Competency of Social Work Educators in Malaysian: A Way Forward
Abstract
Social work educators’ competency is pivotal in promoting professional social work practices. Effective strategies may improve the competency among social work educators. This study gathered empirical data from a qualitative study conducted among 20 social work educators in Malaysian public universities. The paper derived the strategies from the findings of an in-depth interview. The findings prompt that continuous training, collaborative networking and legislative power are strategies highlighted by the respondents which will increase the competency among Malaysian social work educators. The strategies discussed in this paper will benefit the social work education and social work profession in Malaysia. The implementation of these strategies will give more recognition to social work as a profession and produce more competent and qualified social workers in resolving social issues which threatening the safety and well-being of society.
Keywords: Social work educators, competency, training, networking, Social Work Act
References
[1] Adu, E. O. and Okeke, C. I. O. (2014). Factors Affecting Lecturers’ Participation in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology, vol. 5, issue 3, pp. 271-281.
[2] Bonomi, S., Sarti, D., & Torre, T. (2019). Creating a collaborative network for welfare services in public sector. A knowledge-based perspective. Journal of Business Research. vol. 112, 440-449.
[3] Chaikoed, W., Sirisuthi, C. and Numnaphol, K. (2017). Collaborative Network Management for Enhancing Quality Education of Primary Schools. Educational Research and Reviews, vol. 12, issue 6, pp. 303-311.
[4] Kusi, H., Mensah, D. K. D. and Gyaki, E. (2014). Work Related Stress Among the Academic Staff of the University Of Education, Winneba Campus, Ghana. Journal of Education and Practice, vol. 5, issue 13, pp. 15-23.
[5] Laird, S. (2014). Practical Social Work Law: Analyzing Court Cases and Inquiries. New York: Routledge.
[6] Manžuch, Z. (2011). Collaborative Networks of Memory Institutions in Digitization Initiatives. The Electronic Library, vol. 29, issue 3, pp. 320-343.
[7] Scottish Social Services Council. (2008). The Framework for Continuous Learning in Social Services. Institute of Research and Innovation in Social Services. Retrieved from http://www. continuouslearningframework.com/?wpfb_dl=106.
[8] Sedgwick, D. (2017). Building Collaboration: Examining the Relationship between Collaborative Processes and Activities. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, vol. 27, issue 2, pp. 236-252.
[9] Gangrade, K. D. (1978). Social Legislation in India. Concept Publishing Company.
[10] Tahir, N., et al. (2014). The Impact of Training and Development on Employees’ Performance and Productivity: A Case Study of United Bank Limited Peshawar City, KPK, Pakistan. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 4, issue 4, pp. 87-98.
[11] Thomson, A. M. and Perry, J. L. (2006). Collaboration Processes: Inside the Black Box. Public Administration Review, vol. 66, pp. 20-32.
[12] Thomson, A. M., Perry, J. L. and Miller, T. K. (2007). Conceptualizing and Measuring Collaboration. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, vol. 19, issue 1, pp. 23-56.
[13] Trinder, J. C. (2008). Competency standards-a measure of the quality of a workforce. The International Archives of the Photogrammetry. Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, vol.37, no. B6a.
[14] Yin, R. K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (3rd Ed.). California: SAGE Publications.