A national survey of 235 directors of programs offering Bachelors of Social Work found that sources of personal, structural, and institutional power were important predictors of power for middle managers in academic settings. Results also direct their programs and manage departmental resources. (Author/MSE)

A discussion of the relevance of the liberal arts to social work education examines the "content" and "perspective" controversies. Social work is seen as applied human values, therefore intertwined with the liberal arts. It is proposed that social work education recast and strengthen its relationship with the liberal arts. (Author/MSE)

A model for including information about persons with mental retardation in the social work curriculum is presented. The model focuses on (1) a micro perspective, concerning the individual, family system, and group membership; and (2) a macro perspective, regarding service planning, administration, evaluation, and community organization. (MSE)

A survey of 162 students in several sections of a master of social work basic research methodology and statistics course, taught by different teachers, found that student performance did not differ across instructors, undergraduate grade point average was positively correlated with performance, and an undergraduate social service major was…

A study of 352 social work students (predominantly from minority group backgrounds and admitted to an undergraduate social work program between 1980 and 1987) examined factors contributing to retention or attrition and possible strategies for reaching out to students at risk. The report is described, and the research methodology is presented as a…

A survey of 53 deans of graduate programs in social work provided information about their demographic characteristics, professional tasks, reasons for entering administration, professional preparation, reading activities, perceptions of the deanship, developments in higher education, and issues and challenges confronting the profession and social…

A survey of 415 undergraduate social work students and 203 non-social work students investigated the influence of selected life events and circumstances, prior employment, volunteering, and influential persons. Results indicate social work students were more likely to attribute career choice to problems such as alcoholism and emotional illness…

Analysis of court cases, employment law, and events in higher education yielded information about tenure as a contract, use of credentials as evidence, and due process in orderly tenure procedures. Academic, legal, and ethical perspectives are considered. Guidelines for social work faculty in dealing with these issues are offered. (Author/MSE)

A survey of 421 senior faculty in graduate social work education investigated the familiarity and perceived quality of 120 professional journals in the field. Resulting ratings are presented for use by faculty seeking to publish their work in appropriate journals and those assessing the scholarly contribution of social work educators. (Author/MSE)

A survey of 421 licensed clinical social workers concerning continuing education needs found practice theories and practitioner roles most often identified as areas in which training is needed. Private practitioners wanted training in object relations theory more often and in supervision and cognitive theory less often than their agency-based…

A social work education model that integrates field instruction with clinical and research curricula is described and compared with less comprehensive approaches. Issues discussed increasing accountability through developing evaluation skills, classroom techniques, materials, faculty role, field educator role, field advisor role, and use of both…

The state of scholarship and research in social work is analyzed with regard to research methods found in the core literature, faculty and doctoral scholarly productivity, graduate research curricula, and use of scholarship by practitioners. Challenges for improving social work research training, scholarly production, and knowledge transmission…

Hypermedia computer-based education (HCBE) is described and research on its instructional effectiveness is examined, including the relevance of several learning theories and instructional strategies. It is proposed that HCBE in social work education can emulate the dynamic, iterative learning process of knowledge acquisition, testing, and…

The historical development of evaluation in higher education is traced, and current views on assessment options are discussed. A case is made for longitudinal computer-based program monitoring by defining the approach and presenting a case study. Advantages and disadvantages are examined. (Author/MSE)

A computer-based bibliometric study tracking the growth of dissertation and book production in social work from 1959-88 is reported. Potential applications of online bibliometric analysis are discussed, including its use in evaluation of scholarly productivity, study of social work history, and management of knowledge development processes in…