The “intellectual life of social work” project, based at the University of Manchester (UK), aims to assess the conceptualization and usage of theory by social work practitioners, academics and students, with a view to... [ view full abstract ]
The “intellectual life of social work” project, based at the University of Manchester (UK), aims to assess the conceptualization and usage of theory by social work practitioners, academics and students, with a view to contributing to theory building within the discipline. Theory plays an important, but disputed, role within social work, and, while its importance is emphasized in national requirements for social work qualification, it is frequently imagined to become problematic, if not irrelevant, in practice (Carew 1979; Fook 2002; Pilalis 1986; Secker 1993). While there is some research that considers the theory/practice divide and how practitioners reflect upon theory, there is little that addresses how theory is conceptualized and used. Rather than ask merely whether social workers use theory in practice, this project instead asks what is meant by “theory” in different contexts and examines how it is brought into play within social work agencies and universities. Based upon a conceptual review of the literature and analysis of research data derived from group interviews with students and Twitter discussions with social workers and academics, this paper will present initial findings from the project. This will include analysis of theory’s usage and an argument for research methodologies that pay close attention both to practical and discursive aspects of theory.
References:
Carew, R., 1979. The Place of Knowledge in Social Work Activity. British Journal of Social Work, 9(3), pp.349–364.
Fook, J., 2002. Theorizing from Practice: Towards an Inclusive Approach for Social Work Research. Qualitative Social Work, 1(1), pp.79–95.
Pilalis, J., 1986. “The integration of theory and practice”: A re-examination of a paradoxical expectation. British Journal of Social Work, 16, pp.79–96.
Secker, J., 1993. From Theory to Practice in Social Work, Aldershot: Avebury.
