MSW Students' Perceptions of Research through a Social Justice Lens and Its Influence on Social Worker Identity

Background and Purpose:

Despite the inclusion of research as an integral part of social work education, Adam, Zoskey, and Unrau (2004) note that social workers have been reluctant to incorporate research into their practice. Many social workers are neither engaged in research nor review research from journals (Fraser, 1994; despite the implications research can have for both micro and macro practice and social justice and social change (Rountree & Pomeroy, 2010).  Students may not necessarily develop an understanding of the social justice implications of research, therefore they may not carry an appreciation for research as a tool for change into their practice (Cameron & Este, 2008).

 Nicotera and Kang (2009) note that issues of oppression and privilege (social justice) in research are “not always transparent to students unless they are specifically addressed in course content” (p.189). The importance of including social justice in learning objectives for social work research education has been noted (Adam, et al., 2004). How MSW students perceive research through a social justice lens and how that impacts their social worker identity is important to understand. This research study strives to examine the perceptions of MSW students who were enrolled in a MSW foundational research course taught with a focus on social justice.

 Methods:

This post hoc grounded theory qualitative research study examines the responses of 79 students from four sections of one MSW foundational research methods course. The course content emphasized ways in which research can be used to promote social justice.  Students completed a written assignment asking what they learned about themselves as eventual social workers as a result of the research course.  Two different evaluators used the constant comparison method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to analyze and code the students’ responses.  The evaluators then came together to identify common themes until a consensus on themes emerged (Creswell, 2013). 

 Results:

Common themes that emerged indicated that students were able to appreciate the usefulness of research for social work practice and policy development. Another common theme was reduced anxiety or fear about engaging in research. Students also recognized the applicability of research for addressing issues of social and economic injustice.  A final important theme was the difficulty students faced in seeing the connection between research and their identities as social workers.

Conclusions and Implications:

The results of this study suggest that students can appreciate the ways in which research relates to the social justice mission of the profession. The fact students still have a difficult time at the end of the course making the connections between their professional identities and research suggests MSW programs may need to focus on making this connection more strongly throughout their curricula.  A limitation of this study is that the 79 students who took part were all taught by one faculty member. Including a broader representation of students from classes taught by other faculty may present a wider perspective related to the ways in which students see their professional identities vis-à-vis research activities.