Redefining Social Work for the New Millennium

Predictors of critical thinking as a component of an outcomes assessment in a graduate level school of social work.

“…One of the most noted influences on social work education was the speech made by Abraham Flexner in 1915 in which he declared social work was not a profession (Flexner, 2001). Although this discussion will generally be confined from the 1940s to current, this noted speech continues to evoked heated discussions among social work educators and influenced curriculum, thus providing insight into the socially constructed aspect of social work education and how assessment gained focus and attention within the profession (Austin, 1983;Flexner, 2001;Greene, 2005). Flexner (2001) noted "the occupations of social workers are so numerous and diverse that no compact, purposefully organized educational discipline is feasible" (p. 162) and added that social work instructors had claimed "We don't know what to teach them" (p. 162).…”

“…The National Council on Social Work Education initiated a study to examine the problems of accreditation as well as the issue of more clearly defining the objectives of social work education. The group formed a committee; however, it was decided that an educational expert outside of social work may better serve the purpose and provide a more objective assessment of the issues challenging social work education (Hollis & Taylor, 1951 human behavior, and social welfare policy and services within their curriculum (Calgary, 2007;Frumkin & Lloyd, 1995;Greene, 2005). National Association of Social Work (NASW) was formed in 1955 through the merger of seven social work organizations which focused on the practice aspects of social work in an attempt to unify the social work profession and improve consistency in practice (Calgary, 2007;Holosko, 2003).…”

“…Continued disagreement regarding curriculum, consistency among schools, the lack of guiding principles and continued tension among the two remaining professional organizations (NASW and CSWE) led way to another curriculum study in 1959 by CSWE: the Boehm Study (Boehm, 1959;Fmmkin & Lloyd, 1995;Greene, 2005 University (Boehm, 1959). The study was completed in 1959 and yielded a 13 volume report consisting of 12 separate projects.…”

“…The study was completed in 1959 and yielded a 13 volume report consisting of 12 separate projects. According to Greene (2005), the Boehm Study generated a social work definition which refocused attention on enhancing social functioning of the individual and keeping the curriculum "broad enough to encompass work in all settings, practice methods, research, ethics, and values; and field education" (p.44). Boehm (1959) discussed the difficulties of social work to agree upon and establish goals and purposes of the profession, making it nearly impossible to establish clear curriculum guidelines or evaluate how well individual schools of social work are meeting this goal.…”

“…Critical thinking has been a unifying concept in higher education and across disciplines as it is viewed as a valuable multidisciplinary skill in a variety of contexts (Ingle, 2007). As society continues to change and evolve at an exponentially faster rate due to technological advances and increasingly complex social problems, it becomes even more necessary for college graduates, specifically social work graduates, to have the skills necessary to maintain effectiveness, and critical thinking is believed to be that skill (Gibbons & Gray, 2004;Greene, 2005;Ingle, 2007;Seelig, 1991). Chaffee (1994) argued that critical thinking skills allows a person to consider new perspectives, encourages self-confidence and independent thinking, and promotes lifelong learning.…”