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Social Sciences
Special Issues
Critical Reflection in Social Work Practice and Education
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Critical Reflection in Social Work Practice and Education

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Policy and Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 20264

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Suzy Comerford

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Social Work, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
Interests: critical social construction; refugees; climate refugees; transformative organizational change; equity and inclusion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Critical reflection is becoming increasingly assumed to be integral to social work practice, and therefore to social work education. There are, however, many different understandings of critical reflection and how it is translated into concrete practices both inside the classroom and in the work environment. Whilst there is a wealth of literature on specific approaches and practices of critical reflection, there is less on research which details the outcomes and benefits of being able to work in a critically reflective way. In addition, there are many issues associated with being systematically critically reflective after leaving formal social work study, especially in work environments which may not be supportive. In this issue, we focus on these two latter areas:

  • Research which systematically details the benefits and outcomes of being critically reflective;
  • Programs, initiatives or experiences which detail what is involved in being able to develop and sustain a critically reflective way of working in current work contexts.

If you are uncertain whether your proposed paper might address these issues, please feel free to contact the editors for a discussion around this.

Dr. Suzy Comerford
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • critical reflection
  • practicing critical reflection at work
  • researching critical reflection
  • benefits of critical reflection
  • creating critically reflective work cultures, group-level critical reflection as a mode of strategic planning
  • critical reflection in transformative organizational change
  • critical reflection as a tool in uncertain times

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 357 KiB  
Article
Critical Reflection: An Imperative Skill for Social Work Practice in Neoliberal Organisations?
by Christine Morley and Charlie O’Bree
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(3), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10030097 - 9 Mar 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 13661
Abstract
Social work practice and education have been significantly impacted by neoliberal governmentality, which can greatly undermine the espoused social justice mission of social work. This study explores the research questions: How might critical reflection support social work practice in neoliberal organisations? And how [...] Read more.
Social work practice and education have been significantly impacted by neoliberal governmentality, which can greatly undermine the espoused social justice mission of social work. This study explores the research questions: How might critical reflection support social work practice in neoliberal organisations? And how might critical analysis using insights from critical theorists fortify the findings of critically reflective research? This study uses critical reflection on a critical incident (from Author 2’s practice) as a methodology to respond to the first research question. It further analyses the findings of the critically reflective inquiry by drawing on relevant concepts from critical theorists to respond to the second question and expand the possibilities for practitioners to develop emancipatory practices in neoliberal organisations. The findings suggest critical reflection on the critical incident examined was effective in improving social work practice, and that additional critical analysis of the wider issues raised by the research findings may enhance social work as a value-driven, client-centred and social change-oriented profession. The article highlights the benefits and outcomes of working in a critically reflective way, and makes an original contribution to the growing literature that suggests critical reflection is a vital skill for social work practice in neoliberal organisations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Reflection in Social Work Practice and Education)
17 pages, 1878 KiB  
Article
Digitalization of Critical Reflection with ATLAS.ti Software in Social Work Supervision
by Komalsingh Rambaree and Nessica Nässén
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(3), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10030095 - 8 Mar 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5237
Abstract
In this technology-driven era, the digitalization of social work practice is becoming almost mandatory in many countries, especially in Europe. Within this context, it is important to look at the possibilities and challenges for the digitalization of critical reflection, which is a fundamental [...] Read more.
In this technology-driven era, the digitalization of social work practice is becoming almost mandatory in many countries, especially in Europe. Within this context, it is important to look at the possibilities and challenges for the digitalization of critical reflection, which is a fundamental part of social work practice. Using a conceptual and theoretical framework based on reflective practice, critical reflection, and experiential learning, this article aims to outline and discuss the use of ATLAS.ti software as a supporting tool in digitalizing critical reflection in social work supervision (SWS). For illustrative purposes, a case example of child welfare from Sweden is used. This article considers both the benefits and challenges of using ATLAS.ti as a technological tool for the digitalization of critical reflection in SWS. It concludes that social workers’ autonomy and wellbeing need to be at the center in deciding about the use of digital tools such as ATLAS.ti in SWS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Critical Reflection in Social Work Practice and Education)
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