PUSH(ing) Limits: Using Fiction in the Classroom for Human Behavior and the Social Environment

Mendoza, N. S.; Bonta, Kimberly; Horn, Philip; Moore, Erin V.; Gibson, Allison; Simmons, David N.

doi:10.1080/08841233.2012.703985

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Second, students identified the potential of the analysis of fiction in social work teaching to strengthen the skills that social work practitioners need in their frontline work. For example, the use of fiction was portrayed as beneficial to preparing oneself for emotional labour (see also Chrisler, 1990;Cnaan, 1989;Fitzgerald, 1992;Mendoza et al, 2012;Tapola-Haapala & Heino, 2020;Viggiani et al, 2005), writing and reading social work documentation and practicing group social work. Most importantly, students' reflections associated with how their own as well as other social workers' interpretations can be reflected upon and discussed with the help of reading and analysing fiction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, instructors can guide their students by providing basic information in advance about the storyline, author, social context or the phenomenon the text addresses (Cosbey, 1997;Hartman, 2005;Laz, 2020). Mendoza et al (2012) identified the potential of fiction to enhance social work students' learning experiences and self-reflection skills by enabling their imaginative thinking and critical consciousness within social work practice (see also Hardy, 2005;Monroe, 2006;Taylor, 2008). For instance, fiction may question existing social arrangements and help to adopt a critical stance towards 'taken-for-granted' and 'truthful' knowledge (Laz, 2020).…”

Section: Literature Review On the Use Of Fiction In University Teachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Literature can also encapsulate psychological phenomena such as emotions (Cnaan, 1989) or assist in reflecting upon one's own reactions whilst reading about different life stories (Tapola-Haapala & Heino, 2020;Turner, 2013). Applying theories to practice through the analysis of fiction may foster the development of empathy among social work students and help them to sympathise with the actions of individuals in diverse situations coming from a variety of backgrounds (Chrisler, 1990;Fitzgerald, 1992;Mendoza et al, 2012;Tapola-Haapala & Heino, 2020;Viggiani et al, 2005). In addition, such learning may assist social work students in developing sensibility and self-awareness, perceiving their clients in a holistic manner (Turner, 1991) and applying moral reasoning (Hafford-Letchfield & Harper, 2014).…”

Section: Literature Review On the Use Of Fiction In University Teachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Students’ learning reflections when using works of fiction in social work education

Tarkiainen

Heino

Tapola-Haapala

et al. 2021

Social Work Education

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This article focuses on the analysis of 14 social work students' MA course assignments using Lucia Berlin's short story entitled 'Good and Bad'. Our focus is twofold: We ask 1) How do social work students describe their learning when analysing Berlin's short story; and 2) what kinds of skills do they identify as resulting from this learning? Our analysis indicates that social work students view the use of works of fiction in social work instruction as useful for their education in two key ways. First, in most cases, students found that analysing fiction enhanced their analytical strategies, such as advancing their ability to think critically and apply theoretical knowledge in practice. Second, students viewed the analysis of fiction as helpful in adopting skills relevant to social work practitioners, referring, for example, to emotional labour and to operating in situations that involve conflicting interpretations. We conclude that the use of fiction in social work education is beneficial when students are given explicit guidelines regarding how to place fiction into the context of academic theories, scientific knowledge and epistemological considerations. In addition, to enhance students' learning, encouraging students to self-reflect is vital to discussing their reflections and interpretations in face-to-face encounters.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Review On the Use Of Fiction In University Teachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Review On the Use Of Fiction In University Teachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Students’ learning reflections when using works of fiction in social work education

Tarkiainen

Heino

Tapola-Haapala

et al. 2021

Social Work Education

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“…Perhaps, this is why fiction has been used as a didactic tool in professional education, e.g. in law (Alsheimer, 2004), engineering (Segall, 2002;Derjani-Bayeh & Olivera-Fuentes, 2011) computer science (Goldsmith & Mattei, 2014) and graduate programmes in social work (Mendoza et al, 2012;Beise & Sherr, 2015). However, fiction is most prevalent in medical education (e.g., Hawkins & McEntyre, 2000;Evans, 2007;Bleakley, 2015).…”

Section: Fiction As a Didactic Tool In Professional Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cold Heart, Warm Heart : On fiction, interaction, and emotion in medical education

Gramner

2022

Linköping Studies in Behavioural Science

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EnglishFiction is used for educational purposes in various fields such as engineering, law and higher education. In medical education, the theories of medical humanities and narrative medicine propose that engaging with fictional works can provide opportunities for medical students and physicians to develop central professional skills such as emotional awareness and empathy, which can help mitigate the documented empathy decline which occurs during medical training. Despite extensive research about fiction inclusion in medical education, there is very limited research on the in-situ processes of fiction use, and how emotional aspects of the medical profession can be conceptualised in fiction discussions. This thesis investigates the intersection of fiction, interaction and emotion in medical education. The purpose of the study is to contribute knowledge on the ways emotion can be constructed in medical education as affective stances and as professional emotions that medical students need to learn how to manage. Discursive psychology (DP) forms the theoretical and methodological framework to analyse 58 hours of video-and audio-recorded fiction seminars from two Swedish medical schools. Emotion from a DP perspective is understood not as a reflection of an inner experience, but as an interactionally achieved phenomenon, deployed in the formation of social action. Results show that reflection and reflective practices are imbedded in fiction seminars, and that affective stances are constructed as a student resource to manage intensity, control, assessment and accountability. Furthermore, the professional emotions of physicians are constructed as emotional labour which students need to prepare for, and the feeling rules of the medical profession are constructed as calibrations of emotions which are both fluid and changeable. The task of learning professional emotion is oriented to as troublesome by students as it might interfere with their focus on managing student identities.

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“…More recently, Mendoza et al (2012) designed a curriculum supplement using fictional literature in an HBSE course. The curriculum supplement involved asking students to read a novel, then assigning a series of writing exercises culminating in a systematic case study of one of the characters from the book.…”

Section: Fiction In Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Human Behavior Theory Real Through the Unreal: Fiction in the HBSE Classroom

Beise

Sherr

2015

Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment

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This article examines the use of fictional literature as a method for helping students apply human behavior theory in competent practice. When students and educators read a poem, short essay, or novel, it allows them the opportunity to join together as an audience as they tease out teachable lessons from the story. The authors posit that when used in human behavior and the social environment courses, fictional literature allows educators and students to experience abstract content as more concrete. Following a brief literature review, we examine one novel through the lens of three different human behavior theories.

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PUSH(ing) Limits: Using Fiction in the Classroom for Human Behavior and the Social Environment

Cited by 6 publications

References 15 publications

Students’ learning reflections when using works of fiction in social work education

Students’ learning reflections when using works of fiction in social work education

Cold Heart, Warm Heart : On fiction, interaction, and emotion in medical education

Making Human Behavior Theory Real Through the Unreal: Fiction in the HBSE Classroom

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