FOSTERING AWARENESS OF SELF IN THE EDUCATION OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS BY MEANS OF CRITICAL REFLECTIVITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/55-2-679Keywords:
self, self-awareness, critical reflectivity, macro-conceptualisation, social work education, death and dying, African-centred world viewAbstract
Fostering awareness of self in the education of social work students has focused primarily on a micro-conceptualisation of the self, which implies that the attention was, and still is, mainly on the intrapsychic processes generated by theory and field practicum. But the development of the professional self should also encompass a macro-conceptualisation, where students have to ask themselves how they contribute to the maintenance of societal structures and how these structures influence them in the forming of their own assumptions and belief systems about the self and the world. Three categories of critical-reflectivity questions can be asked about a parable on death and dying, thereby sensitising students to the self as a product of, as well as a co-creator of, society in the grieving process. These questions furthermore resonate within an African-centred worldview in the understanding of the self.
Downloads
References
References
AKINTAYO, T., HÄMÄLÄINEN, J. & RISSANEN, S. 2016. Global standards and the realities of multiculturalism in social work curricula. International Social Work. DOI: 10.1177/0020872816648200
ASKELAND, G.A. & FOOK, J. 2009. Critical reflection in social work. European Journal of Social Work, 12(3):287-292. DOI: 10.1080/13691450903100851
BALDWIN, M. 1999. Use of self in therapy. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Haworth.
BALOYI, L. & MAKOBE-RABOTHATA, M. 2014. The African conception of death: A cultural implication. In JACKSON, L., MEIRING, D., VAN DE VIJVER, F. & INDEMUDIA, E. (eds). Toward sustainable development through nurturing diversity. International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. Cross-Cultural Psychology in the Rainbow Nation of Africa. Selected papers from the 21st International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
BARETTI, M. 2004. What do we know about the professional socialization of our students? Journal of Social Work Education, 40(2):255-283.
BARNARD, A. 2012. The self in social work. Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 15(3):101-118. DOI: 10.1921/095352212x655348
BARTKEVICIENE, A. 2014. Social work students’ experiences in ‘self’ and professional ‘self’’ awareness by using the art therapy method. European Scientific Journal, 10 (5):12-23.
CAMPBELL, C. & BAIKIE, G. 2012. Beginning at the beginning: An exploration of critical social work. Critical Social Work, 13(1):67-81.
CHE (Council on Higher Education). 2015. Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework. Qualification Standard for Bachelor of Social Work. May 2015. Pretoria, South Africa: CHE.
COPELAND, S. & OLIPHANT, E. 2014. BSW students’ personal reflection and self-correction: Teaching implications. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology, 4(3):45-53.
DETTLAFF, A.J., MOORE, L.S. & DIETZ, T.J. 2006. Personality type preferences of social work students. The Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 11(2):88-101.
DEVORE, W. & SCHLESINGER, E.G. 1996. Ethnic-sensitive social work practice. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
DEWANE, C.J. 2006. Use of self: A premier revisited. Clinical Social Work Journal, 34(4):543-558. DOI: 10.1007/s10615-005-0021-5
DOMINELLI, L. 2009. Anti-oppressive practice: The challenges of the twenty-first century. In ADAMS, R., DOMINELLI, L. & PAYNE, M. (eds) Social work: Themes, issues and critical debates. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan (pp. 49-64).
EKORE, R.I & LANRE-ABASS, B. 2016. African culture concept of death and the idea of advance care directives. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 22(4):369-372.
FERGUSON, H. 2013. Anthony Giddens. In GRAY, M. & WEBB, S.A. (eds) Social work theories and methods. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage (pp. 25-35).
FOOK, J. 1993. Radical casework: A theory of practice. St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin.
FOOK, J. 2006. Beyond reflective practice: Reworking the ‘critical’ in critical reflection. Keynote for: Professional lifelong learning: Beyond reflective practice, 3 July 2006. 36th Annual SCUTREA Conference Inter-Cultural Perspectives on Research into Adult Learning. Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults. University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
FOOK, J. 2015. Reflective practice and critical reflection. In LISHMAN, J. (ed.) Handbook for practice learning in social work and social care: Knowledge and theory. 3rd ed. London, United Kingdom: Jessica Kingsley.
FOOK, J. 2016. Social work: A critical approach to practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
FOOK, J. & GARDNER, F. 2007. Practising critical reflection: A resource handbook. Berkshire, England: McGraw Hill, Open University Press.
