Continuing education for social workers: A University of Southern California questionaire, 1949

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CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL WORKERS:

A UNIVERSITY

OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA QUESTIONNAIRE, 1949

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the School of Social Work The University of Southern California

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Social Work

by Lucille Lemmon January 1950

UMI Number: EP66346

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T his thesis, w ritten under the direction of the candidate’s F a c u lty C om m ittee and approved by a l l its members, has been presented to and accepted by the F a c u lty of the G raduate School of Social W o r k in p a r tia l fu lfilm e n t of the re­ quirements f o r the degree of

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK

Dean

Thesis o f. ........ Lu-cllla.-Ljexnmctn-

F a c u lty Com m ittee

Chairman

—

*

TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER

PACE

I . THE P R D B L B S ..............................

1

Formulation of the questionnaire........

3

Purpose of the s t u d y ....................

4

Selection of material....................

5

Organization of the remainder of the thesis. . II.

8

DESCRIPTION OF 145 QUESTIONNAIRE PARTICIPANTS ...............................

10

Sex and geographical distribution of participants........................... ..

1Z

Present social work method and educational level..................................

12

Present social work method and operating level........................... . • • • • Educational level and operating level.....

16 19

Number of courses taken since full-time attendance at School of Social Work.. . . .

24

Participation in additional courses and recency of full-time school attendance. . . Summary..................................

26 28

III. THE RELATIONSHIP OF PACT EDUCATION TO ALUMNI INTEREST IN CONTINUING EDUCATION........

30

Unclassified replies on five types of continuing education .....................

31

ill CHAPTER

PACE Educational levels as related to educational interests......................

53

School specialization and educational interests.................................

40

Shift or similarity between school specialization and present social work method, as related to educational

IV.

interests.................................

45

Summary.....................................

49

PRESENT EMPLOYMENT STATUS OPALUMNIAS RELATED TO INTEREST IN CONTINUING EDUCATION..........

50

Present social work method and educational interests.................................

50

Relationship between first and present employment and educationalinterests . . . .

55

Present agency auspices and educational interests.

.........

58

Present operating level and educational

V.

interests.................................

61

Summary.....................................

65

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.......................

66

Summary.................... ................

67

Significance of findings and problems for further study.............................

73

iv CHAPTER

PAGE

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY...............................

76

APPENDIX A. Questionnaire..........................

78

APPENDIX B.

Employment Status and Educational Levels of Sixty-Seven Alumni Whose Replies Were Not Used in the S t u d y ...................

APPENDIX C.

81

Tally of 145 Replies to School of Social Work Questionnaire, University of Southern California,February, 1949 . ♦ .

83

LIST OF TABLES TABLE I.

PAGE Present Social Work Methods and Educational 14

Levels of 145 Alumni............. II.

Present Social Work Methods and Operating Levels of 145 Alumni........................

III.

17

Number of Courses Taken by 145 Alumni Since Full-Time Attendance at School of Social Work, by Educational L e v e l s ................

IV.

35

Participation in Additional Courses by 145 Alumni and Recency of Completion of Stated Educational L e v e l .....................

V. VI.

. .

Educational Interests of 145 A l u m n i .........

33

Educational Interests of Eleven Undergraduate Certificate Holders .....................

VII.

.

36

Educational Interests of Fifty-Seven Two-Year Graduates Who Specialized in Casework . . . .

X.

35

Educational Interests of Eighty-Four Two-Year Graduates.........................

IX.

34

Educational Interests of Fifty One-Year Graduates.................................

VIII.

37

41

Educational Interests of Twenty-Seven Two-Year Graduates Who Specialized in Group Wbrk, Administration, or Community Organization...............................

42

TABLE 21.

PASS Educational Interests, and Relationship Between School Specialization and Present Employment of Eighty-Pour Two-Year Graduates....................

XU.

Educational Interests of 119 Alumni Employed in Casework..........................

XIII.

46

51

Educational Interests of Twenty-Six Alumni Employed in Group Work, Community Organi­ zation, and Other Non-Casework Methods.. . .

XIV.

54

Educational Interests of 145 Alumni and Relationship Between First and Present Employment............................

XV.

57

Educational Interests of 145 Alumni by Employment in Public or Private Agencies. . .

XVI•

59

Educational Interests of 145 Alumni by Operating Levels of Employment.

.......

62

LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1.

PAGE

Distribution of Operating Levels Within Each Educational L e v e l ...........................

2.

20

Distribution of Educational Levels Within Each Operating Level.........................

25

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM The problem of continuing education for the profes­ sional social worker is a subject of ever-present concern to the graduate practitioner and the professional school.

The

Alumni Association of the School of Social Work, University of Southern California, has been interested in professional education, in its various ramifications, for the past decade. The American Association of Schools of Social Work has been examining many aspects of professional education since 1919, including the postgraduate needs of the experienced social worker.

The problems of content and accreditation for pro­

fessional education led to the organization of the National Council of Social Work Education in 1946.

This Council, in

which several professional associations and other groups participate, in 1948 undertook an Intensive study of the whole problem of education for social work, from the pre­ professional to the advanced levels. At the National Conference of Social Work in 1947, Spencer^* brought into focus the long felt need for modifi­ cations in education for social work.

The tremendous gap

3* Sue Spencer, "Major Issues in Social Work Educa­ tion," Proceedings of the National Conference of Social Work (New York: Columbia University Press, 1947) , p. 441.

between the estimated number of social work positions, and the number of professionally educated people to fill them, constitutes a serious threat to public recognition of pro­ fessional competence*

Spencer's paper urged action in the

form of a four-point program to:

(1) increase educational

resources, expanding existing facilities, and establishing new schools; (2) develop more economical and better methods of professional preparation by improved use of undergraduate time, and other measures; (3) provide for more educational leave and training stipends; and (4) study the possibilities for expediting the education of experienced students, For those practitioners with Master's degrees, there has been increasing discussion of plans for a third year of specialized study, or for advanced work leading to a doctorate.

Several schools have undertaken advanced pro­

grams in line with the recommendations of the Thirtieth Annual Conference of the American Association of Schools of Social Work, in January, 1949.

The Conference urged the ex­

tension of generic course content into the second graduate year, to replace the present system of second year speciali­ zation.

Under the new plan, specialization would be delayed

until the third year.2

2 Elizabeth Payne, "Trends in Social Work Education,* (unpublished paper read before the University of Southern California School of Social Work Alumni Conference, April 2, 1949).

3 I . FOBMULATION OF THS QUESTIONNAIRE A consideration of curriculum modifications geared to the needs of active social work practitioners, and future practitioners, seemed both timely and appropriate as a theme for the 1949 Annual Alumni Conference of the School of Social Work, University of Southern California.

