The Existence of Heterosexism Among Social Work Students and Its Prevalence

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Research oriented scholars in the field of social work have been concerned with the inadequacies of the use of research with practitioners (Rubin & Parrish, 2007). Social workers have tended to rely on supervisors and authorities for guidance in their practice instead of utilizing research studies (Mullen & Bacon, 2004). In recent years, evidence based practiced has been the latest attempt to bridge the gap between practice and research in social work education (Rubin & Parrish, 2007). Students of social work education will need to be able to comprehend research articles, analyze their faults, and utilize them in practice. The problem that is examined in this research study is the existence of heterosexism among social work students and its prevalence. It questions whether social workers are immune from having negative beliefs and thoughts towards gay men and lesbians. The study looks at the commonness of heterosexism among social work students, issues that may coincide with a negative attitude towards gay men and lesbians, and connections between attitudes of heterosexism and advancement within a social work program. The study does not indicate a specific hypothesis, but it questions the inconclusive findings discovered through previous studies on heterosexism (Brownlee et al., 2005). One of the first themes that emerged from literature review is that although the rate of heterosexism attitudes among social work students is lower than the general population, it is still an area of concern. It states that the heterosexism attitude that students and professionals may have can affect the helping relationship. Another idea that comes from the literature review is the definition of heterosexism and its occurrence in mainst... ... middle of paper ... ...influences in future practice (Brownlee et al., 2005). References Brownlee, K., Sprakes, A., Saini, M., O'Hare, R., Kortes-Miller, K., & Graham, J. (2005). Heterosexism among social work students. Social Work Education, 24(5), 485-494. doi:10.1080/02615470500132756 Faulkner, C. A., & Faulkner, S. S. (2009). Research methods for social workers: A practice- based approach. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books. Mullen, E. J., & Bacon, W. B. (2004). Implementation of practice guidelines and evidence-based treatment: A survey of psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. In A. R. (as cited in Rubin & Parrish, 2007) Rubin, A., & Parrish, D. (2007). Challenges to the future of evidence-based practice in social work education. Journal of Social Work Education, 43(3), 405-428. Retrieved June 2, 2010, from ProQuest Psychology Journals. (Document ID: 1425097001).

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