CHANGE BETWEEN ENTRY AND GRADUATION IN MSW STUDENT VIEWS ON SOCIAL WORK'S TRADITIONAL MISSION, CAREER MOTIVATIONS, AND PRACTICE PREFERENCES: CAUCASIAN, STUDENT OF COLOR, AND AMERICAN INDIAN GROUP COMPARISONS

Abstract

The current study builds on a previous study that examined change in student views on social work's traditional mission, career motivations, and practice preferences between entry into and graduation from master of social work programs. Results from 6,987 students at entry and 3,451 students at graduation showed that students at graduation expressed stronger adherence to social work's traditional mission than they did at entry, but appeal of major social work client groups and practice areas decreased. Students of color maintained their strong initial desire to work with poor client groups between entry and graduation, while such desires decreased for Caucasian students, and American Indians showed the most stability of any group.