This article explores the use of young adult literature as a pedagogical tool for enhancing empathy skills for competent practice in BSW education. Students from two sections of an introductory social work course participated in the study. The instructor used the same textbook in both sections. One section incorporated a 4-week curriculum module that included a young adult novel. Results indicated that students who registered for the section that incorporated literature (n=37) reported higher levels of empathy at posttest t(55)=5.47, p=.002, as compared with students (n=20) from the other section. The findings provide preliminary support for use of literature in BSW education. The findings also warrant the need for additional studies that examine the potential effectiveness of literature for teaching other types of practice behaviors in the BSW curriculum.

This article examines the use of fictional literature as a method for helping students apply human behavior theory in competent practice. When students and educators read a poem, short essay, or novel, it allows them the opportunity to join together as an audience as they tease out teachable lessons from the story. The authors posit that when used in human behavior and the social environment courses, fictional literature allows educators and students to experience abstract content as more concrete. Following a brief literature review, we examine one novel through the lens of three different human behavior theories.