Studying social work: from a weak decision to a firm conviction

ABSTRACT

This inquiry is focused on three main aspects: the decision-making process for a BA in Social Work, entry conditions, and student retention factors. A descriptive and correlational study was conducted in a public university in the northeastern Colombian region. A structured questionnaire was used, with a five-year gap (2017 n = 106 and 2022 n = 108), in two random samples of students of the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). Results reveal that even though it is hard to get a spot in the university, Social Work is not an attractive program for students, initially. Nevertheless, across the training process, the early weak resolution turns into a highly valued conviction and Social Work becomes a relevant career and professional decision for students’ individual and social development.

KEYWORDS:

• Social work
• vocational choice
• training
• admission
• retention

Acknowledgments

The authors express their gratitude to Setra (Semillero de Traducción - School of Languages - UIS) for the translation of the manuscript, notably we thank Sergio Andrés Rodríguez, Jhon Ánderson Jaimes and Heidy Alegría Gutiérrez.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hector Mauricio Rojas Betancur

HM Rojas Betancur’s research interests focusses on study of higher education, especially in the line of training in scientific research in Social Work. He has participated in different research projects on young people and university in the Colombian context.

Andrea Hernández Quirama

A Hernández-Quirama is dedicated to the development of research lines in gender and society, childhood and diversity. Their participation in the construction of public policies for social inclusion stands out.

Raquel Méndez Villamizar

R Méndez-Villamizar is an expert in gender studies in the Social Work program, in addition to research on this topic, she has concentrated her work on high-level research training of social workers in Colombia.