Social Work as a Potential Career Path - Research Paper Example

Research Proposal Word Count: 3233 Promoting Social Work as a Potential Career Path among Secondary Pupils Introduction This research study proposes to explore how secondary school pupils are informed about a career in the field of social work. Specifically, it aims to answer the question: What career advice do secondary school pupils receive about social work as a potential career? Through a qualitative research design, interviews and focus group discussions will be conducted to answer the research question. There have been various studies conducted to establish different correlates for career choice. Among those identified in majority of literature are gender, birth order, and influences of parents and teachers. Many aspects in life eventually influence one’s career choice, including personality characteristics which was dutifully categorised by Holland (1985). Holland (1985) describes six main orientations of individuals that can be predictive of their career choices. While it is not the aim of this paper to present data on the relationships between categorical personality types and career choices, Holland’s (1985) contribution in building the rationale for this paper is his notion that there exists a freedom of choice. This is not true, however, for all individuals and we are familiar of stories from young adolescents who express their lack of control over their career path. This feeling is best defined through the psychological concept, “learned helplessness,” discovered by Peterson et al. (1993). Research studies have identified the reported strong influence of parents over teachers in the student’s choice of career (Teru 2000; Kniveton 2004). These studies noted the strong implications of these findings for career guidance counselors to facilitate the decision making process of parents and pupils. As discovered by Kniveton (2004, pp.56-57), “there was little evidence of consideration of the appropriateness of further/ higher education for career choice.” Thus, here rests the gap where guidance or career counselors can fill in to ensure that a substantial number of pupils leave secondary schools with a better perspective of their career choices. The challenge of providing comprehensive information to pupils may be daunting for guidance counselors. In most cases, schools employ psychological testing and career talks for graduating pupils. “Career education is increasingly present in the curriculum at the lower secondary school level, either as a separate subject or included in another subject” (OECD, 2004, p.12). The inclusion of this policy by the European Commission emphasises the important role of career guidance as a step towards helping pupils build better futures. In light of the studies presented above and the recent developments in terms of career planning and the role of the educational system, there is a need to explore and examine the content of these career guidance services as an initial step for evaluating precision and impartiality of information disseminated to the pupils. As I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in social work, I am interested to learn how pupils in secondary schools are introduced and informed about pursuing a career in social work. Because of the weight that the European government has awarded to career education, this is a timely study from which educators, career counselors and practitioners in the field can gain further insight towards collaborative work for the improvement of content and curriculum in career guidance for social work. The Research Question In social work education, much attention has been given by researchers in improving the curriculum in higher education, as well as its introduction in secondary levels. Yet there is little, if any, published literature discussing how career paths in social work are being promoted among potential scholars of social work, more specifically secondary pupils. This fact remains despite the push of the European government in the past six years to integrate career education in the curriculum of secondary schools. This is perhaps, one of the first few studies that will explore this area of development, specifically in the context of social work as a potential career path. There have been published research studies that deal with similar trends, but in other helping professions such as nursing and psychology. Social work, as a growing and equally important field deserves the same amount of attention. Vincent (1996) studied the motivation behind individuals engaging in a career in social work despite its reputation as a demanding and difficult profession. She found out that certain parenting experiences, including early separation from parents, are highly correlated with individuals choosing a career in social work. In a related study, Rompf and Royse (1994) investigated the particular life events that social workers attribute their career decision. “Results indicate social work students were more likely to attribute career choice to problems such as alcoholism and emotional illness within the family” (Rompf & Royse 1994 , p. 1). In another study, Daniel (2005) investigated the motivations behind minority students who enrolled in social work programs. The research revealed that apart from the similarity in background, these university students desired to become agents of change and ensure that their communities receive better and appropriate services. As stated in the first chapter, family influence ranks strongest in the individual’s decision of career choice. Daniel (2005), however, found out that “the perceived fit of their values and the values of social work was a more important determinant than family influences in the career decision-making process” (p. v). Although there are certain dispositions that propel an individual to show an interest in pursuing a career in social work, the studies presented above seem to support the impression that social work, unlike other professions, is largely determined by a personal choice of the individual rather than family influences. It is surprising that most individuals who pursue this career have a common background characterised by trials and challenges, not to mention economic difficulties. Instead of pursuing a more lucrative profession, these people have