Potential Social Work Students’ Perceptions of Social Work
Funding organisation and Programme: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) under Lot 1 of its Research Framework
Dates: Jan – July 2023
Co-Investigators: Dr Joe Mooney (Asst. Prof. in Social Work) and Dr Elaine Wilson (Asst. Prof. in Social work)
Focus of the Research
This research concerns the perceptions of potential social work recruits on the subject of social work, with the intention of establishing: The level of interest in and awareness of, social work as a potential career choice. Perceived barriers, to pursuing a career as a social worker. Possible reforms to academic structures that would make pursuing a career in social work a more attractive and feasible option.
Methodology:
The research comprises a three overlapping stages:
- Stage 1: Mapping the Market: Involves a literature review of barriers and motivations as well as review of entry routes, requisite qualifications and other relevant experience and requirements.
- Stage 2: Market analysis and Data Collection: this phase will be split into three strands that will gather samples of the ‘market’s’ perspectives and understandings of social work education and the wider profession.
Strand 1 will focus on 2nd level education. This strand will focus on 2nd level school guidance counsellors to ascertain the current information and descriptions being provided on a national basis to 2nd level students regarding social work.
Strand 2 will focus on 3rd level students. Level 8 undergraduate programmes are the main route of entry into social work education in Ireland. In order to represent variability in this group social science undergraduates, social care undergraduates and higher diploma students will be included here.
Strand 3: Current Professionals/Third Sector, and Mature Students: Students who are now engaged in social work education following a period of no less than five years in employment or voluntary work will be targeted for inclusion in the research. Using a survey, the experiences, perspectives, understandings, facilitators, and barriers relating to social work education will be examined.
Stage 3: Data analysis and write up: the findings will have specific implications in terms of how social work is ‘marketed’ at each level, in wider debates regarding the ‘diversification’ of traditional social work education as well as ‘start-point’ understandings of burnout, retention and recruitment. The research findings will have an immediate impact on the social work education sector’s understandings of its' current and future students.
For more information please contact Dr Joseph Mooney. Email: (opens in a new window)Joseph.Mooney1@ucd.ie