Exploring MSW students’ and social workers’ orientation toward the evidence-based practice process

Abstract

The aim of this exploratory study was to assess whether practicing social workers currently enrolled in Master Social Work (MSW) programs (hereafter referred to as MSW students) were more oriented to the evidence-based practice (EBP) process and more engaged in it than practicing social workers who are not currently enrolled in MSW programs (hereafter referred to as social workers) in the Netherlands. Data were collected from MSW students (n = 32) and from social workers (n = 341) using the EBP Process Assessment Scale. MSW students reported a stronger orientation toward the EBP process, more positive attitudes toward EBP, more familiarity with EBP and more intentions to engage in EBP than social workers did, however, they were less positive about the feasibility of implementing EBP in practice. These preliminary results suggest that there are grounds for optimism about MSW students' acceptance of and engagement in the EBP process. Implications for social work education are discussed. From the start of the twenty-first century, the Dutch government, local authorities, and funding bodies have been demanding more accountability and effectiveness in social work, leading to increasing attention for evidence-based practice (EBP) as a means of professionalization in social work (Steyaert, Van Den Biggelaar, & Peels, 2010). In 2008, a professional Master Social Work (MSW) program for universities of applied sciences (UASs) (Hogescholen) was funded by the Dutch government to deliver professionals who focus on the effectiveness of interventions and accountability of the profession (van Pelt, Hutschemaekers, Sleegers, & van Hattum, 2015). The new professional MSW program is a two-year part-time degree program for practicing social workers (who remain working in practice during the program). Currently three UASs in the Netherlands offer the new MSW program and one UAS offers a Master Healthcare and Social Work. This study explores the orientation toward the EBP process of social workers currently enrolled in the MSW program in the Netherlands. In order to contextualize this study, we first provide a brief

Dream ore reality? The presence of Social Practice Development in social work practice

“…Moreover, given the lower mean scores of EBP2 activities than EBP1 activities, evidence-based practices seem to be less a part of the action repertoire of the social workers who participated in our study. This is in line with findings from a study by Van der Zwet et al (2017), which showed that Dutch social workers are less oriented toward EBP than social workers in the US (Parrish & Rubin, 2011, 2012.…”

“…More generally, social workers 'have often rejected an outright knowledge claim as elitist' (Beddoe, 2014, p. 18) and, according to , social workers sometimes consider a lack of theoretical knowledge to be a virtue. On the other hand, individual professionals are given too much responsibility for using EBP instead of it being a responsibility that is shared between social workers and their organisations (Nutley et al, 2009;Plath, 2014;Van der Zwet et al, 2020), though social workers who are engaged in an MSW programme are more oriented toward EBP ( Van der Zwet et al, 2017).…”

“…Research within other subjects indeed points at the influence of the organisation on the practice of social workers (Spierts & Verweij, 2020). Although social workers who are engaged in an MSW programme are more oriented toward thinking about the theoretical foundation of practice ( Van der Zwet et al, 2017), there is still work to be done.…”