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Title: |
Black minority ethnic students navigating their way from access courses to social work programmes: key considerations for the selection of students. |
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Reference: |
British Journal of Social Work, 41(8), December 2011, pp.1477-1496. |
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ISSN paper: |
0045-3102 |
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ISSN online: |
1468-263X |
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Abstract: |
Access courses provide progression pathways from further education to higher education, and are designed for students with the potential to study for a degree but who have underachieved academically or had their education disrupted. Nearly 29% of Access students in 2008-09 were from black minority ethnic (BME) populations. This paper explores the experiences of predominantly BME students navigating their way from Access courses to undergraduate social work programmes. The study involved: questionnaires completed by 55 students; initial and follow-up focus groups with 21 and 13 students respectively; and individual interviews with 4 students and 3 course tutors. The findings demonstrate that entry to social work education is not without problems for some students. The article discusses the tensions associated with balancing academic and professional entry requirements for social work education with principles of social justice enshrined in policy to widen participation to higher education and to the professions for those from less privileged social backgrounds. It argues that increased competition for social work education places and an overemphasis on academic qualifications and credentials may have had some unintended consequences for less privileged students, but particularly for BME students. Social work admission criteria giving equal weighting to academic and non-academic denoting personal suitability for social work is advocated to address this issue. |
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Journal home: |
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Format: |
article; |
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Topics: |
black and minority ethnic people; educational performance; higher education; social work education; student social workers; |
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Record ID: |
www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/profile.asp?guid=e2889c65-18c5-4909-b01d-1477870fb339 |
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