The 1949

Conference Committee selected the theme of Continuing Sdueation for the Professional Social Worker, to bring the alumni experience and preferences on additional professional education to the School.

The annual conferences sponsored

by the Alumni Association, have long served as a mutually stimulating medium of expression between the alumni and the School*

The theme met with faculty approval and encourage­

ment . It was decided to approach the problem by means of a questionnaire which would elicit the expression of indi­ vidual alumni interest in additional education* the questionnaire may be found In Appendix A.

A copy of Twenty-eight

questions were included, classified into two sections.

The

first part was comprised of general information questions, establishing the amount and date of the respondents pro­ fessional education, and his present employment.

The second

section was headed, "Information on Additional Professional Education You Desire."

The first sub-division of this

section was intended for those who had not yet begun their

4 second year of graduate study.

It inquired as to plans for

obtaining the Master of Social Work Degree, and the reasons for the individual's delay in embarking on the second year of study. The next division explored alumni interest in occasional courses to Increase professional competence, sought opinions as to gaps in undergraduate preparation, and asked about refresher courses or institutes.

The last por­

tion set forth the question of third year specialization, and the final inquiry dealt with the proposal for a doctoral degree. The questionnaire was mailed In February, 1949, to 513 alumni.

Each copy carried a request that it be re­

turned in time for tabulation and presentation of the results at the Annual Alumni Conference in Los Angeles on April 2 , 1949.

More than two hundred replies were received

in time for coding on International Business Machine cards. These were tabulated for the oral summary given by the Conference Chairman at the April meeting. II.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Several members of the Alumni Association felt that a

3 The questionnaire mailing list was limited to the number of alumni whose addresses had been kept up-to-date in the Alumni Association's files.

5 more thorough analysis of the questionnaire findings would he valuable*

Following a tentative approval of such an

analysis as a thesis project, the investigator participated in a conference with the President of the Alumni Council, the Conference Chairman, and a faculty adviser.

In this

meeting the alumni representatives outlined the desired areas for analysis, and limits for the project were desig­ nated. The Alumni group wanted to know from the question­ naire replies, the association between interest or lack of interest in each of five types of continuing education, and specified aspects of past education and present employment in social work.

This study is, therefore, limited to the

measurement, in a series of tables, of expressed alumni in­ terest in the five types of education, namely, occasional courses, refresher or institute courses, second graduate year, third year, and doctoral degree.

It does not include

any discussion of areas of interest, or suggestions for curricula, except for the data presented in the master tally. Information on the professional status of those who sent in usable replies is presented as background material. Ill.

SELECTION OF MATERIAL

Of the 513 questionnaires mailed, 212 were finally returned, and of that number there were 145 usable replies

6 (28 per cent of the total mailed) • The use of replies was determined by the active professional status of the res­ pondent and by the approximate completeness of each set of answers*

It was believed that an active professional status

was essential for a usable reply, inasmuch as the questionnaire was fundamentally concerned with the educational needs of social work practitioners per se. An active sooial work practitioner was defined as a person who was remuneratively employed in a professional capacity by a social work agency, at the time the questionnaire was answered.

Incomplete

replies from active practitioners were sent back for com­ pletion wherever possible, and the forms were returned promptly in all but one instance. The employment status and educational levels of the sixty-seven respondents whose answers were not used in this analysis may be found in Appendix B.

Of the thirty-three

unemployed alumni, only four were seeking employment. teen listed themselves as housewives.

Nine­

Twenty-two were em­

ployed in other fields; sixteen of these were teachers, three of whom were teaching in accredited schools of social work. Twenty-three of the sixty-seven had completed two years of graduate professional education. The master tally of 145 usable replies comprises Appendix C.

Certain facts are called to the attention of

the reader.

First, in the inquiry as to specialization in

7 school (Question 4) the replies of one-year alumni are in­ cluded, although there is actually no specialization until the second graduate year.

The questionnaire instructions

should have clarified the fact that this question was in­ tended for two-year graduates. Next, although the tally figures for social work method of the first employment (Question 5) and present em­ ployment (Question 6) are almost identical, later tabu­ lations revealed that thirteen alumni had shifted from one social work method to another.

In the replies to both

questions, those under "Other methods" happened to be insti­ tutional superintendents.

Some alumni replied that they

were in the "administrative" field.

Administration is con­

sidered as a level rather than as a field or method of operation in this study, and, therefore, such replies were corrected to indicate the social work method of the agency where the respondent served at the administrative level. It should also be noted that the questions dealing with suggested course content (Questions 16, 17, 20, 22, 24, and 28), allowed for multiple choice replies, without pro­ viding for an indication of ranking of preferences.

All

choices were counted and classified. The replies to the questions on gaps in undergraduate work (Questions 19 and 20), may serve as guides to desirable pre-professional course content, although this part of the

8 inquiry was not considered by the alumni representatives to be pertinent to the exploration of additional professional education desired by graduate practitioners. IV.

ORGANIZATION OF THE REMAINDER OF THE THESIS

The findings of this study are presented by means of a series of tables accompanied by textual interpretation. Chapter II will consist of a discussion of the educational background and employment status of the participants, as represented in the cross tabulations on present social work methods, educational levels, operating levels, number of additional courses taken since school, and recency of full­ time school attendance. Chapters III and IF will deal with the relationship of certain aspects of past education and of present employ­ ment status, to the expression of interest in five types of continuing education enumerated in the alumni questionnaire. These are: 1.

Occasional courses to increase professional competence.

8.

Refresher courses or institutes, intensive but limited in time span.

3.

Second year, toward completion of Master of Social Work Degree.

4.

Third year of advanced training, not necessarily

9 leading to doctorate. 5.

Doctoral degree program.

Chapter III relates the replies on interest or lack of interest in these five types of continuing education, to three aspects of professional training, namely: 1. Educational level. 2. School specialization. S.

Shift or similarity between school specialty and present social work method.

The subject of Chapter IV is the relationship between the five types of continuing education and four aspects of the present employment status.

Tables show the association

between interest in each type of continuing education, and: 1.

Present social work method.

2.

He lat ion ship between methods.

3. Present agency auspices. 4. Present operating level. In the concluding chapter, the relationship of the factors of past education and present employment status, to the educational interests of practitioners, are summarized, and their significance evaluated.

Findings which indicate

the need for further study are set forth as guideposts to future researchers.

CHAPTER II DESCRIPTION OF 145 QUESTIONNAIRE PARTICIPANTS Before proceeding to the examination of alumni in­ terest in continuing education, it is essential for the reader to become acquainted with the background and pro­ fessional status of the 145 graduates whose replies were tabulated for this study.

