“Give Me Strengths!” Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Graduate Level HBSE Course

Abstract

This article reports on the findings of a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent comparison group design. Three class sections of MSW students and two class sections of graduate-level education students were asked to write responses to open-ended questions about at-risk populations. The perceptions of MSW students changed in a direction that might be anticipated given the CSWE mandates. The lack of a similar pattern among education students taking a human development class suggests that the social work curriculum was effective in helping students appreciate the unique characteristics of diverse populations. Results were not equally positive for all of thecategories of at-risk populations.

Key Words:

• Strengths perspective
• social work education
• diversity