Social Work Students' Perception of Research

Overview: Research is a critical component of social work education, yet many students are apprehensive of the subject. In this presentation, I will share findings from a study that explored reasons for negative perceptions of research among social work students. Implications on understanding these perceptions and teaching strategies will be discussed.Proposal text: With the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) requiring universities to integrate research into practice and education (CSWE, 2008, p. 5; Karvinen-Niinikoski, 2005; McCrystal and Wilson, 2009; Wells et al., 2012), anxiety and apprehension in students and faculty have been a topic of concern and interest in the literature. Negative perceptions toward research from both faculty and students (Maschi et al., 2013) have created challenges for the social work profession (Auslander et al., 2012; Kranke et al., 2015).
Social work students report significantly higher levels of research anxiety and substantially less interest in research than students in other majors such as psychology, criminal justice, or business (Gredig & Bartelsen-Raem, 2018; Negrea et al., 2018). Students’ anxious feelings about research and faculty perceptions of research are barriers for students.
Students with high levels of anxiety and stress surrounding research may be less willing to engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research when they enter the field (Mirick & Davis, 2017). To become competent social workers, social work students need to become skillful in understanding research and acquiring research skills. Wells et al. (2012) argue that the proper integration of research in social work courses shows a particular promise toward increasing social work students' confidence. Research knowledge and attitudes have improved as students take more research courses (Rosenblatt & Kirk, 1981; Unrau & Grinnell, 2005). Literature also suggests that confidence in research courses encourages application to the practice setting (Dickey et al., 2016; Negrea et al., 2018).
The purpose of this presentation is to share findings from a study on students’ perceptions of research, and exploration of ways to increase the acquisition and retention of research knowledge for social work students. By exploring student attitude, exposure, confidence, and knowledge to better understand where students feel discomfort in taking research courses, educators will be better equipped to reduce this fear and support students with these feelings of discomfort. Student perceptions of research attitude, exposure, confidence, and knowledge will be reported, along with implications of how to incorporate strategies to reduce negative perceptions in the future.
This study used an anonymous quantitative online survey method to explore perceptions toward research among BSW and MSW students in the United States. The sample consisted of 322 BSW and MSW students attending a CSWE accredited social work program and who were in a research course or capstone course that included a research project. Majority of the respondents were White/Caucasian 78.5% (n = 230), cisgender females 84.3% (n = 247), and aged 18-24 years 39.6% (n = 116). The majority of respondents were working toward their MSW and do NOT have a BSW 37.20% (n = 109), were currently employed in a social service agency 40.27% (n = 118), had completed a research course 65.87% (n = 193), and wished to learn more about applying research to practice 74.06% (n = 217). The results will be discussed in the presentation. The study findings will be discussed as well as its implications for practice, social work education, and research.