Factors Impacting on School Social Workers Well-Being - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal: Factors Impacting on School Social Workers Well-being 1.0 Introduction Effective schooling goes beyond mere memorization of information and facts. Rather, it involves equipping students with relevant skills, values and attitudes that will enable them to become critical thinkers, problem-solvers, productive and self-sustainable members of the society. In order to realise these outcomes, there is need for educators to create a conducive learning environment that enables students to seize learning opportunities and become self-sustainable in their own learning (Crebbin, 2004; Ebert & Culyer, 2010). Nevertheless, school systems today face a wide range of social challenges that inhibit their effectiveness. In many schools in Australia, incidences of violence, bullying, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, discrimination, emotional and psychological trauma, low morale amongst students, poor attendance, drugs and alcohol abuse and early pregnancies among many other social issues are frequently reported. These issues not only impact on the well being of students and school staff but they also have negative impact on the expected school outcomes. Addressing such issues requires the intervention of well-trained and professional social workers. Therefore, the role of social workers within the school context is very essential. School social workers play a multifaceted role. Generally, their work involves conducting assessments, developing and implementing suitable interventions that enhance the well-being of students and school staff so as to ensure schools achieve the intended outcomes (Cameron, 2006; Openshaw, 2012). In the course of their duties, school social workers experience a wide range of challenges that affect their overall wellbeing. Consequently, these difficulties affect their effectiveness in addressing the social challenges faced by schools (Daniel, Bradley & Hays, 2007; Yoman, 2011). 1.2 Aim and Objectives of the Study The main aim of this study is to examine factors that impact of the well-being of school social workers in Australia. This study will examine the issues or challenges that school social workers face that have adverse effect on their physical, mental and psychological wellbeing. Some of the key objectives that this study will seek to achieve include; Identify the factors that impact on the physical, mental and psychological wellbeing of school social workers in Australia Examine the impact of that these factors have on the well being of social workers and work performance in the school context Identify possible interventions that can be used to enhance the well-being of school social workers. 1.3 Research Questions The specific research questions that this study will seek to answer include; What factors impact on the physical, mental and psychological wellbeing social workers working in Australian schools? What is the impact of these factors on the overall well being of school social workers? What is the impact of these factors on the productivity or work performance of school social workers? What interventions can be used to address these factors and enhance the overall being of school social workers in Australia? In order to address the research questions identified in the section above, this study will take into account the views and perspectives of the participants who will take part in this study. The views and perspectives of participants collected through the use of different data collection tools will be interpreted and analysed in order to answer these research questions. 1.4 Rationale of the Study Over the years, a number of research studies have examined the factors that impact on the well-being of social workers. A majority of these studies have specifically focused on the factors that impact on the well-being of social workers who work in settings such as hospitals, child protection services, mental health facilities and local communities (Kim & Stoner, 2008). Shier & Graham, 2010; Whitaker, 2012). However, few studies have looked into the factors that affect the well-being of social workers working within the school context in Australia (Daniel, Bradley & Hays, 2007; Yoman, 2011). As compared to other settings where social workers operate, the school context in Australia has its own unique challenges that have not been explored comprehensively. Therefore, there is need to enhance knowledge in this area. It is for these reasons that this study seeks to examine the factors that impact of social workers working within the school context in Australia. By looking into the factors that affect the well-being of school social workers in Australia, this study will supplement or add to the existing knowledge in this area. Moreover, it will provide insight to social workers on how they can cope and address the various challenges that they encounter in the course of their duties. This study will also provide insight to school administrators, stakeholders and policy makers within the educational sector on the challenges that school social workers face and possible interventions that can be used to enhance the wellbeing of social workers so as to promote better school outcomes. