Professional socialization and commitment to the profession in social work students: A longitudinal study exploring the effect of attitudes, perception of the profession, teaching, training, and supervision

Anat Freund, Ayala Cohen, Edith Blit-Cohen, Nicole Dehan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Summary: The article attempts to characterize social work students in higher education institutes in Israel, regarding professional socialization and the development of commitment to the profession during their BA (undergraduate) studies, lasting three years. This longitudinal study included a sample of 450 students in four social work schools. Data was gathered throughout four time periods: during the first two weeks of the academic year and at the end of each academic year. Findings: Students, during the first academic year, harbor certain misconceptions about the profession, leading to a sharp decrease in their commitment to the profession. However, it seems that supervisors, teachers and decisionmakers in social work schools somehow manage to bring the fantasies entertained by students at the beginning of their studies into line with reality, leading to both higher and stronger commitment to the profession by the time they complete their BA degree. Applications: The article discusses the findings and their implications on the social work profession, in general, and on social work training, in particular, regarding the development of commitment to the profession over the years.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)635-658
Number of pages24
JournalJournal of Social Work
Volume17
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Nov 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, © The Author(s) 2016.

Keywords

  • Social work
  • ethics and values
  • social work education
  • social work research
  • students

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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