This chapter will present facts

in textual and tabular form as to the sex and geographical distribution of the participants; their present social work methods related to their educational levels; present methods related to operating levels; educational levels related to operating levels; number of courses taken since full-time school, related to educational levels; and participation in additional courses by recency of full-time school attendance. In brief, this chapter reveals the present profes­ sional placements and the types of degrees or certificates held by alumni who submitted usable replies.

The survey

participants attended full-time school between 1924 and February, 1949, inclusive.

During this period new require­

ments for professional education were being developed, and modifications in curricula and changes in the types of degrees were as frequent in the University of Southern California School of Social Work, as in most of the other professional schools.

11 From 19S0 to 1935, undergraduate certificates, Graduate Certificates, and Social Work Diplomas were awarded. Between 1935 and 1939 a one-year degree, the Master of Science in Social Work, replaced the Graduate Certificate. In 1939 this was discontinued, and the present two-year degree of Master of Social Work was adopted, with the Gradu­ ate Certificate for those who complete only the first year of work toward the Master’s Degree.^" The first year program covers the basic curriculum as formulated by the American Association of Schools of Social Work.

Second year students specialize in one of the social

work methods, deepening their skills through field work in the method of their choice, and pursuing a research project closely related to the field of specialization. was the first specialization offered. medical social work were added in 1941.

Casework

Group work and Community organi­

zation was included in 1944, and psychiatric social work in 1946. Naturally, those who have been out of school longer have advanced to administrative positions.

Several of the

more recent two-year graduates have advanced rapidly by dint of education, as the demand for graduates of professional

^ Xhiiyersity of Southern California Bulletin 19491951. Graduate SchooTof Socfal Work (tos~Angeles: univer­ sity of Southern California, 1 949),p. 14.

12 schools still greatly exceeds the supply. X.

SEX AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF PARTICIPANTS

One hundred and four of the respondents were women, thirty-six were men, and the sex of five was not indicated on the questionnaire reply. As for the geographical distribution, 113, or 78 per cent

2

had addresses in the Los Angeles area, including

Laguna, Riverside, Santa Ana, and Ventura. San Diego County.

Seven were in

Five, or 3 per cent, were from Northern

California, and sixteen, 11 per cent, were from other states, including one from Alaska.

Four addresses were not shown on

the replies. A comparison with the addresses of the 513 alumni on the questionnaire mailing list reveals a notable repre­ sentativeness in the locations of the 145 respondents.

Of

the original 513 addresses, 78 per cent were situated in Southern California, 6 per cent in Northern California, 14 per cent in other states, and 2 per cent in other countries. II. PRESENT SOCIAL WORK METHOD AND EDUCATIONAL LEVEL The social work methods in which the graduates were p

All percentage figures have been rounded to the nearest decimal.

13 engaged as of February or March, 1949, is shown in Table I, classified by educational levels.

The method of casework is

subdivided into the specialties of family welfare, child welfare, medical social work, psychiatric social work, and probation or delinquency work. Casework was by far the most common agency method, employing 119, or 82 per cent, of the 145 alumni.

Family

welfare had fifty representatives, or 34 per cent of the survey population, while 48 per cent were in the other case­ work specialties, mostly child welfare and medical social work.

The preponderance of caseworkers is not surprising,

as casework agencies employ large staffs of workers, and the method is widely recognized. Group workers comprised only 7 per cent of the total. Recreational workers without social work orientation fill many potential group work positions.

Hine per cent of the

145 were engaged primarily with the community organization method.

This work has long been performed by persons trans­

planted from commercial or other fields of employment.

The

comparative recency of formal curricula in group work and community organization, in contrast to casework speciali­ zation, must also be kept in mind.

There may be also occu­

pational differences in responsiveness to questionnaires. Examining the methods practiced by alumni at each educational level, it is found that casework employed nine

TABLE I PRESENT SOCIAL WORK METHODS AND EDUCATIONAL LEVELS

OF 145 ALUMNI Under­ graduate Certificate*

Master of Science in Social Work

Graduate Certificate

4 3 1 0 1

2 5 1 2 3

24 3 3 0 3

9 2 9 4 1

11 12 9 7 0

50 25 23 13 8

9

13

33

25

39

119

Group Work

0

0

2

3

5

10

Community Organization

2

0

1

4

6

13

Other

0

0

1

0

2

3

Totals

11

13

37

32

52

145

Present Social Work Method Casework family Child Medical Psychiatric Probation Casework Totals

Two years (Thesis not completed)

Master of Social work

Totals

.

*One respondent received a graduate certificate in 1929 Her reply is classified w f t f ^ S ^ S e r graduate certificate group; all other graduate certificates were awarded since 1939, for the completion of one year toward the Master of Social work Degree,

H if *

15 of the eleven holders of undergraduate certificates.

Of the

fifty alumni with one year of graduate training (Master of Science in Social Work degrees, or Graduate Certificates), 92 per cent were engaged in some type of casework.

Only 76

,per cent, or sixty-four, of the eighty-four two-year gradu­ ates were in casework, while 12 per cent were in community organization, and 9 per cent were in group work. As for the educational levels per se, only 8 per cent of the total group of alumni held undergraduate certificates. Fifty, or 35 per cent, of the 145 had completed one graduate year.

(Thirty-seven had Graduate Certificates and thirteen

had degrees of Master of Science in Social Work.)

Sighty-

four, comprising 58 per cent of the total group, had finished two full years of professional education, although thirty-two of these had not submitted theses. It is interesting to compare these percentages of two-year graduates among the entire group, with the per­ centages for each social work method.

(The investigator is

aware of the need for caution in quoting percentiles where the total figures are small, and the reader is asked not to draw conclusions from the individual percentages, but to consider them only as points for comparison.) In casework, sixty-four, or 54 per cent of the 119 practitioners, had had two years of school.

Bighty per cent

of the ten group workers, and 77 per cent of the thirteen

16 community organizers had completed two graduate years.

In

the various casework methods, psychiatric social work showed the highest proportion of fully trained alumni, namely eleren out of thirteen, or 82 per cent.

Medical social work

was next, with 78 per cent, or eighteen of twenty-three alumni in that specialty.

The twenty-five child welfare

workers rank next, with 56 per cent at the two-year level. Only 40 per cent of the fifty family caseworkers had finished two graduate years. Since the social work methods here mentioned are practiced in both private and public agencies, it seems worth while to make another comparison.

Thirty-nine, or 45 per

cent, of the eighty-six alumni in public agencies had two s years of professional education. Of the fifty-nine who worked in private agencies, 76 per cent were two-year gradu­ ates.

The private agency proportion of two-year alumni was

18 per cent above the proportion of two-year graduates in the total survey group.

