Student progress in a social work writing course: Self-efficacy, course objectives, and skills

Jane D. Woody, Mary G. Zeleny, Henry J. Dsouza, Jeanette Harder, Jacqueline Reiser, Peter Szto

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although instructors express concerns about social work students writing skills, little research has been conducted. One remedy is a social work-focused writing course. This study assessed a required writing course with a sample of 49 baccalaureate students. From online pre-and posttest surveys, 2 student outcomes improved significantly: self-reported scores for writing self-efficacy and competence in course objectives. On-demand writing samples improved significantly based on anonymous ratings by the course instructors; however, blind ratings found gains but not at a significant level. Improved outcomes were not associated with demographic or background characteristics. We discuss limitations of the study and implications for social work education.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)507-524
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Social Work Education
Volume50
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 3 2014

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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