Ilango Ponnuswami

International Social Work in the Emerging Global Economic Order – Challenges and Dilemmas

Social Work is a multifaceted profession that focuses on addressing the multiple and most complex relationships between people and their environments (IFSW 2000). The major goal of the profession is to facilitate people to attain their fullest potential, enhance their quality of life, identify and address the problems at micro, macro and mezzo levels. We are living in an era where the world is becoming more globalized (Alphonse et al. 2008).

Teaching research methods to social work students in India and Australia: reflections and recommendations

Abstract This paper draws on the reflections of two social work educators who have, for many years taught research methods to undergraduate and postgraduate social work students in India and Australia. The intent is to suggest measures for enhancing the quality of social work research education. The reflections are embedded in a social justice and human rights framework, privileging the educators’ unique social and cultural contexts and their commitment to engage with indigenous knowledge. The authors recommend effective social work research education requires the educator to draw on a deep understanding of their own context, as well as globally accepted research traditions. Particularly, we encourage research teachers to adopt student-centred approaches that emphasise a broad ‘research mindedness’ (in their students and themselves), building students’ practical capacities and confidence to become effective, research informed practitioners; capable of contributing to their own communities and to the social work profession more broadly.