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1Background This study will also be embedded within the interpretivism research paradigm. An interpretivist research paradigm is majorly based on the assumption that knowledge in the social world is subjective. Therefore, in order to obtain accurate knowledge or information about a particular research issue, researchers have to consider and interpret the views, opinion, experiences and behaviors of the people within that particular research context. The interpretivist paradigm further postulates that, issues in the social world are not mechanistic, they involve different realities that must be understood in their natural setting (Klenke 2008). Therefore, based on this paradigm researchers can produce accurate knowledge by producing descriptive analyses that are based on in-depth interpretation of views, opinion, experiences and actions of people in the social context in study. This paradigm will be used in this study mainly because it provides a suitable framework to explore in-depth the factors that affect the well-being of school social workers by interpreting the views and opinion of school social workers that will be involved in this study (Klenke 2008). 2.1 Factors that Influence the Well-being of Shcool Social Workers Over the years, a considerable number of research studies have critically examined the factors that influence the well-being of social workers in the workplace. A study carried out by Coffey, Dugdill & Tattersall (2009) found that factors such as lack of resources, work roles, organisational culture and pace of change in the organisation significantly affected the well-being of social workers in the workplace. As a result of these factors, it was reported that social workers suffered mental distress. Moreover, high levels of absenteeism were reported. Although this study provided significant insight on the factors that affect the well-being of social workers, it was limited in the sense that it mainly focused on social workers based in the public sector in the United Kingdom. Therefore, the generalizability of its findings is questionable. On the other hand, a study conducted Shier & Graham (2010) explored the factors that affect the subject well-being of social workers. The findings of this study were based on a survey of 646 respondents and interview with 14 social workers working within the province of Alberta, Canada. One limitation of this study lies in its generalizability mainly because its findings are based on one area. Nevertheless, this study was among the first to critically examine issues that affect social work practitioners’ subjective wellbeing in the workplace. Following their study, Shier & Graham (2010) reported that, there are three major factors that significantly impact on the wellbeing of social works. They include; the work environment, interrelationships at work and specific job aspects. In relations to the work environment, they found that similar to the findings of Weeks (2004), physical aspects such as ambiance, adequate space and connectedness influenced social workers’ sense of wellbeing and happiness in their workplace. Nevertheless, unlike Shier & Graham (2010), Colier (2006) and Pugh & Cheers (2010) examined the negative aspect of a physical environment that affect the wellbeing of social workers. In their study they reported that school social workers especially those working in schools based in rural and remote areas face a wide range of challenges revolving around their physical environment. Some of these challenges include; harsh weather conditions , limited space and facilities to. As a result of these challenges many social workers often feel demoralized, isolated, confused and uncertain (Colier, 2006; Pugh & Cheers, 2010). Another aspect of the work environment that Shier & Graham (2010) found to impact on the wellbeing of social worker is organisational culture. These findings resonate with those of Coffey et al (2009) who also found that organisational culture may also have a significant impact on social workers’ well being. Besides this, studies carried out by Gavin & Mason (2004) and Kim & Stoner (2008) also established a close correlation between organisational culture and the well-being of social workers. Unlike studies carried out by Shier & Graham (2010) which view work environment in terms of the physical aspects and organisational culture, Yamano (2011) argues that work environment factors such as violence have a profound impact on the wellbeing of school social workers. He observes that incidences of violence are prevalent in many schools. This in turn exposes school social workers to mental, emotional and physical health issues. Chappell & Di Martino (2006) concur by suggesting that, in the long-term regular occurrences of violence may expose school social workers to psychological health issues such as; eating disorders (over-eating or under-eating), debilitation, lack of sleep and even muscle tension (Chappell & Di Martino, 2006). Similarly Daniels et al (2011) and White (2008) concur that violence in school is major factor that can affect the overall well being of social workers. White (2008) observes that, in some schools social workers have been victims of violence perpetrated by students or work colleagues. Although social workers are trained to handle issues revolving around violence in schools in certain circumstances where they are exposed to extreme threats or actual incidences of violence, many social workers are likely to experience trauma and fear for personal safety (White, 2008 & Daniels et al., 2011). As observed previously, Shier & Graham (2010) found that interpersonal relationship within the workplace can also affect the well-being of social workers. Their study only focused on examining the positive aspects of interpersonal relationships. Based on their findings, they reported that social support within the work place enhances the wellbeing of social workers. Helliwell & Huang (2005) also concur that suggest that there is a close link between social networks in the workplace and the well