Impacts of an intensive macro-oriented social work programme on first-year students' values, practice preferences and sense of practice competence

This study examined the outcomes of an innovative first-year programme that incorporated both macro-focused field training and service learning into the curriculum. The findings among fifty-six students show that, even though they ascribed greater importance to social work values at the end of the school year than they had at the beginning, their interest and perceived competence in both micro and macro practice decreased. So did their estimation of the congruence between social work and social action. The decline in their estimation of the congruence and in their perceived competence to engage in macro-level practice emerged as significant predictors of the students' interest in engaging in macro-level practice. Implications for social work education are discussed.