The public agency proportion is 15

per cent below that of the total group. Ill. PRESENT SOCIAL WORK METHOD AND OPERATING LEVEL Table H

shows the social work methods of the employ­

ing agencies, and operating levels of alumni.

In the

® See Table XV, Chapter IV, for other data on alumni employment in public and private agencies.

TABLE II PRESENT SOCIAL WORK METHODS AND OPERATING LEVELS Of 145 ALUMNI Present Social Work Method

Worker

Supervisor

Casework Family Child Medical Psychiatric Probation

21 12 20 9 5

20 5 1 3 2

2 3 1 0 0

7 5 1 1 1

50 25 23 13 8

67

31

6

15

119

Group Work

2

2

0

6

10

Community Organization

4

1

1

7

13

Other

0

0

0

3

3

73

34

7

21

145

Casework Totals

Totals

Consultant

Administrator

Totals

H >3

18 discussion of operating levels it must be remembered that the relationship between skills and operating levels has not yet been satisfactorily worked out in the profession of social work.

The worker in the casework method may remain

at her level through preference for direct contact with clients.

She may endeavor to refine her casework skills at

the sacrifice of greater remuneration and status offered by the supervisory or administrative levels.

Another practi­

tioner may arrive at the administrative level through a capacity for thinking in broad terms which might render him ineffective as a clinician.

The concept of levels in social

work involves many disparities, and level of operation is an unreliable indicator of skill, education, or experience. Fifty per cent of the 145 alumni were employed at the worker level, in direct contact with agency clientele. Twenty-four per cent of the group had supervisory duties, and 31 per cent were in administrative positions.

Five per

cent worked in a consultative capacity, filling some special function in their agencies. Classifying by social work methods, 56 per cent of the 119 in casework were at the worker level, and 16 per cent were casework supervisors.

Fewer than 13 per cent were

administrative executives in casework agencies.

By contrast,

60 per cent of those in group work and 54 per cent of the community organizers were administrators.

This difference

19 can probably be attributed in part to the smaller staffs employed by group work and community organization agencies. Under the social work method labelled "Other, * all three alumni were institutional superintendents, at the adminis­ trative level* Considering the proportion of each level claimed by each method, 92 per cent of the seventy-three workers were engaged in casework, as were 91 per cent of the thirty-four supervisors.

Six of the seven consultants were in casework

agencies, and 50 per cent of the thirty-one administrators. Nineteen per cent of all administrators were in the group work method, and 22 per cent were in community organisation. IV.

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND OPERATING LEVEL

figure 1 is a bar graph showing the educational levels of the 145 alumni, and the proportional distribution of operating levels within each educational attainment grouping. Of the eleven alumni with undergraduate certificates, it may seem surprising to note that supervisors and administrators far outnumbered the workers.

In the higher educational

attainment groups, a much larger proportion of workers appeared. Nearly a third of those with undergraduate certifi­ cates were in administrative positions, which is greater than the relative proportion of those holding Master of

FIGURE

I

DISTRIBUTION OF OPERATING LEVELS WITHIN EACH EDUCATIONAL L E V E L OF 145 ALUM NI

PERCENT

40

M ASTER

TWO

OF

S O C IA L

GRADUATE

G RADUATE

M A STER

OF

60

100

WORK

YE ARS

C E R T IF IC A T E S

SC IE N C E

UNDERG RADUATE

IN

S O C IA L

WORK

C E R T IF IC A T E S

LEG E N D WORKERS SU P E R V IS O R S

No consultants

had

graduate

c ertificates. CO N SU LTA NTS A D M IN IS T R A TO R S

21

Social Work degrees.

If the figures from the small number

of those with undergraduate certificates may be deemed reliable, it can be concluded that the factor of work ex­ perience since school completion is an important influence on operating level.

In the survey group, no undergraduate

certificates were received after 1935, therefore experience of fourteen years since school may be automatically attri­ buted to each of the eleven alumni in that category. (Records of the School of Social Work show that no under­ graduate students were admitted after August, 1937.) The apparent advantage of experience is further borne out by the gradually decreasing percentages of adminis­ trators in the educational levels of the one-year Master of Science in Social Work, Graduate Certificate, and the two graduate years.

When the level of Master of Social Work is

reached, however, the value of this degree as a substitute for experience becomes evident in the fact that nearly onethird were in administrative positions, although 73 per cent of this highest educational level received their degrees in the past five years. The extent of work experience is not determined by this questionnaire, therefore it must be taken into account that there is great variation in work experience of those at different educational levels.

A recent recipient of a

Master*s degree may have had more experience in his field

zz than a person with an undergraduate certificate dated 1935, or he may have had no professional experience at all. Social work differs from other professions in its practice of employing untrained or partly educated practitioners.

In

years to come, as fewer and fewer untrained practitioners are found in the field, it will be possible to gain a more accurate picture of the relationship between work experience and operating level. The distribution of educational levels for each operating level is presented in Figure 3.

Among seventy-

three workers, 56 per cent had finished two full years of school.

Half of the 56 per cent held Master of Social Work

degrees.

Among supervisors, 49 per cent had two graduate

years.

It would appear that workers surpass their super­

visors in professional education.

Experience as a factor in

promotion should be explored in relation to this data. Fourteen per cent of the supervisory group had under­ graduate certificates, and 15 per cent of the administrators were in the undergraduate*category.

Only one of the under­

graduates was at the worker level.

Of the seven consultants,

only three were Masters of Social Work, and three had one year of professional education.

In the administrative group,

64 per cent had completed two years of school.

The value of

full professional education as an adjunct to the achievement of executive status Is again in evidence.

FIGURE

2

DISTRIBUTION OF EDUCATIONAL LEVELS WITHIN EACH OPERATING LE VEL OF 145 ALUMNI

PERCENT

C9C A DM INISTRATO RS

CO NSULTANTS

S U P ER V ISO R S

WORKERS

LEGEND UNDERG RADUATE MASTER

OF

GRADUATE

* No consultants had graduate

CER TIFIC A TES

SC IE N C E

IN

SOCIAL

WORK

C E R T IF IC A T E S

ro

c e rtific a te s . TWO

GRADUATE

M ASTER

OF

YE A R S

S O C IA L

WORK

W

34 V.

NUMBER OF COURSES TAKEN SINCE FULL-TIME ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

In dealing with educational levels, the reader may wonder if alumni participation in additional courses since completion of the stated levels has not distorted the edu­ cational picture*

Table III reveals that the represented

levels are accurate indicators of the amount of training, except in the group holding undergraduate certificates.

The

table shows the number of additional courses taken since the completion of the certificate or degree as stated in the questionnaire reply. Ninety-four of the 145 alumni, or 65 per cent, had *

taken no part-time courses since completing their last degrees.

