An exploratory study of assessment criteria of sub-degree social work programs in Hong Kong

Abstract

Professional educational programs are entrusted by a society to ensure that graduates have mastered the knowledge and skills necessary for ethical and effective practice. There appears to be a global trend toward quality reassurance of professional educational programs. Social Work is treated as one of such professions. It even faces a push for assessing the competence of social work students and graduates. In Hong Kong, however, it seems that this has not been the case, especially for sub-degree social work programs. There have been few studies on the evaluation instruments and criteria to assess the competence of social work students and graduates from sub-degree program. This thesis attempts to address such an issue by exploring an instrument to assess the competence of social work students and graduates from sub-degree programs in Hong Kong. By reviewing the research literature on social work, this study finds that there are three types of assessment tools that have been distinguished: skills and competence, self-efficacy, and values. There are various tools that have combined two or three of the types. Such a mixed model with multi-dimensional approach has often been adopted to construct research on assessment criteria for social work education and training programs. Validity and reliability of the identified assessment criteria are proved in this rigorous study. The findings have the potential to be treated as reference for local education and training institutions which are offering sub-degree social work programs to devise their curriculum to train competent professional social workers for Hong Kong society. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. It includes a qualitative research with fourteen individual interviews of the experienced social workers and educators and one focus group interview some graduates of sub-degree social work programs. Through such an in-depth study, it finds that social work professional value and professional skills remain important as part of assessment criteria. Meanwhile assessment criteria have been affected by two factors: iii the seemingly endless changing demands in the welfare field which was highly shaped by changing social needs, and the characters of young generations who are admitted into social work programs. There has been a discrepancy of views from the education sector and the service sector on the role of training institutes and the quality of social work students. Developing assessment criteria for social work graduates could be a starting point for both sectors to engage in discussions to resolve such discrepancy. This thesis has also a questionnaire survey of 217 participants from four groups including social work students enrolled in local social work sub-degree programs, social work educators teaching such programs, managerial social workers, and frontline social workers. MANOVA and Factor Analysis are adopted for data analysis. The survey study has found that some assessment criteria are gender sensitive, and that the type of welfare services the respondents working in affect them to choose certain types of assessment criteria as the appropriate ones. A seven-factor framework of assessment criteria has been identified for further study.