STRENGTHENING SOCIALWORK PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH EDUCATION CAPABILITIES

Abstract

This research paper argues that universities can collaboratively generate productive spaces for social work students to develop as active citizens who can contribute to social transformation. For students to develop the ability to engage more inclusively with social reality, they need to engage with their own worldviews through a process of critical inquiry. Pedagogies that facilitate such critical investigations need to consider how such social realities, often characterised by challenging circumstances, shape students’ identities through their intrinsic knowledge. This paper explores how these sets of knowledge resident within a cohort of 2013, second year social work students influence their understanding of social justice when engaging with diverse client populations and the influence of education to develop critical inquiry skills. A qualitative case-study design was used with thirty one participants selected through a purposive sampling method. Data were analysed through narrative analysis. The research findings can contribute towards deliberations around curriculum designs that facilitate nondiscriminatory social work practice.