The notable exception is seen in the undergraduate

certificate group, of whom six out of eleven had completed five or more courses, perhaps being spurred by increasing recognition of the need for some graduate training in the profession of social work. taken only one course.

Nineteen alumni of the 145 had

It may be significant that fifteen

of the nineteen held Master of Social Work degrees, and the number of courses available to advanced graduates has been limited. Over 73 per cent of the eighty-four two-year gradu­ ates had taken no courses, and 63 per cent of all the oneyear alumni had had no additional work.

Distance from the

TABLE III NUMBER OF COURSES TAKEN BY 145 ALUMNI SINCE FULL-TIME ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, BY EDUCATIONAL LEVELS Number of Courses Taken*

Percent­ ages

Under­ graduate Certificate

Master of Science in Social Work

Graduate Certificate

Two years (Thesis not completed)

Master of Social work

Totals

None

65.0

2

6

25

26

35

94

One

15.4

0

1

4

2

12

19

Two

8.0

1

3

3

2

3

12

Three

5.0

1

1

3

1

1

7

Four

1.0

1

0

0

0

1

2

Fire or more

7.6

6

2

2

1

0 11

*Refers to exact number of courses taken.

co

ci

26 University would be a deterrent for the 22 per cent of the respondents who lived outside the Los Angeles area. As for the relationship of work method to parti­ cipation in continuing education, incidental tabulations (not included here) showed that caseworkers had taken the greatest number of courses as compared to other practitioners. Fifty-two, or 44 per cent of all caseworkers, had taken one or more courses, compared to 20 per cent of group workers, and 38 per cent of community organization workers.

Avail­

ability of appropriate curricula may be one of the deter­ minants here. VI.

PARTICIPATION IN ADDITIONAL COURSES AND RECENCY OF FULL-TIME SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

The effect of the passage of time since graduation, on participation in continuing education will be seen in Table IV.

This table shows the periods in which the desig­

nated educational levels were attained, the percentages of the survey group from each period and the amount of parti­ cipation in courses. From 1920 to 1937 undergraduate certificates were offered, as well as Graduate Certificates.

This table

begins with the year 1924, as there were no usable replies from graduates before that year.

The first period covers

ten years because of the relatively small number of replies from alumni of that decade.

The fifteen years from 1934

TABLE I7 PARTICIPATION IN ADDITIONAL COURSES BY 145 ALUMNI AND HECMCY OF COMPLETION OF STATED EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

Period of Completion of educational level

Graduates in each period

Per cent for each period

Participants in additional courses

Per cent of participation

1924 to 1954

7

4.8

6

85

1954 to 1959

8

5.5

5

62

1959 to 1944

50

20.7

15

50

1944 through February 1949

96

66.5

22

25

4

2.7

5

75

No year stated

Totals

145

100

51

35*

^Represents percentage of participation for 145 alumni

to "O

28 through February, 1949 are divided into five-year periods. The table indicates the existence of a positive correlation between the amount of time elapsed since school completion end the increasing participation in additional courses.

This may be due to the need for refresher in­

formation with the passage of years, or the desire for in­ formation to answer new questions arising from changing professional situations.

This conclusion must be tempered

by consideration of the fact that the group of alumni of earlier years who have kept in touch with the Alumni Associ­ ation, are a group who have probably maintained contact with the School because of their continuing participation in courses.

However, this would not alter the significance of

the small degree of participation by recent graduates. It will be seen from the figures that the percentage of those who had taken courses in each period gradually de­ creases, from 85 per cent in the 1924-1934 period, down to approximately 23 per cent, or twenty-two, of the ninety-six alumni who graduated from 1944 through February, 1949. 711.

SUMMARY

In this chapter the reader has become acquainted with the alumni survey population— their sexes, locations, edu­ cational levels, methods of social work practice, operating levels, past participation in additional courses, and

29

recency of school completion. The remainder of this study is focused on certain of these factors as they relate to alumni interest in specified types of continuing education*

CHAPTER III THE RELATIONSHIP OP PAST EDUCATION TO ALUMNI INTEREST IN CONTINUING EDUCATION In this chapter, the findings on the relationship between certain aspects of the graduate’s professional edu­ cation to his attitudes concerning five types of continuing education will be shown.

A set of tables will be presented,

enumerating the replies of the 145 alumni practitioners to the questions on interest in occasional courses, refreshers or institutes, second graduate year, third year, and advanced work leading to a doctoral degree. Before the tabulations on classified aspects of past education are offered, the total replies of the 145 alumni to each question on continuing education will be presented in raw figures and in percentiles, for comparison with the group classifications that will follow throughout Chapters III and IV.

These totals will be found in Table V.

The three phases of past education, cross-tabulated with the replies on continuing education, constitute the main body of this chapter. with educational levels.

Tables VI, VII, and VIII deal Alumni replies on educational in­

terests are divided into three categories:

undergraduate

certificate holders, one-year graduates, and those who have completed two years.

Tables IX and X present the association

31 between school specializations and interest in continuing education.

Table XX treats of shift or similarity between

school specializations and present work methods related to replies on additional education. I . UNCLASSIFIED REPLIES ON FITE TXPES OF CONTINUING EDUCATION Examining the unclassified total replies on the five types of continuing education in Table V, the reader will first note the nearly unanimous expression of interest in Moceasional courses to increase professional competence.” Only four of those questioned answered "no,” and every one of the 145 registered some response. Recalling the fact that only 35 per cent of all res­ pondents had actually taken any type of occasional courses, the writer can only speculate as to the reasons underlying the 63 per cent gap between expressed and demonstrated in­ terest in occasional courses. and carries no commitment.

The word "interest” is broad

The replies might have been more

accurate if the question had been stated, "Do you plan to take occasional courses within the next five years?

If not,

please indicate reasons." The query, "Would you be interested in refresher courses or institutes, somewhat intensive, but limited in time span?” brought 73 per cent of positive replies, 19 per

TABLE T EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF 145 ALUMNI* Questionnaire replies No Undecided Per Num­ Num­ Per ber cent cent ber

No response Num­ per cent ber

Type of Education

Yes Num­ Per ber cent

Occasional courses

141

97

4

3

0

0

0

0

Institutes

106

73

28

19

0

0

11

8

Second year**

27

44

9

15

20

32

5

8

Third year

41

28

66

46

5

3

33

23

Doctorate

41

28

64

45

5

3

35

24

*Of this number, 84 had completed two years and 61 had finished one year of professional education. **Ineludes only the 61 alumni with undergraduate certificates, Master of science in social work Degrees, and Graduate Certificates.

