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?