THE PERCEIVED QUALITY OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION AND INTERNSHIP IN PREPARATION FOR CAREER

This study aims to analyze whether California State University of San Bernardino students in the two social work programs, the Title IV-E program and the generalist social work program, perceive a difference in social work career preparation in education and internship. The literature on social work education and training suggests that preparation for career is an important component for students of any specialization. This quantitative study used a self-administered, anonymous survey created by the researchers to assess social work students’ perceptions of their career preparation. Participants were recruited from the California State University, San Bernardino School of Social Work from both the Title IV-E child welfare program and the generalist program. The results from t-tests comparing responses indicated no statistically significant difference in perceived preparation for students in Title IV-E child welfare and the generalist social work programs. In conclusion, there is no perceived effectiveness difference between the two programs. These findings have implications for the School of Social Work and for current, past, and future students of the program