33 cent negative, and 8 per cent gave no response. The next question, directed to the sirty-one alumni who, in the wording of the questionnaire, had "certificates or one-year degrees,1,1 asked whether or not those alumni in­ tended to return for a second year, to complete the require­ ments for the Master of Social Work Degree.

Forty-four per

cent replied affirmatively, 15 per cent said "no,* and 32 per cent were undecided.

Sight per cent failed to respond.

The inquiry concerning interest in third year specialization and interest in the doctoral degree brought relatively higher proportions of negative replies or failures to respond.

On the third year question, 28 per cent checked

"yes," 48 per cent "no," and 3 per cent "undecided." three per cent did not reply.

Twenty-

On the subject of the doctoral

degree, proportions were similar. II.

EDUCATIONAL LEVELS AS RELATED TO EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS

A classification of responses by past educational attainment of the 145 alumni is presented in Tables VI, VII, and VIII, pages 34, 35, and 36.

It will be noted in each

table that all alumni, at all educational levels, evinced a strong positive interest in occasional courses, and only a

^ Includes holders of undergraduate certificates.

TABLE VI EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF ELEVEN UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE HOLDERS Type of Education

Questionnaire replies Undecided

No response

Tes

Ho

10

1

0

0

Institutes

7

3

0

1

Second year

0

4

3

4

Third year

0

8

0

3

Doctorate

0

7

0

4

Occasional courses

03 if*

TABLE VII EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF F D T T CNE-YEAR GRADUATES*

Type of Education

Questionnaire replies Undecided

No response

Yes

No

Occasional courses

50

0

0

0

Institutes

37

11

0

2

Seeond year

27

5

17

1

Third year

6

28

2

14

Doctorate

10

21

1

18

*Includes 13 with Master of Social Science Degrees, and 27 with Graduate certificates received since 1939.

TABLE VIII EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF EIGHT!-FOUR TWO-YEAR GRADUATES*

Type of Education

Questionnaire replies Ubdeeided

Yes

NO

Occasional courses

81

3

0

0

Institutes

62

14

0

8

Third year

35

30

3

16

Doctorate

31

36

4

13

♦Includes 32 with unfinished theses and 52 with Master of Social work Degrees.

No response

37 little less interest in institutes. In Table VI, page 34, it may be seen that none of the undergraduate certificate holders recorded a single "yes" on the questions of second year, third year, or doctorate.

It

is probable that the intervening graduate work necessary for this group to become eligible to any of these three levels, constitutes a discouraging barrier.

Age may also be a de­

terrent, since undergraduate certificates were not offered after 1937. Table VII, page 35, shows the replies of fifty oneyear graduates, including alumni with the degree of Master of Science in Social Work which was discontinued in 1939, and holders of Graduate Certificates issued since 1939. Fifty-four per cent of this group were interested in a second year, 10 per cent said they were not, and 34 per cent were undecided.

(A reference to the master tally, Question

12, indicates lack of money as the reason for indecision or negative attitudes in fifteen of twenty-nine such replies.) The one-year alumni displayed more interest in the questions on third year and doctorate, than did the under­ graduates in relation to a second year.

This may be due in

part to the elapsing of a shorter span of years since school for the one-year graduates.

Six of the fifty expressed

interest in a third year, and ten showed interest in a doctoral degree.

A comparison of this table with Table VIII,

38 page 36, reveals that while 42 per cent of the one-year people said "no" to the proposal of a doctoral degree, nearly the same proportion, 43 per cent, of those with two years of school were also negatively inclined. Table VIII, page 36, measures the educational in­ terests of eighty-four alumni who have completed two years of professional education. of Social Work degrees.

Fifty-two of these hold Master

Two-year alumni were less interested

in refresher institutes than were their less educated fellows.

This might be explained by the shortage of courses

suitable to the needs of the advanced student, although the School has regularly offered a few third year seminar courses since 1947. Forty-two per cent of the two-year graduates supported the idea of a third year of study, while 35 per cent were opposed.

Thirty-seven per cent favored the doctoral degree,

while 42 per cent replied negatively.

It may be recalled

that only 28 per cent of the 145 alumni were in favor of a third year, and the same proportion were interested in a doctoral degree. The question of a third year of study may not have been clear as to meaning.

Alumni who had completed a generic

first year curriculum, followed by specialization in the second year may not have understood that the third year was developed for the purpose of increasing skill in practice.

39 It has been limited almost entirely to psychiatric social work to date, and has been made possible by grants to schools for that purpose, from National Mental Health Act funds. One may agree wholeheartedly with the American Association of Schools of Social Work, in its recommendation of two generic years, followed by a third year of specialized study, as applied to future generations of students.

How­

ever, in the words of Youngdahl, 1948 chairman of the Associ­ ation: A three-year program for any substantial proportion of social workers over the next generation is quite un­ realistic, in the light of the serious training gap which now exists, and the prospects of the immediate future.^ These are the significant facts noted from the tabu­ lations of educational levels and interest in continuing education:

alumni with undergraduate certificates are not

interested in a second graduate year or advanced work of any kind.

Their expressed interest in occasional courses and

institutes was equal to that of any other alumni classi­ fication. Over half of the one-year graduates said they planned to return for the second year, but there was also a

^ Benjamin B. Youngdahl, "Shall We Face It?" Work Journal, 29:65, April, 1948.

Social

40 significantly high proportion {34 per cent), who were un­ decided on the question of returning.

The one-year alumni

were much less interested in the proposal of a third year of school• Two-year graduates were not as interested in insti­ tutes as were the other educational levels.

However, this

group was definitely the most interested in the third year and the doctorate, with the third year leading slightly. III.

SCHOOL SPECIALIZATION AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS The relationship of school specialisation to interest

in continuing education is set forth in Tables IX and X, pages 41 and 48.

These tabulations differ from those on

educational levels because the figures include only the eighty-four persons who have completed two years of gradu­ ate work.

Undergraduates and one-year trainees were ex­

cluded from the figures on school specialization, because students of the University of Southern California School of Social Work do not specialize until the second year. An enumeration of the proportions of the eighty-four two-year alumni in the various specializations is of inci­ dental interest before the analysis proceeds.

Over 67 per

cent of the eighty-four specialized in the casework method. Thirty-three per cent studied in the family welfare field of casework, and 20 per cent prepared for medical social work.

TABLE TX EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF FIFTY-SEVBf TWO-YEAR GRADUATES WHO SPECIALIZED IN CASEWORK Branch of Casework Specialization

Occasional courses Ho* Yes

institutes Yes Ho

Third year Ho Yes

Doctorate Yes No

Totals

Family

27

1

19

4

13

10

10

14

28

Child

4

0

2

2

1

3

1

2

4

17

0

14

2

7

4

3

8

17

8

0

5

2

3

4

2

5

8

56

1

40

10

24

21

16

29

57

Medical Psychiatric

Casework totals

*"Undecided* and "No response" replies omitted for simplicity.

