Download - Mapping the social work curriculum
MAPPING THESOCIAL WORK CURRICULUM
From documents, to data, to maps to knowledge
ENHANCING THE READINESS TO PRACTISE OF NEWLY QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKERS: ENHANCER2P
Funded for three years from 2016 to 2018
Funding total $324,474 (50% Ako/50% TEIs)
Research collaboration between the Open Polytechnic, the University of Auckland, Massey University, the University of Canterbury & the University of Otago.
CRITIQUE OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION“CYF reports that many new graduates they employ lack the required level of knowledge of child protection, youth justice, child development, mental health, addictions and family violence. This means new social workers need to learn these skills on the job.”
(Children’s Commissioner, 2015, p.34)
PROJECT AIM
To develop a Professional Capabilities Framework clarifying the capabilities of newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) and social workers at more experienced and expert
levels of practice.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the content of the current Aotearoa New Zealand social work curriculum and how does it relate to the SWRB core competencies?
How well prepared are NQSWs to enter professional social work practice and how is their learning being supported and enhanced in the workplace?
What professional capabilities, including cultural capabilities, should we expect of NQSWs and of social workers working at more experienced and expert levels of practice?
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THE RESEARCHERS
Liz Ngan Research Assistant
Neil Ballantyne Open
Polytechnic
Liz Beddoe
University of
Auckland
Kathryn Hay
Massey Universit
y
Jane Maidmen
t Universit
y of Canterbu
ry
Shayne Walker
University of
Otago
RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS Seventeen TEIs recognised by the SWRB Five Universities Nine Polytechnics Two Wānanga One Private Tertiary Institute
Fourteen TEIs are participating in the study
82%
18%
TEI Participants
Participants Non participants
OVER 400 CURRICULUM
DESCRIPTORSTurning documents into data
CODE THE DOCUMENTS
Extract candidate topics
TISWEANZ TOPIC INCLUSION CRITERIA
The topic is part of the social work education curriculum in Aotearoa New Zealand
The topic is significant enough that a social work educator, student or programme quality assessor might want to search the curriculum to discover where that topic is taughtThe inclusion of the topic is likely to meaningfully increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the taxonomy as an index of core educational content
Social work educators want and expect the topic to be included
The topic is of medium level granularity, being neither too broad or too narrow in scope
AGREE THE TOPICS From over 800 candidates
BUILD THE TAXONOMY
TISWEANZ.AC.NZ
CREATE A DOCUMENT DATABASE
Use taxonomy to tag curriculum documents
MAP THE CURRICULUM
Competencies & courses
MAP THE CURRICULUM
Courses & topics
FROM DATA & MAPS TO KNOWLEDGEThe team are currently using the database and maps to: Identify the most common curriculum topics described in curriculum documents across Aotearoa New Zealand Describe the diversity of topics represented in curriculum documents and key points of difference Investigate in which courses, and at which NZQA level, key curriculum topics (e.g. child protection, family violence, mental health and addictions) are described in curriculum documents.
SEARCH FOR A TOPIC Family violence
METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES
The Learned
CurriculumThe TaughtCurriculum
The Declared
Curriculum
Analyse curriculum documents
Student focus groupsEducator focus group
POSSIBLE SPIN OUT PROJECT
TAXONOMY 2.0?
TAXONOMY 2.0? A shared glossary of terms?
TAXONOMY 2.0? A shared repository of content?