Abstract

This article describes results of a pilot study conducted with the goal of assessing the effectiveness of courses designed to prepare social work students with competencies and skills for practice with racial/ethnic minority populations. The Council for Social Work Education (CSWE), the accrediting body that specifies the requirements used to maintain an accredited program in schools of social work in the country, established education policy and accreditation standards to prepare students to obtain professional competence concerning a respect for human diversity and the enhancement of the quality of life for all persons. These standards include four features of an integrated curriculum design: (1) values, ethics and theoretical perspectives, (2) assessment, (3) intervention, and (4) services, programs and policies. The objective of this pilot study was to revise these courses based on our findings. The four features established by CSWE were interwoven within the courses through self-awareness development via assignments that included exploration of values, ethics, and theoretical perspectives; experiential learning through internship assignments that foster competencies in conducting and developing culturally sensitive assessments and intervention plans; and a component about acquiring knowledge of available services, programs, and policies affecting racial/ethnic minority populations. A pre-test and post-test Social Work Competency Scale was administered which was adapted from the Hartford Practicum Partnership Program. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, PASW version 18.0, and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.