Religion and Spirituality in MSW Programs’ Implicit and Explicit Curricula: A National Survey of Faculty

ABSTRACT

Although there has been increased attention to religion and spirituality (RS) in social work and related helping professions over the last few decades, less attention has been given to whether, where, and how RS content is delivered within Master of Social Work (MSW) programs’ implicit and explicit curricula. The present study included the results from 781 full-time MSW faculty surveyed across the United States to better understand (a) how RS is integrated within the implicit curriculum at the programmatic level, (b) how RS is integrated within the explicit curriculum through a course offering and content infusion, and (c) how important faculty consider integrating RS to be across the Council on Social Work Education’s nine core competencies. The overall results suggest most faculty consider their MSW program to be respectful and sensitive toward RS, cover a majority of the RS topics within their primary area of teaching (although to varying degrees), and consider RS integration to be important across the nine competencies. However, there are distinct topics related to RS in social work education that may benefit from more intentional integration. Considerations and implications for MSW faculty and programs are discussed along with recommendations for future research.

View correction statement:

Correction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Spencer Foundation [#201900208].

Notes on contributors

Holly K. Oxhandler

Holly K. Oxhandler, PhD, LMSW, is an associate professor and the associate dean for research and faculty development at Baylor University's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. Edward C. Polson, PhD, LMSW, MDiv, is an associate professor at Baylor University's Garland School of Social Work. Sarah Selman, MSW, is an alumna from Baylor University's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work.

Edward C. Polson

Holly K. Oxhandler, PhD, LMSW, is an associate professor and the associate dean for research and faculty development at Baylor University's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. Edward C. Polson, PhD, LMSW, MDiv, is an associate professor at Baylor University's Garland School of Social Work. Sarah Selman, MSW, is an alumna from Baylor University's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work.

Sarah Selman

Holly K. Oxhandler, PhD, LMSW, is an associate professor and the associate dean for research and faculty development at Baylor University's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. Edward C. Polson, PhD, LMSW, MDiv, is an associate professor at Baylor University's Garland School of Social Work. Sarah Selman, MSW, is an alumna from Baylor University's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work.