Development and Validation of a Scale for Measuring Social Work Practice Skills

Abstract

The development of research instruments for measuring social work practice skills has been overlooked despite the overall growth of social work practice research. This article describes the development of an instrument to measure social work practice skills derived from both psychotherapy integration research and eclectic psychosocial models of social work practice. Based on data collected from 285 MSW interns who completed the Practice Skills Inventory, results demonstrated that four clear factors emerged encompassing therapeutic, supportive, treatment planning/evaluation, and case management skills. The four factors (totaling 33 items) accounted for over 50% of the variance and snowed good to excellent internal consistency ratings. Theoretical and methodological strengths and limitations of the scale are considered, as well as its potential implications for social work practice and education. Recommendations for further validation of the Practice Skills Inventory are suggested.