Writing in Social Work Education – Annotated Bibliography
Heron, G. & Murray, R. (2004). The place of writing in social work: Bridging the
theory-practice divide. Journal of Social Work, 4(2), 199-214.
While social work practitioners have not traditionally sought publication in scholarly
journals, the authors argue that their experience working with clients can inform both
policy and practice. Many practitioners are resistant towards scholarly writing and
publishing due to a lack of confidence, limited time or the feeling that it is not
meaningful work.
To encourage practitioners to write for scholarly journals, issues of identity must be
addressed. Practitioners that assume a researcher aspect to their identity will be more
likely to engage in scholarly pursuits. Social work research tends to be dominated by
academia; to incorporate practitioners in the field requires a substantial shift in thinking
about research and writing for publication. While leaving practice for academia may
very well result in greater scholarly production for any individual, it also represents a
shift in the writing context and potentially the values of the individual and the quality
of the writing.
The authors move on to explore institutional barriers to writing for publication for
practitioners working with children in residential care settings. A lack of power and
opportunity may stifle residential care staffs’ potential for writing. Encouraging writing
for practitioners in social work education programs and encouraging journals’ to be
more receptive to practitioners may increase the emphasis practitioners’ place on
writing in the long-term.
Horton, E.G. & Diaz, N. (2011). Learning to write and writing to learn social work
concepts: Application of writing across the curriculum strategies and techniques to a
course for undergraduate social work students. Journal of Teaching in Social Work,
31(1), 53-64.
Students entering a social work education program often have life experiences and a
commitment to helping vulnerable populations that uniquely qualifies them to work
with clients. However, they may not have the writing skills necessary to clearly
articulate case plans which can be detrimental to their clients’ futures. Clear case plans
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CalSWEC Title IV-E Curriculum Enhancement : Writing for Social Work
and service recommendations are critical in order to ensure that insurance payments are
rendered and law enforcement and policymakers act in clients’ best interest.
In order to improve students’ writing abilities, Horton and Diaz developed a course for
undergraduate social work majors based on Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC).
Evolving out of a 1970s pedagogical reform movement, WAC supports student learning
and critical thinking by responding to open-ended questions and supporting points of
view that may differ from their own.
Horton and Diaz’s WAC course incorporates knowledge of social work ethics and
generalist practice models. Students produce two writing assignments, turning in
multiple drafts throughout the semester, which challenge them to apply course
concepts to case studies in an organized and professional manner. Completing multiple
revisions demonstrates the importance of writing as a process. As students review and
rewrite their papers, they have an opportunity to reflect on the content and develop
clearer and more persuasive arguments. Additionally, the course incorporates online
writing exercises for the first several weeks of class in order to increase students’
knowledge of basic grammar and punctuation.
Although the course instructors have not yet completed a formal evaluation of the
effectiveness of the course, their preliminary findings suggest that the current format
does improve students’ writing and critical thinking skills.
Kahn, J.M. & Holody, R. (2012). Supporting field instructors’ efforts to help students
improve writing. Journal of Social Work Education, 43(1), 65-73.
While Writing Across the Curriculum has developed techniques for faculty to improve
students’ writing and critical thinking skills, the curriculum is also relevant to field
instructors. Their knowledge of the inner-workings of agencies and what constitutes
“good enough” writing allows them to provide guidance about standards for
professional writing.
The authors offer 11 practical recommendations to help field instructors improve
students’ writing. These recommendations include: requiring students to write early
and often throughout their field placements; clarifying expectations and designing
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interventions to address writing problems; sharing concerns about student writing with
faculty liaisons; and exposing students to professional language and terminology.
Part of CSWE accreditation requires social work education programs to maintain an
open dialogue with field instructors. This dialogue could include strategies to assess
and improve students’ writing. Field education settings not only give students’
knowledge of the types of written communication necessary in practice but create an
opportunity for students to work with practicing professionals on strengthening their
writing skills.
