A Qualitative Exploration of Practitioner Wisdom

Background and Purpose:

This study is a qualitative exploration of a recent theory called Practitioner Wisdom (Kwong and Fawson (2022). According to it, wisdom plays an integral role in social work practice but must be understood at the personal level in terms of the practitioner or social worker, as opposed to a sub-personal level such as a body of knowledge or a set of skills. Practitioner Wisdom argues that a social worker is wise to the extent that they have acquired and cultivated the relevant character traits (virtues) and values relevant for social work. This proposal is a radical departure from how wisdom has traditionally been understood in the social work literature, namely, as practice wisdom. To substantiate Practitioner Wisdom, this presentation discusses a recent qualitative study that explores its findings and implications.

Methods:

Researcher(s) received IRB from the university and conducted with 3 to 5 participants in 4 focus groups consisting of 16 social work students, professors, and/or practitioners. These focus groups were to explore their experiences and views of character traits that make a wise social worker. These focus groups were conducted in-person and on Zoom. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were utilized. This study utilized a phenomenological approach to data gathering and analysis. Phenomenology is the exploration of an individual’s lived experiences and the meanings they create about a particular phenomenon. A phenomenological approach allows for an examination of common experiences and perceptions of a phenomenon from multiple individuals.

Results:

Phenomenological methods were used in analyzing the data. Individual participant responses were analyzed within each focus group. Data relevant to the research question (what are social workers perceptions and experiences with virtues and values that make a wise social worker?) were identified. Significant statements were identified and grouped into meaning units and themes. Thematic findings consisted of four different themes illustrating the phenomenon of how the participants perceived different character traits that make up a wise social worker: different values and virtues of a wise social worker, what motivates a social worker to live by their virtues and values, and where do social workers acquire virtues and values.

Implications:

Wisdom is one of the most important attributes for social workers to obtain. This points to the need for wisdom to be integrated in our educational curriculum for social workers. Collaboration with philosophy in education could be critical to deliver wisdom in social work education. Collaboration in education has become a significant and critical factor in the dynamics of education delivery. Findings point to the importance of acquiring wisdom in a social worker's education as it is one of the determining factors that affect the efficacy of learning. Wisdom is an integral part of social work and must be queried and clarified. Furthermore, the social work practitioners are wise when they possess a character constituted by the relevant social work virtues and values. The current study was an attempt to capture what virtues and values social workers possess, which would give them ingredients of a wise social worker.