Outcomes of social work education: The case for social work self-efficacy

Has social work education been effective at promoting the development of specific practice skills and how can students’ skill levels feasibly be assessed? This paper describes the development and testing of the Social Work Self-Efficacy Scale, which assesses social workers’ confidence regarding a broad range of social work tasks. Pre-post data from two cohorts of social work students are presented showing significant positive change in MSW students’ self-efficacy, suggesting a new approach to outcomes assessment in social work education. Final version of background manuscript for citation: Holden, G., Meenaghan, T., Anastas, J. & Metrey, G. (2002). Outcomes of social work education: The case for social work self-efficacy. Journal of Social Work Education, 38, 115-133