Abstract:

Several scientific areas taught/learned now in higher education follow shared understandings and references shaped to promote quality and aligned learning outcomes across Europe. The present study aims to grasp whether the learning outcomes defined for Social Work study programmes and submitted to quality accreditation by Portuguese Higher Education Institutions are aligned with International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW). Under the global standards for the education and training of the social work profession, advocated by International Association of Schools of Social Work, in respect of programme objectives and expected outcomes, Social Work schools should endeavour to reach the following:
(1) an indication of how the programme reflects the core knowledge, processes, values and skills of the social work profession, as applied in context-specific realities;
(2) an indication of how an initial level of proficiency with regard to self-reflective use of social work values, knowledge and skills is to be attained by social work students.

This paper evaluates how well Portuguese learning outcomes for social work education are aligned to a social development paradigm. Developmental social work is a relatively new approach in social work education internationally, and this article can therefore provide lessons for other countries using this paradigm in an education model based on learning outcomes. The complexities and difficulties of using a learning outcomes approach in education are discussed and the policy context for the development of these standards in Portugal is explained. The use of a social development framework for the analysis is motivated in relation to its relevance to the social context. Nine criteria for a social development perspective were drawn from the literature to form an analytical framework. A content analysis using this framework was done on the learning outcomes. The results show that the learning outcomes are generally aligned with social development principles that drive national priorities, but a few significant gaps exist, which are outlined and discussed. This article attempts to grapple with the complexities of using these learning outcomes to drive both curricula related and extra curricula activities in social work education in Portugal.

Using a qualitative methodology, learning outcomes were semantically analyzed, by content analysis. Adopting a qualitative methodological approach, the incidence and the typology of learning outcomes from social work study programmes was explored. The results analysis allows to understand and characterize different types of Social Work learning outcomes. In a cross reference, intended learning outcomes were analyzed by the different competencies advocated by International Association of Schools of Social Work. This analysis will enable to draw some conclusions about the alignment of learning outcomes of Portuguese Social Work undergraduate programmes with international standards and guidelines. Results reveal that Higher Education institutions must reinforcing several dimensions of learning outcomes for Social Work higher education students, namely the ethic issues and the problem-solving, and written and oral communication skills.

Keywords:

Learning outcomes, Social Work, undergraduate programmes, Portuguese higher education.