Lillis, T. & Turner, J. (2001). Student writing in higher education: Contemporary
confusion, traditional concerns. Teaching in Higher Education, 6(1), 55-68.
The authors consider the relationship of demographic and cultural changes to growing
inadequacies in student writing. Assessment strategies are frequently vague, leaving
students confused about what is required of them. For example, social work educators
may require an introduction without explaining the content or purpose of an
introduction. As the student population has become more diverse, more and more
students may struggle to understand writing conventions. Specific examples of student
writing are given.
Development of new pedagogies should prioritize language use and writing. Social
work educators should attempt to clarify requirements, such as ‘avoid plagiarism’ to
create a shared understanding of meaning and content with students.
Rai, L. (2004). Exploring literacy in social work education: A social practices approach
to student writing. Social Work Education, 23(2), 149-162.
This article addresses specific requirements set for social work education programs in
England. The authors argue that two of the requirements, an ability to clearly
communicate in written and spoken English and prevention of discrimination, may be
contradictory as the focus on English may present a barrier to non-English speakers
seeking higher education. Instead of a focus on grammar, spelling and punctuation, the
authors’ content that what is needed is a ‘social practices’ approach which incorporates
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elements of the discipline and the context. This approach moves from a focus on
English language skills to the process of “’meaning making’ – a socially interactive
process of creating meaning.” In the discipline of social work, writing must
incorporate professional ethics, values, anti-discrimination practice and general practice
skills.
The authors go on to identify three forms of writing in social work: essays; practice
notes; and hybrid work which includes academic and work-based requirements. These
three types of writing rely on authoritative sources and evidence as well as personal
disclosure and reflection.
Through in-depth interviews with 15 social work students and assessment of their
writing, the authors identified 3 broad areas of students’ experience regarding writing.
The first addresses barriers to participation in academic writing. Barriers include a lack
of knowledge of the English language and past experience of discrimination in
academic. The second area focuses on identity and self-expression. Students who
expressed discomfort and anxiety about “surface” language issues, including grammar
and spelling, had greater trouble relating to the content of their writing and expressing
themselves effectively. These students experienced a disconnect between their own
identity and what they expressed in their writing, and this appeared especially
problematic for students with limited English. Finally, students experienced a lack of
clarity in the expectations held by social work educators and the basis of assessment.
Overall, this article highlights the way issues of identity may influence the meaning of
writing to social work students. For non-English speakers or students with limited
English, they may experience a mismatch between how they want to express
themselves and what they feel is required of them. A possible way to address this
disparity may be for social work educators to open a dialogue with students about the
relationship between their identity and their writing.
Waller, M.A. (2000). Addressing student writing problems: Applying composition
theory to social work education. The Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 5(2), 161166.
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Although of central importance to social work practice, writing has not been
emphasized in undergraduate social work education. Effective writing incorporates
critical thinking, problem solving and organization skills. As social workers cannot be
effective advocates for their clients if they are not effective writers, social work schools
need to develop students’ literary skills. The increasing diversification of the student
population mandates that social work educators be able to assess and develop student
writing regardless of the skills the student has upon entering the program.
Waller argues that writing is a process, evolving from free writing to writing for an
audience. Effective writing assignments allow students to experience the different
stages of the writing process. Writing is not something that occurs at one point in the
course, such as a final exam, but rather an on-going project which follows a schedule of
writing, responding and rewriting. While the course instructor can offer feedback to
the students’, dialogue between peers can also facilitate writing development. The
purpose of the feedback is to not criticize or correct but to challenge students to
consider alternative approaches to the argument they are putting forth.
Both basic and specialized writing assignments are needed, and can be incorporated
throughout the undergraduate social work courses. For example, basic writing skills
can be developed in foundation courses such as HBSE while specialized writing skills,
such as assessments, policy analyses and case studies, can be part of advanced clinical
and policy courses.
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CalSWEC Title IV-E Curriculum Enhancement : Writing for Social Work