Student Progress in a Social Work Writing Course: Self-Efficacy, Course Objectives, and Skills

Abstract

Although instructors express concerns about social work students’ writing skills, little research has been conducted. One remedy is a social work–focused writing course. This study assessed a required writing course with a sample of 49 baccalaureate students. From online pre- and posttest surveys, 2 student outcomes improved significantly: self-reported scores for writing self-efficacy and competence in course objectives. On-demand writing samples improved significantly based on anonymous ratings by the course instructors; however, blind ratings found gains but not at a significant level. Improved outcomes were not associated with demographic or background characteristics. We discuss limitations of the study and implications for social work education.

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