Scourfield, J., Rees, A., Shardlow, S. et al. (1 more author) (2018) A profile of UK doctoral candidates in social work and social care. British Journal of Social Work. ISSN 0045-3102
Abstract
One important indication of the strength of a discipline is the state of its doctoral research. An important milestone for the official recognition of social work in the UK has been its inclusion in Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) doctoral funding schemes. The current study assesses the longer-term impact of these schemes, via a 2013 survey, following up a previous one in 2008. A web-based survey of social work doctoral candidates in the UK (n = 216) was conducted, to profile student demographics, research topics, methods, challenges of and supports for doctoral work. Most doctoral candidates (70 per cent) were using a primarily qualitative research strategy and only 4 per cent were using a primarily quantitative approach. Social work doctoral candidates were slightly less satisfied with their research degree programme than the general population of doctoral students. Key areas of similarity with the 2008 survey included the demographical profile (gender, age, ethnicity) and the percentage who were qualified social workers; key differences included increased percentages of candidates who were registered full time, funded by the ESRC and doing a Ph.D., as opposed to a professional doctorate. The findings highlight a need for capacity building in quantitative research methods and improved support for this academic community.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in The British Journal of Social Work following peer review. The version of record: Jonathan Scourfield, Alyson Rees, Steven Shardlow, Meng Le Zhang; A Profile of UK Doctoral Candidates in Social Work and Social Care, The British Journal of Social Work, , bcy008, is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy008 |
Keywords: | Social work research; research capacity; academic workforce; Ph.D.s; doctorates |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 21 Mar 2018 09:54 |
Last Modified: | 19 Mar 2020 01:38 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy008 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/bjsw/bcy008 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:128783 |