made their backgrounds the primary motivation to join the helping profession and contribute in making a significant difference in the lives of those who share their plight. Unlike other professions, social work has developed and grown only recently. Thus, it is highly necessary that younger learners be given an opportunity to be acquainted with this profession and the work opportunities after earning a bachelor’s degree in social work. The role of guidance counselor in introducing this opportunity to secondary pupils is crucial. “Throughout the 20th century, social work became an increasingly respected profession with broad applications” (Prescott n.d.). To find out how these developments are being translated at the level of career guidance in secondary schools, an exploratory study will be conducted using qualitative methodologies. The study will gather data using freshman university students enrolled in the Social Work program of The University of Reading as the primary respondents. They have been identified as the best respondents that can provide rich information to answer the question of this research study since they are still fresh from secondary school. The perspectives of these two sets of respondents will help ascertain the validity of the data gathered by cross-checking the emerging themes. As mentioned earlier, this study will combine two qualitative methods, focus group and structured interviews. I have chosen the use of these two methodologies because of their complementary strengths. Morgan (1996) stated that “a qualitative researcher may design a study using these two methods because the research question requires both breadth and depth” (as cited in Hesse Biber & Leavy, 2006, p.211). The phenomenological approach of this study requires the use of these two methods for it to be cost- and time-efficient. “Preliminary focus groups can provide a useful starting point for individual interviews that involve unfamiliar topics or informants” (Morgan 1997). The focus group discussions will provide the researcher with an opportunity to identify who among the participants will further enrich the data through individual structured interviews. Acting as the primary investigator, my role is to learn optimally from the data presented by my respondents. My knowledge in social work has been extensive due to my educational background; however, I must take mental note and caution myself against making my knowledge cloud my interpretation of the opinions and ideas expressed by the respondents. These data are meant to provide me with an “understanding of the meaning that these phenomena and events have for the people who are involved in them and the perspectives that inform their actions” (Maxwell, 2005). I must always strive to remain true to the voices of the participants and be able to articulate this in my research paper. Qualitative methodology though, does not discount subjectivity of the researcher. In fact, it considers the researcher’s extensive knowledge one of the strengths in analysis and interpretation. In data gathering, however, I must take on a learner’s stance instead of an expert stance. The Research Method Site Selection and Access Negotiation In a study highlighted in the previous section, Daniel (2005) focused on minority students to determine what motivated them to enroll in the social work program. The present study however, is more inclusive as it wishes to gather information from individuals with different educational and racial backgrounds. Students enrolled in social work from The University of Reading will be invited to become primary respondents for the study. The use of university students for research has been exemplified in the studies discussed in Chapter II. This research wish to obtain information on a specific issue for a specific population and students enrolled in this program are the best respondents. Using my network in school, I will approach freshman pupils enrolled in the Social Work program. “Snowball” technique in sampling can also be employed where other potential respondents can refer their peers/ friends who they perceive will be interested in participating in the research. I will explain to them the nature of the study and the contributions that they can make as primary respondents of the study. A common time for all respondents will be determined to initially plan the location and time of focus groups. It will be suggested that the meetings will take place either before classes start or after school hours in one of the seminar/ conference rooms in school for better accessibility. Participants will be given a time to discuss their preferred schedule and location. I will further invite participants to take part in the second phase of the study, one-on-one interviews. I will explain that only 10 participants are needed, and it would be very helpful if at this stage, they can express their willingness to be part of the second phase. In-depth interviews will be conducted on an agreed time between the interviewer and respondent. A conducive area inside the campus will serve as the location of the interview. However, should the participant give a good explanation and suggest a better location, then it will be agreed upon by the researcher and the participant. The Data Collection Method As previously explained, I have found the combination of focus group and structured interviews as the best approach for the design of this study and in answering the research question. Since the topic is not very sensitive, it is safe to conduct focus group discussions to gain breadth of the research topic. “Two critical elements in successful group research are the recruitment of participants and the design of the interview guide” (Stewart et al. 2007). Since the group is relatively homogeneous, they will only be divided by sex in such a way that approximately equal numbers of males and females are in the group. The agenda is set using the interview guide and this must be articulated clearly to the participants. Kreuger and Casey (2000) proposes five categories of questions which reflect the process of focus group interview: “opening, introductory, transition, key and ending” (p. 44). For the opening, I will be asking the participants to say their names, where they graduated from in secondary school and what they most enjoy doing when they have free