FOOK, J. & GARDNER, F. 2013. Critical reflection in context. London, England: Routledge.
GIDDENS, A. 1984. The constitution of society: Outline of the theory of structuration. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
GRAY, M., KREITZER, L. & MUPEDZISWA, R. 2014. The enduring relevance of indigenisation in African social work: A critical reflection on ASWEA’s legacy. Ethics and Social Welfare, 8(2):101-116.
HARRIS, M.S. 1997. Developing self-awareness/racial identity with graduate social work students. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 67(3):587-607.
HEALY, K. 2000. Social work practices: Contemporary perspectives on change. London, United Kingdom: Sage.
HEALY, K. 2001. Participatory action research and social work: A critical appraisal. International Social Work, 44(1):93–105.
HEALY, K. 2014. Social work theories in context – creating frameworks for practice. 2nd ed. London, UK: Palgrave MacMillan Education.
HEYDT, M.J. & SHERMAN, N.E. 2005. Conscious use of self: Tuning the instrument of social work practice with cultural competence. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 10(2):25-40.
HICKSON, H. 2011. Critical reflection: Reflecting on learning to be reflective. Reflective Practice, 12(6):829-839.
HODGSON, D. & WATTS, L. 2017. Key concepts and theory in social work. London: Macmillan Education, Palgrave.
HORNER, N. 2012. What is social work? Context and perspectives. 4th ed. London: Sage.
KALISH, R.A. 1985. Death, grief, and caring relationships. 2nd ed. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
KAUSHIK, A. 2017. Use of self in social work: Rhetoric or reality. Journal of social work values and ethics, 14(1):21-29.
KONDRAT, M.E. 1999. Who is the ‘self’ in self-aware: Professional self-awareness from a critical theory perspective. Social Service Review, 12 (4):451-477.
LEE, P. & KENWORTHY, M. 1929. Mental hygiene and social work. New York, NY: Commonwealth Fund.
LEGRAIN, L., CLEEREMANS, A. & DESTREBECQZ, A. 2011. Distinguishing three levels in explicit self-awareness. Consciousness and Cognition, 20 (2011):578-585.
LISHMAN, J. 2009.Personal and professional development. In ADAMS, R.,
DOMINELLI, L. & PAYNE, M. (eds) Social work – themes, issues, and critical debates. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan (pp. 370-385).
LOCKE, D.C. 1986. Increasing multicultural understanding. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
LONG, S.K.W. 2005. ‘Decolonialism’ and the counselling profession: The Aotearoa/New Zealand experience. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 4(4):557-572).
MABVURIRA, V. 2018. Making sense of African thought in social work practice in Zimbabwe: Towards professional decolonisation. International Social Work. DOI.org/10.1177/0020872818797997
MARLOWE, J.M., APPLETON, C., CHINNERY, S. & VAN STRATUM, S. 2015. The integration of personal and professional selves: Developing students’ critical awareness in social work practice. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 34(1):60-73.
MBITI, J. 1970. African religions and philosophy. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books.
MEEK, H.W. 2005. Promoting self-awareness. Infant observation training as a model. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 75 (3):33-58.
MORIN, A. 2011. Self-awareness. Part I: Definitions, measures, effects, functions, and antecedents. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(10):807-823.
PAYNE, M. 2014. Modern social work theory. 4th ed. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan.
SANDS, R. 1996. The elusiveness of identity in social work practice with women: a postmodern feminist perspective. Clinical Social Work, 24(2):167-186.
SODOWSKY, G.R., KWAN, K-L.K. & PANNU, R. (1995). Ethnic identity of Asians in the United States. In PONTEROTTO, J.G., CASAS, J.M., SUZUKI, L.A. & ALEXANDER, C.M. (eds) Handbook of multicultural counselling. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage (pp. 123-154).
SPECHT, H. & COURTNEY, M. 1994. Unfaithful angels: How social work has abandoned its mission. New York, NY: Free Press.
URDANG, E. 2010. Awareness of self – a critical tool. Social Work Education, 29 (5):523-538. DOI: 10.1080/02615470903164950
WALTERS, H.B. 2008. Field placement: An introduction to the ‘use of self’ in field placement. The New Social Worker: The Social Work Careers Magazine, 15(4):8-11.
YIP, K-s. 2006. Self-reflection in reflective practice: A note of caution. British Journal of Social Work, 36(5):777-788. DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bch323
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2019 Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.
Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-4.0
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.
Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.