TABUS X

EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF TWENTY-SEVEN TWO-TEAR GRADUATES WHO SPECIALIZED IN GROUP WORE, ADMINISTRATION, OR COMMUNITY" ORGANIZATION

School Specialization

Occasional courses Tes No*

Institutes Tes No

Third year tes No

Doctorate Tes NO

Totals

Group Work

8

0

7

0

4

1

4

1

8

Administration

7

0

6

1

0

5

5

1

7

Community Organization

8

2

7

3

6

2

5

5

10

Mixed Specialization**

2

0

2

0

1

1

1

0

2

25

2

22

4

11

9

IS

7

27

Totals for Group

♦"Undecided" and "No response" replies omitted for simplicity. ♦♦Two alumni combined the specialties of Casework and Community organization.

&

43 Sight of the fifty-seven casework specialists were in psy5 chiatric social work, and four were in child welfare. Twenty-seven alumni prepared for other social work methods, of which eight were in group work, seven in administration, and ten in community organization.

Two had a mixed "major”

of casework and community organization. Table IX, page 41, relates the affirmative and nega­ tive replies on four types of continuing education (the second year question is not applicable to two-year gradu­ ates) , to each of the four branches of casework speciali­ zation— family welfare, child welfare, medical social work, and psychiatric social work. Interest in occasional courses was practically unani­ mous for all casework specialists, as for all alumni.

The

interest in institutes was slightly less than for most alumni at the two-year level. to Table VIII, page 36.)

(For comparisons refer again

Forty-two per cent of the fifty-

seven casework students favored a third year, corresponding to 41 per cent of the total group of two-year graduates. Only 28 per cent replied affirmatively to the idea of a doctorate, representing 9 per cent less than the interest of all two-year graduates.

Fifty-one per cent gave definitely

® Psychiatric social work as a specialization was first offered in 1946-47.

44 negative answers, or 9 per cent more "no* replies than given by the eighty-four two-year alumni. As for the casework subdivisions, child welfare and psychiatric social workers gave more negative than affirma­ tive replies on the third year question*

Medical and family

welfare workers showed the most interest in the matter of a doctorate, but negative replies outnumbered affirmatives in every branch of casework* Table X, page 42, shows the interest in continuing education of twenty-seven two-year graduates who specialized in group work, administration, community organization, and mixed specialities.

The eight group work alumni revealed a

greater than average interest in all types of continuing education.

Half of them favored a third year, and the same

number also favored the doctorate. The seven administrative specialists evinced great interest in occasional courses and institutes, but not one favored the third year.

Surprisingly, the doctorate re­

ceived five out of seven affirmative replies. The ten specialists in community organization in­ cluded two of the three who lacked interest in occasional courses.

This group was more in favor of a third y e a r than

of a doctorate. Summarizing the association between school speciali­ zation and interest in continuing education, it is seen that

45 casework specialists were more interested in the third year than in the doctorate.

Group work students were outstanding

for their interest in all types of continuing education. Administrative specialists were completely disinterested in the third year, and strongly in favor of the doctorate.

The

totals for the twenty-seven in specialties other than case­ work revealed eleven in favor of the third year, and fifteen in favor of the doctorate. IT.

SHIFT OR SIMILARITY BETWEEN SCHOOL SPECIALIZATION TO PRESENT SOCIAL WORK METHOD, AS RELATED AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS It was believed by the Alumni Association representa­

tives that the factor of shift or similarity between school specialty and present social work method, might have more effect on alumni interest in continuing education than would the type of specialization in itself.

Table XI was devised

to illustrate the relationship to educational interests, of shifts between school specialty and job method.

Unfortunate­

ly, the number of those whose present employment differs from their school specialties was too small to offer significant figures for comparison. Only eight of the eighty-four were in the group whose present social work position differed from their school orientations.

In a breakdown of the school specializations

TABLE XI

EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS, AND RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL SPECIALIZATION AND PRESENT EMPLOYMENT OF EIGHTY-FOUR TWO-TEAR GRADUATES Relation of School Specialty to Present Job

Employment different from Specialty Employment same as Specialty

Occasional courses Yes No

Institutes Yes No

Third year Yes No

Doctorate Yes No

Totals

7

1

6

2

5

2

5

3

8

74

2

56

12

30

28

26

33

76

£

47 from which they had shifted, it was found that five of the shifted group who were engaged in casework had specialized in administration, community organization, or group work. Two administrators had been educated in casework methods, as had one community organizer.

It should be explained that a

graduate was not considered to have shifted in social work method if his professional education bore some direct re­ lationship to his present position.

For instance, shifts

within the subdivisions of casework, as from medical social work to child welfare, were not counted as shifts for this tabulation.

Moreover, the shifted group did not include

those who had specialized in administration, and had become, for instance, casework executives on an administrative level; nor did it include those who had specialized in the casework method, or perhaps group work, and had become administrators in the field of their specialty. An important factor to be considered in the dis­ cussion of shifts between specialties and present employment methods is the matter of time elapsed since school completion. All of the shifted group had finished full-time school attend­ ance during the past seven years. Although it must be stressed that the figures are in­ conclusive , a very slight trend may be noted in the replies of the shifted group, regarding the third year and the doctorate.

The eight whose employment methods differed from

48 their school specialty were strongly in favor of the third year and doctorate proposals.

Five out of the eight, or 62

per cent, expressed interest in both types of advanced edu­ cation, while 39 per cent of the unshifted group were in­ terested in the third year and 34 per cent favored the doctorate. The assumption of the alumni representatives that greater interest in continuing education would be shown by the shifted group cannot be substantiated from the data at hand.

The most important fact to be noted from this analysis

is the fact that only 9 per cent of the two-year alumni had deviated from their school specialties.

The Curriculum Plan­

ning Committee of the American Association of Schools of Social Work undertook an investigation of the results of specialization in 1947 and 1948, and confirmed the findings of employment studies which had preceded their analysis. These employment studies showed that professionally educated social workers had, in spite of specialized training, moved from caseworker to group worker to community organizer, teacher, or researcher.

They had moved horizontally from

one type of agency to another, and of course they had moved 4 vertically from worker to supervisor to administrator. The

4

Charlotte Towle, "Issues and Problems in Curriculum Development," Social Work Journal, 30:72, April, 1949.

49 apparent lack of such movement among 91 per cent of two-year graduates of the School of Social Work, University of Southern California, would bear further exploration.