time. Opening questions according to Kreuger and Casey (2000) should be easy to answer, the function of which is to encourage every member of the group to speak early in the discussion process. In this case however, it will be useful to take note of the schools where they came from. The focus group will be recorded and participants will be informed of this. The introductory questions are the formal starting point of the focus group discussion. These questions are relatively general and open-ended which hopes to generate 100% participation of the members. The question I will be giving will ask them to remember or recollect their past experiences that encouraged them to pursue a career in social work. The introductory questions will then be followed by transition questions which “move the conversation into the key questions that drive the study” (Kreuger & Casey 2000, p. 45). Transition questions are more specific and in this case, respondents will be asked questions about their experiences with career counseling and career guidance, particularly how they were introduced into the social work profession. The key questions, following transition questions, are considered the most important question often the first developed in the interview guide. While a few minutes can be allocated for the first two questions, the facilitator allots more time (10-20 minutes) for each question. For this part, I will be asking specific question related to topics/ content in career counseling in the area of social work. This may require probing to generate richer data. The final step of the focus group discussion is the ending questions. There are three types of final questions: “the all-things-considered question, the summary question, and the final question”. (Kreuger & Casey 2000, p. 46). During this part of the discussion, I will be asking respondents their opinions about how these career guidance services affected their final decisions. I will also be summarising major points and asking participants if I have given an accurate picture of the salient points. Moreover, I will be ending by asking the participants if there are certain topic we have not covered or if they have further questions. The contribution of the participants will be salient points that can be integrated in the in-depth interviews. A copy of the focus group interview guide can be found in Appendix A. The structured in-depth interview questions are similar to the interview guide in the focus group except that it will already specify some themes that were gathered in the focus group discussion. This is meant to facilitate validity and to further go deeper with the experiences of the participants. The construction of the interview questions therefore, is highly dependent on the results of the focus group discussion. Data Sampling and Analysis There are no general rules for the number of participants in a focus group and the number of focus groups that should be conducted. In most cases, the numbers are decided depending on the available resources and primary objective for conducting a focus group. Stewart et al (2007) suggests as a general rule a composition of six to 12 members for a focus group. “Fewer than 6 participants makes for a rather dull discussion, and more than 12 participants are difficult for a moderator to manage” (Stewart et al. 2007). The types of individuals which are of interest to the research and the complexity of the objective determines the number of focus groups. “When the population of interest is relatively homogeneous and the research question is relatively simple, a single group or two maybe sufficient” (Stewart et al. 2007). For this study, I will be conducting two focus groups with eight participants for each group yielding a total of 16. It is essential that I have a substantial number of participants from which I will get my pool of interviewees for the second phase of the study. Participant for the second phase of the study is best identified by their willingness to become respondents. As for interviews, there is no definite number when theoretical saturation occurs but as reflected in Thomson’s (2004) article, sample size is usually dependent on the scope of the research question. Furthermore, Thomson (2004) states that “researchers with more experience and strong interviewing skills will require fewer participants, as they can guide and encourage that participant to reveal the data” (3). There is no easy way to answer the question on the adequate sample size. However, based on the Table of Minimum Sample Size Recommendations for Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs introduced by Onwuegbuzie and Collins (2007), the adequate number of participants for interview method is twelve (12). There are various ways of graphically presenting data qualitative methodologies. Creating geographical maps is one method suggested by Tufte (2006) to show information and convey meaning and relationships across data gathered. Another way suggested is the creation of unique visual elements to summarize and highlight important data concepts and research implications. In this study, data is treated both qualitatively and subjected to a software program, N-VIVO to analyse parent themes. Content analysis will be employed to draw out recurrent themes from the transcriptions of focus groups and interviews. To validate the findings further, results in summarised form will be presented to the participants. From these discussions, further interpretations may be gathered to improve on the findings and conclusions of the research. Ethics Working with people, whether the research is experimental/ quantitative or phenomenological/ qualitative, researchers must be guided by ethical considerations. Various ethical codes have been published by British Psychological Society (2000), British Sociological Association (n.d.), British Association of Social Workers (1996), American Psychological Association (1992), American Sociological Association (1997) and American Educational Research Organization (1992), among others. These ethical standards and codes will be constantly consulted for direction and insight in the direction and conduct of this research investigation. At every step of the research process, participants will be asked for their informed consent. They will also be assured of confidentiality and remain