Increasing Political Practice and Policy Practice in Social Work Students

Abstract

Political practice and policy practice are critical components of the social work profession, yet social workers and social work students do not fully engage in them. Bachelor and Master of Social Work programs (BSW and MSW) cover these topics, often through lecture-based instruction; however, a growing body of literature suggests experiential learning is better for building efficacy and interest in them. This article reviews the literature on political practice and policy practice in social work (including teaching approaches), discusses the implications for social work of a decreased emphasis on macro social work, and then explores the results of a new study attempting to address this issue. A one-group, pretest-posttest study was conducted with BSW students (n=66) to evaluate the possible effectiveness of a new training. Key findings yielded an increase in the likelihood of the students engaging in political and policy activities in the future (with the most significant effect size related to the likelihood of sending a letter to the editor). Based on the literature review and study results, recommendations, with an emphasis on experiential learning activities, are offered for social work educators looking to increase the likelihood of political practice and policy practice engagement in their students during and after going through social work programs.