Length

of experience in social work would of course be an important factor. 7.

SUMMARY

This chapter has presented facts on the relationship between interest in continuing education, and the past pro­ fessional education of the alumnus.

The effect on educa­

tional interests, of training level, school specialization, and job method as related to specialization, have been analyzed.

The effect of the professional employment status

on interest in continuing education will be examined in the next chapter.

CHAPTER IV PRESENT EMPLOYMENT STATUS OP ALUMNI AS RELATED TO INTEREST IN CONTINUING EDUCATION The data on past professional education as it relates to alumni interest in continuing education has been pre­ sented.

This chapter will continue the discussion of tabu­

lations on the five types of educational interest, relating the replies to four aspects of the present employment status of alumni. The first aspect, social work method of present em­ ployment, will be examined in Tables XII and XIII.

The

effect, if any, of a shift in social work methods between the first and present jobs, will be revealed in Table XEV. The factor of agency auspices— the possible influence of privately sponsored or tax-supported professional employment on educational interests— will be shown in Table XV.

The

subject of Table XVI is the correlation of the replies on continuing education with the four different operating levels of practitioners. I.

PRESENT SOCIAL WORK METHOD AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS

Turning to Table XII, which pertains to the educa­ tional interests of 119 alumni employed in the casework

TABUS XII

EDUCATICKAL INTERESTS OF 119 AMMHI EUPLOIED IN CASEWORK Type of casework practiced

Occasional courses hd e a

aI e

o

H e a

o

3 i?

o

Third year

Second year

Institutes MJ

e a

o

cj

1

o

a

P»

*

&

o ►i a

tr

$ P» M

® a

S o3

9

Doctorate 0

1

o P»

e a

S3

o

1

e

p,

s.

1

9 g & o H* P»

%

o 8

*■§

% P

H> a

tf

a

4 10

i 20

11 22

6

2

2

i 14

9 14

0

2

3

3

0

1

i 18

8

8

1

4

2

0

0

2

0 11

2

8

0

0

1

1

4

1

1

4

87 23

9

25

48

2

0

36 10

4

15

Child Welfare 25

0

0

20

5

0

Medical

23

0

0

16

4

Psychiatric

13

0

0

7

8

0

0

8

117

2

0

family

Probation

Totals

7 19

1

4 64

31 56

2 15

2 13

50

7 12

0

6

25

6

4 10

0

9

23

1

2

3

7

2

1

13

0

3

0

5

0

3

8

4 32

119

4 28

12 23

26 57

52 method, it can be seen that all but two of the casework practioners expressed interest in occasional courses.

The

proportion who were interested in refreshers or institutes was 75 per cent, approximately the same proportion as that of the total questionnaire population*

In the subdivisions

of the casework method, only seven of the thirteen psy­ chiatric workers were interested in institutes*

All eight

probation workers indicated interest* On the question of returning for a second year of study, fifty-five casework employees were eligible to reply* Their interest in completing the requirements for a Master of Social Work degree was similar to the interest of the total group of one-year alumni*

Forty-five per cent said

"yes,” 13 per cent, Mno,w and 34 per cent were undecided* Of the seven eligible probation workers, four were undecided* Three of the five medical social workers were definitely in­ terested* Replies on the third year question were 21 per cent affirmative, 47 per cent negative, and 8 per cent undecided for alumni engaged in casework* to respond*

Twenty-four per cent failed

A higher proportion of medical workers were

interested, but eleven of thirteen psychiatric workers answered "no" or "undecided", or failed to respond*

(This

lack of interest on the part of psychiatric social workers seems incongruous in light of the fact that the National

53 Mental Health Act funds have served to spur the development of a third year program especially for psychiatric social workers.)

Attitudes of caseworkers concerning the doctorate

were similar to the third year replies.

Negative answers

were twice as frequent as positive answers, and probation workers recorded no interest in the proposal. Table XIII shows the educational interests of twentysix alumni engaged in the social work methods other than casework, namely, group work, community organization, and other methods.

(The latter category consisted of three

institutional superintendents.)

Attention is drawn to the

fact that administration, in this study, is not treated as a social work method, but as an operating level within each method of social work. The reader will find that group workers expressed the most interest of all types of practitioners in refreshers or institutes.

Eight of the ten favored refresher courses.

All but two had completed a second graduate year, and one of these expressed an intention of returning to school.

In­

terest in the proposals of a third year or doctorate seemed relatively high among group workers, but failures to respond to these questions were also frequent. Those employed in the community organization method included two of the four alumni who expressed no interest in occasional courses.

Ten of the thirteen community organizers

ipAQtv Yi Tl TT lADJUJa A l

EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF TWENTY-SEC ALUMNI BSPLOYED IN CROUP WORK, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, AND OTHER NCN-CASEWORK METHODS Type of social work practiced

Occasional courses 9

©

0

Institutes ^ as ss 9

0

©

0

0

Second year h at g * ©

©

O

©

10

0 0

Community Organization

11

2

Other methods*

Totals

8 1 1 0

3 0 0

24

2

10

3

1 0

1 1 1

0

19

5

0

g

P«

1

0

8

1 1 0 1 0 1

2

«

©

© N O © CO v* *d f * 1 ©

*d *

Group Work

g

O*

2

2

10

0 0 2

1

1 20

Third year ^ a g j ©

©

O

g

P»

O

o 3 O 9 ** U I

Doctorate 5 S o ® O P tt P* © O 3 h* •d It* • *
3

58 the salient fact to be derived from these figures is the fact that only 9 per cent of this alumni group of the University of Southern California School of Social Work had shifted from the social work method of their first employ­ ment*

The material available from the questionnaire replies

is inadequate to permit any conclusions regarding the effect of employment shifting on interest in additional education* III.

PRESENT AGENCY AUSPICES AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS Table XT' consists of a classification of replies on

interest in continuing education, by public or private agency employment.

Eighty-six, or 59 per cent, of the

alumni were practicing in tax-supported agencies.

Fifty-

nine, or 41 per cent, were working under private auspices. All of the public agency employees, and all but four of the private agency employees were interested in occasion­ al courses.

The private agency worker's interest in insti­

tutes was a little above the average, and there were fewer instances of failure to respond, than there were among public agency practitioners.

One factor affecting these

replies might be the one-month vacation customary in private agencies, as compared to the two- or three-week vacation of public agencies. Seventy-six per cent of the privately sponsored practitioners had completed two years of professional

TABUS XV

EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF 145 ALUMNI BY EMPLOYMENT IN PUBLIC OR PRIVATE AGENCIES

Agency auspices

Occasional courses * * » < ? o o » " »

Institutes * e

g » o o H

| §

Second year H & j e j a w • * S ° g. §* H

3