such items as personal statements/essays, interviews, non-academic references, and résumés (Miller & Koerin, 1998). A more comprehensive assessment approach that involves multiple admission methods/criteria is often recommended given mixed research findings regarding the efficacy of predicting student performance in the program, particularly performance in field placements (Bogo, Regehr, Hughes, Power, & Globerman, 2002;Fortune, 2003;GlenMaye & Oakes, 2002;Ryan, McCormack, & Cleak, 2006).…”

Section: Gatekeeping By Schools Of Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Social Work Curriculum Review Case Study

Watters¹,

Cait²,

Oba³

2016

cswr

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This paper presents the findings from community focus groups, comprised of social service users, and explores the characteristics of effective social workers. Focus groups were conducted as part of a case study to inform a Master of Social Work (MSW) curriculum review at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Social Work. Wilfrid Laurier University has two MSW programs—the MSW Aboriginal Field of Study (AFS) and a non-Aboriginal program. The case for this study was the non-Aboriginal MSW program. Ongoing program evaluation that includes feedback from service users honours the knowledge of marginalized communities, and is an accreditation requirement of the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE). Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 24 individuals who access programs from human service organizations that provide supportive housing, immigrant, or refugee services in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Service users identified numerous characteristics of effective social workers, including kindness, cultural awareness, and strong communication skills, as well as the need to articulate and address issues of professional suitability. We conclude by querying whether the typical assessment of MSW students’ suitability for the profession is adequate, and provide the AFS wholistic and comprehensive evaluation as an example of an alternative approach to MSW student assessment.

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Section: Professional Suitability and The Helping Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gatekeeping By Schools Of Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gatekeeping By Schools Of Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gatekeeping By Schools Of Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Social Work Curriculum Review Case Study

Watters¹,

Cait²,

Oba³

2016

cswr

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A number of authors highlight an apparent reluctance on the part of academics to exercise their gate-keeping responsibilities, perhaps because of concerns about potential challenges and uncertainty about the robustness of such decisions given the challenges of defining such non-academic entry criteria (Dillon, 2007;Miller and Koerin, 1998). Perhaps ironically, authors writing from the North American context have shown that legal challenges to selection decisions have failed where there is evidence that fair and published processes were followed and it is in fact the absence of such transparency that has caused significant difficulties (Tam and Coleman, 2011 p506).…”

Section: Recent Selection Dilemmas/issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suitability for Professional Practice: Assessing and Developing Moral Character in Social Work Education

Holmstrom¹

2013

Social Work Education

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This article considers the importance of an explicit focus upon the 'character' of social work applicants and students in debates regarding suitability for professional education and practice. Drawing upon the growing body of literature concerning gate-keeping decisions and literature exploring the relevance of virtue ethics for social work, this article examines the benefits of an approach that foregrounds the assessment and development of moral character. The discussion is located within the context of the most recent reforms to social work education within England, whilst recognising the international relevance of these debates. It is argued that incorporating an approach informed by virtue ethics has potential to bridge traditional fault-lines within selection debates that have focussed upon the tensions between a widening access perspective and a focus upon academic ability. Crucially, this article examines the curriculum and pedagogic issues arising from a commitment to provide opportunities to develop moral character and virtue. The article argues that a dual focus upon selection and pedagogic issues, with an explicit focus upon character throughout, is critical to the development of wise, effective and virtuous social workers are able to exercise sound judgment and wisdom across a range of practice contexts.

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Graduate Admissions Practices: A Targeted Review of the Literature

Michel

Belur

Naemi

et al. 2019

ETS Research Report Series

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This review of the literature covers 5 major areas within the graduate admissions process: (a) the decentralized nature of graduate admissions; (b) the types of materials that are collected as part of the application process, including standardized test scores; (c) the variety of admissions models that are used to make admissions decisions; (d) training and tools used by graduate admissions committees to support the graduate admissions process; and (e) admitting diverse applicants. The literature review concludes with a discussion of the findings and the areas for future research.

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Can We Assess Suitability at Admission? A Review of MSW Application Procedures

Cited by 58 publications

References 17 publications

Social Work Curriculum Review Case Study

Social Work Curriculum Review Case Study

Suitability for Professional Practice: Assessing and Developing Moral Character in Social Work Education

Graduate Admissions Practices: A Targeted Review of the Literature

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