Teaching to Tech: A Quasi-Experimental Assessment of a Technology-Enhanced Social Work Course

Professional interests and social problems demand social work practitioners who can "harness technology for social good." Although the field has acknowledged the need to train social workers to use technology in practice, existing scholarship has tested few models for doing so. This articl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of social work education Vol. 59; no. 1; pp. 51 - 65
Main Authors Jacobs, Leah A., Booth, Jaime M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Routledge 02.01.2023
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Attitudes
Change
Communications technology
Comparative Analysis
Counseling Techniques
Counselor Training
Efficacy
Information Technology
Professional practice
Professional training
Quasi-experimental methods
Self Efficacy
Social Change
Social Problems
Social Work
Social workers
Socialization
Student Attitudes
Student Characteristics
Teaching
Technological Literacy
Technology attitudes
Tests
Undergraduate Students
Work skills
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Summary:Professional interests and social problems demand social work practitioners who can "harness technology for social good." Although the field has acknowledged the need to train social workers to use technology in practice, existing scholarship has tested few models for doing so. This article describes and tests an information and communication technology-enhanced course for macropractice. Results from a quasi-experimental test of the technology-enhanced course yield positive gains in students' technological efficacy, but not in their attitudes toward technology. Ultimately, models that capacitate students to use technology in social work practice, like that described here, are needed. However, their effectiveness in promoting future use in social work practice likely depends on their ability to change skills and attitudes.
ISSN:1043-7797
2163-5811
DOI:10.1080/10437797.2021.1997677