Globalisation and Social Work Curricula: What Are Our Students Telling Us?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand perceptions among social work students regarding international/global practice, policy in the social work curriculum and international field internship experiences in their degree programmes. A survey of Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work students was conducted in two social work programmes in the Southeastern United States ( n = 218). The analysis showed that the students expressed consistent recognition that global content matters, yet there was an observed discrepancy between recognition of the relevance of global content and its expected impact on students’ own future direct practice. They also perceived limited opportunities to engage in international learning experiences during their academic programmes. Results are discussed with implications for further research, social work education and curriculum development.