Social Justice Action: A Grounded Theory Study of Action Development in Social Workers

Background and Purpose: Social workers are tasked with promoting social justice and alleviating social injustice, a charge that is acutely necessary given the range of injustices that permeate today’s society. Social workers often struggle, however, to translate their social justice values into action, which can prevent social work from realizing its professional mission and effecting social change for oppressed and marginalized groups. This study investigates the process that leads social workers to engage in social justice action. It identifies how social workers bridge the values-to-action gap and offers insight into how the profession can best support the pursuit of social justice action and liberatory practice in solidarity with marginalized groups.

Methods: This study used a qualitative grounded theory methodology to answer the research question, ‘how do professional social workers come to engage in social justice action?’ Theoretical sampling was employed, in conjunction with maximum variation sampling and recruitment in all US Census subregions, to ensure a sample with a range of demographic, geographic, and work-related factors. Participants included 25 English speaking social workers living across the United States with at least a master’s degree in social work, a minimum of five years post-graduate experience, and a history of engaging in social justice action. The sample was 72% female and 44% BIPOC. Data collection involved 90-minute, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and multiple rounds of coding were completed through NVivo software. Memoing, consultation, and member checking were used to enhance the study’s trustworthiness.

Results: Data analysis resulted in a grounded theory of how professional social workers come to engage in social justice action. The theory is comprised of three conceptual categories (orienting to social justice, solidifying resolve, and activating for action), with multiple subcategories in each, and one contextual category (integrating reflexivity). Elements in all categories interact to initiate, support, or reinforce one another as they progress to a tipping point where an individual then moves into purposeful social justice action. Findings suggest that engaging in action requires a reciprocally reinforcing process not only between an orientation and commitment to social justice, but also a foundation of preparation, readiness, and know-how.

Conclusions: The grounded theory offers a dynamic alternative to stage-based models of action development and offers mechanisms for movement between theoretical elements. It also provides a road map for supporting the development of social justice action in both social work education and practice. Findings identify several entry points for cultivating action, including: 1) emphasizing a structural interpretation of injustice and weaving it throughout all practice related conversations; 2) cultivating opportunities for affective and reflexive engagement with injustice; 3) providing opportunities to engage in different forms of social justice action to develop and practice relevant skills, increase confidence and efficacy through scaffolding and rehearsal, and gain access, resources, and networks for ongoing engagement; and 4) enhancing support through discussion and discourse, connection to social issue or action groups, and guidance from mentors, instructors, and supervisors advisors that emphasizes the integration of social justice learning into practice.