anonymous in the generation of the results. I am willing to make adjustments and compromises with the best interest of the participants in mind. All their views and ideas will be reflected in the report without bias, and I will stay committed in generating an excellent research study that speaks of my knowledge and abilities. Participants, as previously mentioned, have access to the final report that will be submitted. Potential Strengths and Weaknesses The use of two research methodologies, focus group and interviews, increases the validity of the data gathered. The methods allow for cross-checking between the two sets of data. Using a small sample size however, does not give the same level of reliability that quantitative data boasts off. However, as I have explained, the objectives and nature of the study is best approach using qualitative methodology. By getting a sample that can be considered as “experts” in the topic I wish to study, I am able to generate rich information. The strength (or weakness) of qualitative methodology lies mainly on the expertise of the researcher who in this case will be taking on multiple roles, facilitator and interviewer. If I am not able to communicate to the respondents well the objectives and not attentive enough to further probe significant answers, I might be losing a significant amount of data. The use of focus group however, prior to interviews allows me to establish rapport with my respondents. To summarise, the design of the research resonates vividly with the research objective which was stated clearly to provide focus of the study. Researcher’s bias and skills have been identified as potential factors that will confound the data. Nonetheless, the methodology ensures the credibility and validity of results. Appendix A Draft of Focus Group Interview Guide The facilitator starts of by introducing himself followed by a brief overview of the research which includes the objectives, its significance and the methodology. The facilitator informs the participants that the proceedings will be tape recorded. They are then asked to sign a written consent form that contains pertinent information about the study. Opening Question: 1. To introduce ourselves, we will have one round of introductions. I invite you to state your name, the secondary school from which you came from and telling us the favourite thing (s) you like to do during your free time. Introductory Questions: 1. I would like to hear more about your stories that made you decide to engage in social work. If you can remember how and when it started, that will be very valuable insight. The following questions may help you. a. Can you share with us your first encounter with the social work profession? What were the circumstances? How old were you? b. What attracted you to the profession? When did you finally decide that you will pursue this career? c. Was their a significant person who influenced you? Transition Questions: 1. What impressions did you have about social work as a profession? Were these encouraging or discouraging? 2. What experiences (challenging/ exciting/ positive/ negative) do you associate about deciding that you wanted to pursue a career in social work? 3. Did you tell anyone about this decision? If so, what was the reaction? Key Questions: 1. Did anyone assist you in finding out more about social work? 2. How instrumental was your school in providing you with information for your chosen career path? 3. Do you still remember the programs that they gave to keep you informed and aware? 4. What particular advice or words of wisdom did your guidance or career counselor (s) give you about the social work profession? 5. Were there other people who gave you advice? Who were they and what did they say? 6. Can you remember important points that your guidance or career counselor informed you? 7. How did the school assist you in making career choices or picking the right course for you in college? Ending questions: 1. In sum, do you think the initiatives that your guidance counselor or the school took to inform you about the social work profession are enough? Why or Why not? 2. Did it significantly impact the choice that you made? 3. What kind of improvements can be done? 4. Are there areas that you think we should talk more about to achieve the objectives of the study? 5. Do you have further questions or clarifications? The facilitator ends the session by thanking all the participants and inviting them for refreshments. They are also informed that they will receive an e-mail about the next step of the research process after one week. References Daniel, C 2005, ‘The meaning of social work career choice among minority students: a symbolic interactionist inquiry,’ Dissertation, The City University of New York. Hesse-Biber, S & Leavy, P 2006, The practice of qualitative research, Sage Publications, Inc., London. Kniveton, B 2004, ‘The influences and motivations on which students base their choice of career’, Research in Education, vol. 72, November, pp. 47-60. Morgan, D 1997, Focus groups as qualitative research, Sage Pulications, Inc., London. Maxwell, J 2005, Qualitative research design: an interactive approach, Sage Publications, Inc., London. Onwuegbuzie, A and Collins, K, 2007, ‘Typology of Mixed Methods Sampling Designs in Social Science Research,’ The Qualitative Report vol 12, no.2 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2004, Career guidance: a handbook for policy makers, OECD, Paris, France. Prescott, J. A career as a social worker: Improving lives, helping people help themselves, making a difference, ISBN: 1-58511-043-4  Rompf, E & Royse, D 1994. ‘Choice of social work as a career: possible influences,’ Journal of Social Work Education, vol. 30, no. 2, Spring-Summer, pp. 163-171. Stewart, D, Shamdasani, P, & Rook, D, 2007, Focus groups: theory and practice, Sage Publications, Inc., London. Thomson, S, 2009, ‘Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory-Sample Size and Validity,’ Monash University. Toyokawa, T 2000, ‘Adolescents’ interest in activities and sex-typing of occupational preferences and choices’, Dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University. Vincent, J 1996, ‘Why ever we do it? Unconscious motivation in choosing social work as a career,’ Journal of Social Work Practice, vol. 10, no. 1, May, pp. 63-69. Read More