being of social workers. Their study suggest that, when school social workers have amicable work relationships with teachers, staff and other professional working within the school setting they are likely to experience a sense of support, belonging and fulfillment this in turn improves their overall wellbeing. Abu-Bader (2005) also agrees that professional and amicable work relationships between social workers and their work colleagues may reduce work burnout and increase work satisfaction. Conversely, other studies examined the impact that negative interpersonal relations have on the well being of social workers. In studies carried out by Heugten (2010) and Whitaker (2012), workplace bullying was identified as a negative aspect of interpersonal relationship that has profound impact on the wellbeing of social workers. Heugten (2010) observes that, although social work is a helping profession that focuses on improving the outcomes of individuals and the society in general, it is not immune to bullying. In Heugten’s (2010) study it was established that, 52% of the social workers who participated in the study have been targets of recurring incidences of bullying in their workplace. As a result, bullying impacted on their physical and psychological wellbeing, their personal and collegial relationships and their capacity to work. A considerable number of social worker who took part in this study reported that following the recurring incidences of bullying they experienced issues such as; stress, anxiety, loss of self-esteem, insomnia, eating disorders, isolation and withdrawal. Similarly, Davenport, Schwartz & Elliott (2005) argue that, bullying exposes social workers to high levels of stress, depression and burnouts, this in turn impacts on their overall wellbeing and effectiveness at work. Based on these findings, it is evident that interpersonal relationships within the workplace influence the well being of social workers. In addition to this, a number of studies have found that job aspects such as the type of work and workload can influence the well-being of social workers (Shier & Graham, 2010; Borzaga & Tortia, 2006). Borzaga & Tortia (2006) particularly argue that, there is a close relationship between work type and employees overall wellbeing. On the contrary, Herleman, (2009) and Macdonald (2005) found an indirect connection between work type and the well being of employees. Shier & Graham (2010) suggest that the amount of work or workload that social workers are given can impact on their wellbeing. Similarly, studies carried out by Hamama (2012) and Langan-Fox & Cooper (2011) have found that social workers with high workload often experience stress and burnout (Doel, 2012; Hamama, 2012; Langan-Fox & Cooper, 2011). 3.0 Methodology 3.1Research Design In order to realise the objectives of this study, a qualitative research design will be used. A qualitative research design is an inquiry approach that uses different interpretative methods to describe, decode and interpret research issues in order to establish meaning (Klenke 2008; Merriam 2009). It can also be described as a form of scientific research that employs a number of predefined procedures to investigate research issues in-depth by gathering relevant data and subsequently using the data gathered to answer the identified research (Mack, Woodsong & Family Health International 2005). A qualitative research design is used in this study mainly due to its suitability in addressing the identified research objectives. Not only will this research design provide a framework for exploring research issues in-depth but it will also allow the exploration of intangible research aspects such as behaviour, views and attitudes through the use of interpretative techniques which identify, describe, explore and interpret research issues in-depth (Mack et al., 2005). 3.2 Settings and Sampling This study will be based in 20 secondary schools within Melbourne, Victoria. It will involve a total of 20 social workers. Convenience sampling will be used when selecting the participants who will take part in this study. Generally, convenience sampling involves selecting a sample population who will take part in a study based on their accessibility, availability and proximity to the researcher (Statpac 2013). The social workers will be contacted through the Christian School Association and the Australian Independent School Association. 3.3Methods of Data Collection In this study, data collection will involve the triangulation of two data collection instruments. In the research context, triangulation refers to the process of combining two or more methods in order to obtain more accurate results (Klenke 2008). Data will be collected using questionnaire and in-depth interviews. The questionnaires will be administered to a total of 18 school social workers from different schools. On the other hand, the in-depth interviews will be conducted with 2 school social workers working in different schools. The data collection process will solely be conducted by me, as the researcher. 3.3.1 Questionnaires A questionnaire is basically an instrument of data collection that incorporates a set of questions that aim at eliciting certain responses from research participants regarding a particular research issue. Questionnaires can either be closed ended or open-ended. Closed ended questionnaire are those that require participants to choose their responses from a set of provided. However, open-ended questionnaires require participants to formulate their own responses. This study will incorporate open ended questionnaires. In this case, questionnaires with a set of questions that require respondents to formulate their own answers will be administers to 18 school social workers. An open-ended questionnaire design will be used in this study mainly because it may help to discover unanticipated findings. Moreover, as compared open-ended questionnaires it allows respondents to provide unlimited number of possible answers and provide clarification. Generally, the use of questionnaires as a technique of collecting data is cost-effective and less-time consuming (Ader & Hand 2008). 