Factors Affecting Student Selection of Macro Specializations

Schwartz, Sanford; Msw, Patrick Dattalo

doi:10.1300/j147v14n03_06

Cited by 16 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Without adequate macro content, the development of expertise to fulfill management, community organizing, and policy analysis roles will cease to exist (Perlmutter, 2006;Schwartz & Dattalo, 1990; Weiss et al., 2004;Wilson & Lau, 2011). Social workers trained primarily in direct practice have been found to be less effective in administrative positions given that clinical skills do not directly translate into effective management skills Perlmutter, 2006;Wilson & Lau, 2011).…”

Section: The Current State Of Macro Practice In North Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Current Challenges Facing Macro Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been suggested that some social work educators may teach students that macro social work is not real social work or that it is antithetical to social work values Perlmutter, 2006;Rothman, 2012; Weiss et al, 2004). Additionally, there is evidence that many schools of social work have not invested in faculty with expertise and passion for teaching macro practice, which may further erode student enthusiasm for topics covered in these classes (Heidemann, Fertig, Jansson, & Kim, 2011; Rothman, 2013;Schwartz & Dattalo, 1990; Weiss et al, 2004).Some educators and professionals may promote the belief that students should pursue "micro before macro." Research shows that social work educators and practitioners may believe that students need substantial practice experience in order to obtain more macro-oriented jobs later in their careers Schwartz & Dattalo, 1990).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, there is evidence that many schools of social work have not invested in faculty with expertise and passion for teaching macro practice, which may further erode student enthusiasm for topics covered in these classes (Heidemann, Fertig, Jansson, & Kim, 2011; Rothman, 2013;Schwartz & Dattalo, 1990; Weiss et al, 2004).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Research shows that social work educators and practitioners may believe that students need substantial practice experience in order to obtain more macro-oriented jobs later in their careers Schwartz & Dattalo, 1990). Social work educators and students have reported the belief that there are not enough macro-oriented jobs available after graduation, or that they are low-paying in comparison to micro-oriented jobs (Schwartz & Dattalo, 1990;Starr et al, 1999).Overall, an overview of the aforementioned literature suggests that social work educators and professionals' views about macro education and the career experiences of macro-oriented students may be diminishing the role of macro social work. However, Macro-Related Skills among Recent Graduates 8 there is little research to date exploring the accuracy of these views based on the actual experience of recent MSW graduates.…”

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confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Debunking macro myths: findings from recent graduates about jobs, salaries, and skills

Zerden

Sheely

Despard

2016

Social Work Education

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Research suggests that interest in macro social work practice is declining, a trend that has been well documented in the United States. Studies find that social work educators and practitioners may foster beliefs among MSW students that discredit macro practice and associated skills while asserting macro graduates are likely to face poorer employment prospects and lower salaries than micro counterparts as they start their careers. This study builds on and extends this literature by examining 27 skills in their current job using a 5-point Likert-type scale among the early career trajectory of MSW alumni (N=182) who graduated between 2008--2012 from a public social work institution in the southeastern United States. The skills included in the survey, as well as decisions about how to group them into scales, were made based on theoretical links between the skills by macro faculty members. Findings highlight the use of macro practice skills regardless of concentration focus, no differences in salary, or the time it takes to find employment between micro and macro alumni. Implications for social work education are discussed.keywords: macro practice, social work education USA, MSW curriculum, MSW career development, Macro-Related Skills among Recent Graduates 2The focus on changing environmental factors, which create and perpetuate social and economic inequities, has been a defining feature of social work since Jane Addams started the Settlement House movement (Johnson, 2004). However, throughout the history of the profession and still today, specifically in social work education in North America, a tension remains regarding the relative importance for the profession of micro level practice -direct practice with individuals, groups, and families -and macro level practice -community organizing, planning, administration and policy practice (McNutt, 1995; Hill, Ferguson, & Erickson, 2010; Haynes, 1998;Rothman & Mizrahi, 2014;Specht & Courtney, 1995;). While broad in definition, globally and in the United States, macro social work practice has had a specific tradition connected to grassroots activism, community organizing, and efforts towards political reform (Rothman, 2013). Recently, as budgets and service provision are decided, the role of administration and management has become an important function of social workers in order to determine when, how, to whom, and by who services are allocated (NASW, 2013). This paper aims to determine what are the career experiences (type of job obtained, time to find job, salary) of recent MSW graduates? Within this purpose, we attempt to discern if these career experiences vary among graduates depending on their concentration as students? In this context, concentration is the word used to differentiate between areas of study or focus. In the United States, this distinction is commonly made between direct practice and macro social work. Secondly, the paper explores what macro-related skills are most used by recent MSW graduates. We hypothesize that the time spent on each sk...

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