Exploring Potential Variances Between Differing Dimensions of Religious Ideology and Orientation to Social Work Values Among Social Work Students

Background: 

Given the pluralistic society in which social work is practiced, professional values may collide with personal values thus causing a quandary for the social work student.  For example, tension may develop between social work values and ethics, religious ideology, and morally charged topics regarding diverse sexual orientation, gender expression, end-of-life decisions, conscientious objection, reproductive healthcare, and abortion.  The social work profession’s robust concern with social justice around oppressed and vulnerable populations has served as a factor distinguishing social work from other helping professions (e.g., psychiatry, psychology, and counseling).  Conflicting personal and professional values may impede the social worker’s ability to uphold the profession’s commitment to social justice and service with oppressed and vulnerable populations.

Purpose:

The primary aim of this study is to explore potential variances between personal values associated with differing dimensions of religious ideology and orientation to social work values among social work students.  The study also explored if the level of matriculation in social work education moderates the influence of religious ideology on orientation to social work values.

Method:

Data were collected from BSW and MSW students (n=347) from five schools of social work using a cross-sectional design with a non-probability, purposive sampling strategy.  An internet-based survey instrument was administered that included a demographic information section, followed by two instruments, Professional Opinion Scale (POS) (Abbott, 1988) and Religious Ideologies Scale (RIS) (Putney & Middleton, 1961), and concluded with a section for comments from participants.

Analysis:

Pearson’s Correlation was used for data analysis with attention to significance levels, direction of relationships, and strength of relationships to determine the relationship between differing dimensions of religious ideology and orientation to social work values.  Factorial MANCOVA analysis was used to explore if the level of matriculation in social work education moderates the influence of religious ideology on orientation to social work values while controlling for level of social work education matriculation as the moderating variable (covariate).

Findings:

Results of this study found an inverse relationship between level of orthodoxy associated with religious ideology and orientation to social work values.  Additional findings of this study suggest that while controlling for level of education, level of orthodoxy associated with religious ideology continues to have an influence on orientation to social work values.

Conclusions and Implications:

Findings lend support to existing research noting cultural incongruence between areas of conservative religious beliefs and particular progressive social work policy statements based on social work values.

Future research within a qualitative tradition of inquiry may facilitate a deepening of understanding students’ process relevant to experiencing personal and professional value conflicts (e.g., management of value conflicts). As research in this area expands, it may be applicable to enhancing delivery of the explicit curriculum by accounting for and preparing students for the possibility of experiencing cognitive dissonance as a natural phenomenon while engaging with new material (e.g., LGBT rights, women’s issues/reproductive health) that may conflict with their established schema.