Learning to become evidence based social workers: student views on research education and implementation in practice
Article
Gleeson, H., Pezzella, A. and Rahman, N. 2023. Learning to become evidence based social workers: student views on research education and implementation in practice. Social Work Education. 42 (3), pp. 285-301. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2021.1965113
Type | Article |
---|---|
Title | Learning to become evidence based social workers: student views on research education and implementation in practice |
Authors | Gleeson, H., Pezzella, A. and Rahman, N. |
Abstract | Professional guidelines for social workers in relation to research use in practice, present social workers as consumers, rather than producers of research evidence. This approach aligns with a growing emphasis on the use of evidence-based practice within social work. This paper reports on a small mixed methods study with a cohort of BA social work students (N = 38) with two aims: 1) to understand the experiences of students learning research at undergraduate level and 2) to explore how their learning and placement experiences interact and influence their development as ‘research-minded’ practitioners of the future. Descriptive statistics of the quantitative data and thematic analysis of focus groups are presented. Our findings support the existing literature relating to social work students attitudes to research, including feelings of anxiety and perceptions of difficulty, while also viewing it as important to their careers. We also found that within placement settings, students encounter negative, often dismissive views of research and experience little in the way of role-modelling of evidence-based practice. We consider these findings in light of the promotion of EBP in UK social work, and how this may influence our teaching of research and evidence use to future student cohorts. |
Keywords | Research education; evidence-based practice; social work curriculum; social work research; attitudes to research |
Publisher | Informa |
Taylor & Francis (Routledge) | |
Journal | Social Work Education |
ISSN | 0261-5479 |
Electronic | 1470-1227 |
Publication dates | |
Online | 10 Aug 2021 |
03 Apr 2023 | |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 16 Aug 2021 |
Accepted | 03 Aug 2021 |
Submitted | 05 May 2021 |
Output status | Published |
Accepted author manuscript | |
Copyright Statement | This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Social Work Education on 10 Aug 2021, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/02615479.2021.1965113 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2021.1965113 |
Web of Science identifier | WOS:000684137600001 |
Language | English |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/89750
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