Date of Award
Spring 4-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
D.S.W. Social work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Dr. Edward Hanna
Second Advisor
Dr. Steve Lem
Third Advisor
Dr. Diana Ebersole
Abstract
Social work has a distinctive orientation to engagement that sets it apart from other helping professions. Engagement occurs both at the beginning and throughout every stage of social work practice with client systems. Despite its inherent and almost synonymous nature with social work practice, the profession has found it challenging to establish a theoretical conceptualization of engagement in social work or a definition of engagement in social work.
This study explored existing literature to establish a construct of engagement and a description of its underlying concepts, variables, and attributes. The construct informed the development of a methodology for comparing how contemporary social work textbooks present and teach knowledge and skills associated with engagement. Findings from the study reinforce existing literature that indicates there is a gap in social work’s theoretical understanding and conceptualization of engagement. Additionally, the study found that contemporary social work textbooks sampled in the study approach organization and teaching engagement very differently, and, importantly, rarely explicitly define engagement or its associated concepts, knowledge, or skills. The study’s author concluded that textbook authors rely on two assumptions: that readers share their understanding of engagement and that instruction of engagement skills occurs outside of textbooks. Study outcomes include recommendations for social work theory development, education, and practice as well as future research opportunities. Finally, the study also provides models of construct design, definition development, and textbook content analysis that can be adapted for future research.
Creative Commons License
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Recommended Citation
Fischer, Alice C., "Engagement in Generalist Social Work Practice: Exploring Conceptual Theory and Textbook Pedagogy" (2025). Social Work Doctoral Dissertations. 44.
https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/44
