Article: Humanitarian welfare values in a changing social environment: A survey of social work undergraduate students in Beijing and Shanghai

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TitleHumanitarian welfare values in a changing social environment: A survey of social work undergraduate students in Beijing and Shanghai
AuthorsLou, VWQ1
Pearson, V1
Wong, YC1
KeywordsChinese
humanitarian welfare values
social work education
social work students
urban and rural comparison
Issue Date2012
PublisherSage Publications Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journal.aspx?pid=105686
CitationJournal of Social Work, 2012, v. 12 n. 1, p. 65-83 [How to Cite?]
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468017310380294
Abstract• Summary: Internationally accepted social work values are based on ideas about rights, social justice and equitable resource distribution. Does social work education in China embody similar values? Are these values influenced by culture and the current political/economic environment? The research posed three questions. Do social work students studying in metropolitan China support humanitarian welfare values? Are values affected by demographic backgrounds? Does social work education enhance humanitarian values? A self-administered, standardized questionnaire was distributed in 26 classes of social work students studying in seven universities in Beijing and Shanghai (n = 1328).• Findings: Students do not support humanitarian welfare values strongly; and a decrease in these values was observed in senior students. Significant differences in values were found based on gender and on rural/urban origins. Female students were more likely to agree with humanitarian value statements; rural and urban students tended to agree more with values from which they had potential to benefit.• Applications: Social work knowledge and skills rather than values maybe more immediately relevant to Chinese society. However, independent professional practitioners need a solid foundation of professional values to inform practice and standardize the social work role. There needs to be an ongoing debate in China involving social work educators and practitioners about values and their relation to Chinese society, the ways in which they are influenced by non-Chinese cultures; and how to infuse these consistently into social work curricula in Chinese universities. © The Author(s) 2010.
ISSN1468-0173
2011 Impact Factor: 1.0
2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.036
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468017310380294
ISI Accession Number IDWOS:000298258200005
ReferencesReferences in Scopus
DC Field
Value
dc.contributor.authorLou, VWQ
dc.contributor.authorPearson, V
dc.contributor.authorWong, YC
dc.date.accessioned2011-07-27T02:29:01Z
dc.date.available2011-07-27T02:29:01Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstract• Summary: Internationally accepted social work values are based on ideas about rights, social justice and equitable resource distribution. Does social work education in China embody similar values? Are these values influenced by culture and the current political/economic environment? The research posed three questions. Do social work students studying in metropolitan China support humanitarian welfare values? Are values affected by demographic backgrounds? Does social work education enhance humanitarian values? A self-administered, standardized questionnaire was distributed in 26 classes of social work students studying in seven universities in Beijing and Shanghai (n = 1328).• Findings: Students do not support humanitarian welfare values strongly; and a decrease in these values was observed in senior students. Significant differences in values were found based on gender and on rural/urban origins. Female students were more likely to agree with humanitarian value statements; rural and urban students tended to agree more with values from which they had potential to benefit.• Applications: Social work knowledge and skills rather than values maybe more immediately relevant to Chinese society. However, independent professional practitioners need a solid foundation of professional values to inform practice and standardize the social work role. There needs to be an ongoing debate in China involving social work educators and practitioners about values and their relation to Chinese society, the ways in which they are influenced by non-Chinese cultures; and how to infuse these consistently into social work curricula in Chinese universities. © The Author(s) 2010.
dc.description.naturepostprint
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Social Work, 2012, v. 12 n. 1, p. 65-83 [How to Cite?]
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468017310380294
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468017310380294
dc.identifier.epage83
dc.identifier.hkuros187026
dc.identifier.hkuros209719
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000298258200005
dc.identifier.issn1468-0173
2011 Impact Factor: 1.0
2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.036
dc.identifier.issue1
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-83655172540
dc.identifier.spage65
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/136703
dc.identifier.volume12
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherSage Publications Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journal.aspx?pid=105686
dc.publisher.placeUnited Kingdom
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Social Work
dc.relation.referencesReferences in Scopus
dc.rightsJournal of Social Work. Copyright © Sage Publications Ltd.
dc.rightsCreative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License
dc.subjectChinese
dc.subjecthumanitarian welfare values
dc.subjectsocial work education
dc.subjectsocial work students
dc.subjecturban and rural comparison
dc.titleHumanitarian welfare values in a changing social environment: A survey of social work undergraduate students in Beijing and Shanghai
dc.typeArticle
Author Affiliations
  1. The University of Hong Kong