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ERIC Number: EJ1292533
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1043-7797
EISSN: N/A
Water into Wine: Using Social Policy Courses to Make MSW Students Interested in Politics
Meehan, Patrick
Journal of Social Work Education, v57 n2 p357-371 2021
Social workers are making a name for themselves in national politics. Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) have MSW degrees. The current chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Karen Bass (D-CA), also has an MSW. Having social workers in elected office allows the profession to directly address the Grand Challenges of the 21st century. But given students' general disinterest in policy, let alone politics, getting students to take an interest in running for office can be a challenge. How can schools of social work make students interested in running for office? This study uses the results of a survey experiment from the Michigan Law & Social Work Study to show that referring to elected office as a way of making a difference in the community can make MSW students more interested in running for office. However, these results varied across the sample of 545 MSW students. Because of their practice interests and political socialization, many students are impervious to new messaging about the political system. This study finds that the difference-making message is most effective for micropractice students from less politically socialized households. The right messaging can make students more interested. Implications for social work education are discussed.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Michigan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A