Moving in the Right Direction: A Meta-Analysis of School Social Work Research

Purpose: School social work is a specialized group within the social work profession that works to support student learning and well-being through direct service, service coordination, and advocacy in an academic setting. Despite the one-hundred year history of school social work, previous reviews on school social work interventions have generally been narrative, which limits our ability to draw firm conclusions about its effectiveness. School social workers are currently working in public schools driven by accountability and calls for evidence-based practice. Subsequently, school social workers should be cognizant of the research and understand the interventions that will most likely benefit their students. The main objective of this meta-analysis is to aid school social workers in their effort to evaluate the empirical-base of their practices. This meta-analysis is a vital step in helping to evaluate the effectiveness of school work studies because findings from the aggregation of multiple studies may provide a more stable and meaningful measure of treatment effect than results from a single study.

Methods: Researchers identified studies through literature searches in various electronic databases using the keywords, “school social work,” and “effectiveness” or “evaluation” or “outcome.” Studies were included if they tested an intervention in a school setting and were conducted by social work researchers or involved social workers playing a prominent role in the delivery of the intervention. Studies were grouped into the following outcome categories: academic and school related outcomes, internalizing behavior outcomes, and externalizing behavior outcomes. Effect sizes were calculated for each study using independent pretest-posttest group design formulas recommended by Morris and DeShon (2002). Hierarchical linear modeling software was used to calculate overall effect size estimates and to test for between-study variability.

Results: Based on the selection criteria, 21 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The unconditional random effects model shows an overall weighted mean effect size estimate of .46 for academic and school related outcomes; .23 for externalizing behavior outcomes; and .40 for internalizing behavior outcomes. All three outcome categories were statistically significant at the p<.05 level. Of the studies evaluated for this analysis, school social work interventions appear more effective with internalizing disorders (anxiety, depression) than externalizing disorders (aggression, conduct disorder). The positive effect sizes found on academic performance for school social work interventions are especially important because schools are held accountable to demonstrate their educational outcomes.

Conclusions: This meta-analysis is the first step in filling an important gap in the school social work knowledge base by aggregating multiple study results and calculating overall effect size estimates for school related outcomes. Results show considerable progress and promise for school social work research, especially for academic and internalizing behavior outcomes. Academic outcomes, in particular, are shown to be a strength even when compared to the outcomes achieved in reviews from school mental health studies. Notable weaknesses in research designs and outcome measures also emerge that offer researcher's guidance in improving future studies. Lastly, this study will help school social workers demonstrate their effectiveness by continuing to provide empirical support for their interventions.