Engaging Students in Research: A Participatory BSW Program Evaluation

Abstract

This article presents a case study of an experiential approach to teaching undergraduate research methods that engages students in conducting a formative program evaluation of their own BSW program. The project helped promote students' learning; addressed, in part, CSWE accreditation standards; and promoted a culture of organizational learning. Course evaluations indicate that a participatory approach to program evaluation that values students' feedback and provides the opportunity for creating change within the school of social work helped students overcome their resistance to research. Through the practical application of their work, students internalized research concepts and fully appreciated the importance of research in opening up dialogue and creating positive change. This case study suggests that undergraduate social work students' engagement in program evaluation efforts challenges assumptions of expert knowledge and increases the expectation that program graduates will perceive themselves as researchers.

Teaching Macro Social Work through Experiential Learning: Student Reflections on Lessons Learned in Building School-Community Partnerships

“…Although others have found that engagement in experiential learning increased social work students' competency in practice-informed research and research-informed practice (Jacobson & Goheen, 2006;Shaw et al, 2012), the evidence here was not clear. The PI observed the students using the related skills during the project, but they did not reflect on this in the follow-up.…”

“…Experiential and service-learning is increasingly used to teach macro-level knowledge and skills (Bringle & Steinberg, 2010;Lemieux & Allen, 2007) and can be particularly beneficial in teaching practice competencies that may not be emphasized in traditional field placements. When engaged in experiential learning, social work students increase competency in areas such as research (Jacobson & Goheen, 2006), data-driven practice (Shaw, Lee, & Wulczyn, 2012), and policy practice (Rocha, 2000). Additionally, evaluation of social work student learning is increasingly focused on observation of students' competency in practice skills (CSWE, 2015), however, observing macro social work skills can be challenging in classroom-based instruction.…”

Reducing Research Anxiety among MSW Students

“…A third of 91 studies investigating teaching methods published in prestigious social work journals from 1998 to 2008 used sufficiently rigorous research methodologies themselves and included designs and measures that could not be replicated (Dennison, Gruber, & Vrbsky, 2010). Studies investigating whether and how teaching methods increase students' motivations to conduct research may be proliferating (Jackson & Goheen, 2006) but seldom investigate reducing research anxiety (Onwuegbuzie & Wilson, 2003;Jackson & Goheen, 2006), let alone consider it a prerequisite of pedagogical cultural competence. "Start Where the Student Is"…”

Service improvement as an experiential tool for postgraduate students and service providers

“…Originally designed for use in adult education (Thiollent 2011), PAR is widely used in programme evaluation for university courses (Jacobson andGoheen 2006, Thiollent 2011).…”