The motivation of Russian Federation social work students for pursuing a social work degree

Abstract

This study examined Russian Federation social work students' motivation for pursuing a degree in social work. The study's sample included 176 students from two universities in the Russian Federation. The study found that motivation for studying social work was complex. Over half of the sample (54.9%) indicated that altruistic motivation was among their top two reasons for studying social work, and a desire to help others was the most common response to an open-ended item that asked students to explain their reasons for deciding to study social work. However, careerist motivation also clearly played a strong role in participants' decisions to pursue social work education; 80.8 percent of the sample indicated that a careerist motivation was their first choice reason for pursuing social work education. The study found that sex, family of origin's income level, and religious observance were not significantly related to motivation for pursuing social work education. Contrary to previous research that reported high attrition rates, the majority of respondents indicated that they planned to work in the social work field following completion of their education. The implications of this study for the continued development of the social work profession in the Russian Federation are discussed, as are the limitations of the study.Social work is a relatively new profession in the Russian Federation, having come into existence during the post-Soviet transition of the early 1990s (Iarskaia-Smirnova and Rasell, 2014;Iarskaia-Smirnova and Romanov, 2002). The Russian social work profession is currently characterized by low pay, lack of recognition as a profession, encroachment by paraprofessionals and professionals from related fields, and general public misunderstanding of the nature and work of the profession

Social work students on the island of Ireland: a cross-sectional survey

“…There is an extensive literature base that explores student characteristics and motivations to study social work (Abell & McDonell, 1990;Christie & Kruk, 1998;Hackett et al, 2003;Stevens et al, 2012;Stoltzfus, 2017;Wilson & McCrystal, 2007). If social work educators can better understand students' demographic characteristics, experiences, and motivating factors then the design and delivery of programs can be improved and tailored to: meet the learning needs of students; address pastoral issues; more effectively prepare students for practice; and so provide more effective interventions for service users (Christie & Kruk, 1998).…”

Kas, kaip ir kodėl ateina į socialinio darbo studijas

“…Dažniausiai teigiama, kad asmuo renkasi studijų programas (MOSTA, 2012, 2015; Brazauskas ir kt., 2012; Urbonienė ir Leliūgienė, 2004). Užsienio šalių tyrinėtojai taip pat neanalizuoja skirtingų atėjimo į socialinį darbą kelių, bet plačiau analizuoja priežastis, kurios sąlygoja socialinio darbo studijų pasirinkimą (Stoltzfus, 2017; Freund ir kt., 2013; Hodge, 2004;Vincent, 1996;Rompf ir Royse, 1994;Marsh, 1988). Tačiau pasirinkimas suponuoja, kad tas, kuris renkasi, turi pasirinkimo alternatyvas, geba jas diferencijuoti, turi tobulą (racionalaus pasirinkimo atveju) ir netobulą (riboto racionalaus pasirinkimo atveju) informaciją ir sprendimą dėl konkrečios alternatyvos priima autonomiškai.…”