Idit Weiss

Social Work Education as Professional Socialization: A Study of the Impact of Social Work Education Upon Students's Professional Preferences

Abstract Professional socialization in social work is the subject of the panel study described in this article. It focuses upon the impact of different social work education programs upon the professional preferences of students in the United States and Israel. The findings indicate that significant change with regard to some of the variables did occur between the beginning and completion of studies. This generally took the form of a declinein preferences though a number of cross-culture differences were observed. The implications of the findings for the issue of professional socialization in social work are discussed.

Social work students and social change: on the link between views on poverty, social work goals and policy practice

This article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the factors that are associated with social work students’ willingness to engage in policy practice. It examines a model according to which the willingness to engage in policy practice is linked to the importance that students attribute to the goals of social work and to their views on poverty. The sample consisted of 138 social work students in one of Israels leading universities. The measures consisted of four questionnaires developed specifically for this study. The findings revealed strong relationships between students’ views regarding the causes of poverty and their attitudes towards the preferred ways to deal with poverty. In addition, strong relationships were found between the importance that students attributed to the goals of social work and their willingness to engage in policy practice. However, no significant relationships were found between students’ views on poverty and their willingness to engage in policy practice. Different explanations for these findings are advanced in the article.

Policy-practice in social work and social work education in Israel

Policy-practice is a form of social work intervention that is intended to influence social policy. It is linked to an understanding of the role of social workers which places the struggle for social justice at the forefront of social work activity. However, this form of social work intervention has remained on the sidelines of social work practice and education in most welfare states. This paper seeks to understand the role that policy-practice and social policy play, and have played, in social work and social work education in Israel. The findings indicate that, despite a growth in interest in the political role of social workers in Israel during the 1970s, policy-practice has remained a mode of practice adopted by a minority of members of the profession in Israel. An empirical study of the curriculums of the schools of social work in Israel indicates that this is the case for the study program in most of the schools. The reasons for this can be linked primarily to the overwhelming influence of American social work upon the development of the Israeli profession and to the process of liberalization and privatization of the Israeli welfare state in the last two decades.

All in the Eyes of the Beholder

Volunteers are the cornerstone of the voluntary sector. While we are accustomed to this assumption, too little systematic work has been carried out to define the term “volunteer.” Often too many different activities and situations are aggregated into this concept (Lyons, Wijkstrom, & Clary, 1998; Cnaan, Handy, & Wadsworth, 1996; Scheier, 1980; Smith, 1995; Tremper, Seidman & Tufts, 1994; Vineyard, 1993). People presented with seemingly similar examples of volunteering perceive them differently as volunteering, for unknown reasons. The same people may perceive volunteer activities differently depending on their own context or reference. Especially for international comparative studies, a better understanding of the definition and even more important perception of volunteering is needed.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THERAPISTS AND CLIENTS IN EVALUATING THERAPY AND ITS OUTCOMES: LITERATURE REVIEW

This paper reviews 41 studies published since the 1950s that deal with agreement between therapists and their clients in their evaluation of problems, process, and outcomes of therapy. The results indicate that there is great variability in the extent to which clients and therapists agree in evaluating various dimensions of therapy. The extent of agreement reported depended primarily on how agreement was measured. Future research should standardize the definition and measurement of client-therapist agreement. Studies should be conducted to test the different hypotheses about reasons for agreement and disagreement and to help understand the meaning of client-therapist agreement in the therapeutic context.

Modes of Practice and the Dual Mission of Social Work: A Cross-National Study of Social Work Students' Preferences

Abstract This study examines the commitment of social work in various countries to its declared dual missionenhancing individual well-being and promoting social justice. It does so by examining the mode of practice preferences of graduating BSW students from seven countries. Based on cluster analysis, three distinct subgroups of students with particular patterns of preferences were found: a generic group, a direct/micro group, and a macro group. The distribution of students among these groups differs between country cohorts. While each of the clusters was to be found in all the countries studied, in three country cohorts, a majority of students belonged to the generic group and a considerable number sought to engage in macro practice, reflecting a commitment to the professions dual focus. The majority of the students within the remaining country cohorts preferred micro practice and were far less willing to adopt macro level practices.

Factors Associated With Interest in Working With the Poor

This study focuses upon factors related to the desire of social work students to work with the poor. It examines three sets of variables: students’ perceptions of the causes of poverty, the best way of dealing with it, and preferred professional interventions. The sample consists of 514 graduating BSW students from Brazil, Germany, Hungary, Israel, and the United States. The findings indicate that interest to work with the poor is associated with less inclination to perceive poverty as caused by lack of motivation, effort, and responsibility; more inclination to view the expansion of state provision as the best means of dealing with poverty, less inclination to support its reduction; and more desire to employ policy practice and advocacy.

Ten Models for Probation Supervision Compared Across Eight Dimensions

ABSTRACT The literature on probation services for adult offenders points to significant differences in their basic assumptions, policies, and practices. It describes a variety of probational practices and offers a range of suggestions for ideal probation programs. This paper attempts to organize the range of theoretical and actual programs under ten alternative models, which differ from one another in their underlying perception of the causes of crime and philosophy of punishment, in the aims they assign to probation, the clients they envision for change and protection, their basic strategies, and the role of the probation officer. The models can serve as an aid in defining, characterizing, and comparing the wide variety of approaches to probation along the same dimensions, in locating and identifying any changes in approach, and in defining a desired probation policy or practice.

Social Work Graduates and Welfare Economy Sector Preferences: A Cross-National Perspective

Summary Upon completion of their studies social work graduates are faced with a choice of employment in various sectors of the welfare economy. This article looks at the preferences of graduates in seven different countries, representing various types of welfare economies. The findings indicate that the private non-profit sector is that most preferred by graduates in most countries while for-profit employment was not the most preferred in any of them. Two different explanations, one focusing upon employment opportunities and the other upon the congruence between social work values and types of sectors, are employed in order to interpret these results.