The Learning Experience of Social Justice Among Hong Kong Social Work Students: Challenges and Adjustment in a Changing Socioloitical Context

Background and Purpose: Social justice is a core principle of social work, yet its integration into social work education is often shaped by the broader sociopolitical environment. In Hong Kong, recent sociopolitical changes, including the implementation of the National Security Law, have significantly influenced how social justice is taught, discussed, and internalized by social work students. While social work education is expected to equip students with the competencies to advocate for social justice, emerging evidence suggests that legal and political constraints have led to self-censorship and limited engagement with critical discussions on structural change. This study explores how social work students in Hong Kong perceive and learn social justice amid these constraints, shedding light on the gaps between theoretical education and real-world applicability.

Methods: Seventeen in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with third- and fourth-year undergraduate social work students in Hong Kong. Participants were purposively sampled from a university social work program, ensuring they had exposure to both theoretical coursework and field placement. The interviews examined students' conceptualizations of social justice, their experiences in social work education, and the challenges they encountered in applying social justice principles in their learning and practice. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed using reflexive thematic analysis approach.

Findings: Thematic analysis identified three major themes: (1) Understanding social justice in context/reality: More than a theoretical concept, which highlights students’ struggle to reconcile textbook definitions of social justice with the restrictive political climate in Hong Kong; (2) Defective social justice: A broken learning journey, which reveals how sociopolitical constraints and institutional self-censorship have created gaps in social work education, leaving students uncertain about how to engage with social justice in practice; and (3) Navigating boundaries: Struggles and adaptive efforts in upholding social justice, which illustrates how students develop coping strategies, including localized advocacy, procedural justice in practice, and peer solidarity, to uphold social justice within a constrained environment.

Conclusion and Implications: Findings suggest that sociopolitical constraints in Hong Kong significantly impact social work students' ability to learn and apply social justice principles. While students recognize social justice as a foundational value of the profession, their education often falls short in providing tangible pathways for advocacy and systemic change. Given these challenges, social work education must explore ways to better prepare students for working within restrictive environments while maintaining professional integrity. This study underscores the need for critical pedagogical adaptations to sustain social justice education in contexts where political and legal pressures shape professional practice.