3.3.2 In-depth Interview In-depth interviews will be used in this study to further supplement the data collected through the use of questionnaires. An interview can be described as a qualitative method of data collection that involves engaging in a conversation with a respondent in order to obtain information about a particular research issue. In this study, in-depth interviews will be conducted with two social workers. The duration for each interview session will be approximately 25 minutes. During the interviews a tape recorder will be used in order to record information provided by the interviewees for future reference. In-depth interviews will be used in this study mainly because they help to extract meaning and provide in-depth understanding on particular research issues (Debasish & Das 2009). Furthermore, interview provide a platform for seeking clarification or further explanation thus enabling one to elicit more accurate information from respondent. 3.4 Data Analysis Following the process of data collection through the use of questionnaires and in-depth interviews, the data collected will be subjected through a process of data analysis. Data analysis can be described as a process through which data collected is compiled, organised, analysed and interpreted in a bid to address the previously identified research objectives. In this study, the data analysis process will be embedded on the grounded theory. This theory is commonly used to analyse qualitative data. While using this approach to analyse data, no hypothesis or theory is formed before the study. Instead the data collected is grouped into similar categories and concepts and subsequently each data category is evaluated and interpreted in order to form a hypothesis or theory that explains a certain research issue (Allan 2003). 3.5 Ethical Considerations The data collection and analysis approaches that will be used in this study are likely to elicit a number of ethical issues. Therefore, certain ethical considerations will be taken into account in the course of this study. Firstly, prior to conducting this study it will be crucial to obtain formal consent from various authorities or gatekeepers within the settings that this study will take place. Secondly, it will crucial to obtain an informed consent from the participants. Prior to administering the questionnaire and conducting the interviews, participants will be informed about the study and what their involvement in the study will entail. This study will only involve participants who consent to take part in the study voluntarily. Moreover, participants who take part in this study will be informed about their right to withdraw to from the study at any time. Moreover, in the course of this study the confidentiality and privacy of participants will be upheld. Participants will be requested not reveal their name or personal information when filling in the questionnaire or responding to interview questions. Furthermore, ethical issues regarding bias and validity will be considered during this study in order to enhance the integrity and validity of the study. The integrity and validity of this study will be maintained by avoiding biases and through objective analysis and verification of findings (Miller, Mauthner, Birch & Jessop, 2012). In addition to this, during the process data analysis integrity and validity of the study will be enhanced by consulting with colleagues and seeking a second opinion so as to ensure that personal biases are avoided. 3.6 Limitations of the study This study uses a small sample frame involving only 20 participants. Therefore, it may be questionable whether the data extracted from this sample frame is truly representative of the entire population. The generalizability of the findings established through this study may also be questionable due to its use of a small sample frame. 4.0 Expected Outcomes It is expected that this study will show a myriad of factors within the environment that school social workers operate in affects their wellbeing. Some of the factors that this study is likely identify include; workload, school culture and lack of support as some of the key factors that affect the well-being of school social workers. This study will further show the impact that these factors have on the well-being of social workers. Subsequently, it is expected that this study will highlight the views and perspectives of social workers regarding what needs to be done in order to address the various negative issues that affect the wellbeing of school social workers in the workplace. 5.0 Time Span Activity January February March Submit application to ethics committee Obtain Ethics Approval Design Questionnaire Administer questionnaire Conduct interviews References Ader, H. & Hand, D. (2008). Advising on research methods: A consultant’s companion. Netherlands: Johannes van Kessel Publishing. Abu-Bader, S. H. (2005). “Gender, ethnicity, and job satisfaction among social workers in Israel”. Administration in Social Work, 29(3), 7–21. Allan, G. (2003) “A critique of using grounded theory as a research method.” Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 2(1),1-10. Ben-Zur, H. & Micheal, K. 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