A Longitudinal Study of Assessing APA Writing Competence at a BSW Program

Abstract

Presented is a longitudinal study evaluating a Bachelor of Social Work writing program. The independent variable is a BSW curriculum in which social work courses include American Psychological Association 5th edition writing modules. In 2005, a baseline was established. From 2006 to 2010, a writing program was implemented. Using a brief rating scale, the authors evaluated 86 senior capstone research papers between 2005–2010. A statistically significant difference was found (F = 13.735, df = 5, 80, p < .05) in the quality of students' writing in 2008, 2009, and 2010 as compared to the baseline in 2005. Implications for social work education are discussed.

Keywords:

• BSW writing programs
• undergraduate writing
• longitudinal study
• social workers and writing
• Writing Across the Curriculum