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Racism is pervasive and pernicious. Social workers must be prepared to dismantle racism through practice, policy, and research. In their social work education, students develop the ability to advance racial justice and engage anti-racism in practice (CSWE, 2022). The existing literature describes various anti-racist pedagogical approaches used by social work educators (Aldana et al., 2023; Duhaney et al., 2022; Singh, 2019).
We (the researchers) completed a year-long, university-wide fellowship in designing anti-racist curriculum. We revised two required social work courses—Social Work Research and Ethics and the Social Work Profession—with attention to anti-racism in course content, policies, and class community (Kishimoto, 2018). In the current study, students’ perceptions of the course were centered. Were students aware of the anti-racist pedagogy? How do they define anti-racism and rate their anti-racism self-efficacy? What aspects of the course promoted anti-racism, and what could be improved further?
Methodology
The sampling frame included all MSW students enrolled in two required courses that were taught using antiracist pedagogy. Potential participants received an email invitation with a link to the informed consent and Qualtrics survey. The survey included the Anti-Racism Self-Efficacy Scale (Eschmann et al., 2023) and questions about students’ perceptions of the course and the relevance of anti-racism to their education and professional roles. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results
The participants (N=42) were MSW students who identified as White (71.1%), Black (13.2%), Latinx (7.9%), Asian (5.3%), and multiracial (2.6%), and included female (91.9%) and non-binary students (8.1%), first-generation college students (30.8%), and members of the LGBT community (35.9%).
Most students (80.9%) were aware that the course utilized anti-racist pedagogy. There was a significant difference between their perceived ability to define “anti-racism” on the first day of class and at the end of the semester (t(41)=3.93, p<.05). On a 4-point scale, they indicated that the course helped them learn new knowledge (M=3.26, SD=0.71) and skills (M=3.23, SD=0.70) about anti-racism.
On the Anti-racism Self-efficacy Scale, students endorsed having an impact (M=3.38, SD=0.49) and possessing competence (M=3.37, SD=0.53) regarding anti-racism. Students felt able to influence how racism affects others and qualified to participate in movements for racial justice, respectively. Students indicated that anti-racism is relevant to their education (M=3.85, SD=0.36) and professional roles (M=3.82, SD=0.45).
When defining anti-racism, students focused on “non-racist” (n=3) vs. “anti-racist” (n=11), and individual (n=12) vs. structural (n=23) understanding. In identifying aspects of the course that promoted anti-racism, students noted course content (n=33), course policies (n=6), and class community (n=3).
Conclusions and Implications
Students perceived that their understanding of anti-racism deepened throughout the semester, and they endorsed strong anti-racism self-efficacy. This finding is encouraging as self-efficacy is associated with effort and motivation to act. Students utilized language reflecting varying levels of internalized anti-racist understanding. Understanding students’ perspectives can inform enhanced content, policy, and community for greater understanding and action. This presentation supports the SSWR conference objective to “center racial equity and social justice in social work research, policy, and practice.”