Social work doctorates in the UK

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Social work doctorates in the UK

• Jonathan Scourfield
• Cardiff School of Social Sciences, UK

2
Two studies

• Study 1 A web-based survey of doctoral students
  both PhD and prof doc - and search of the Index
  to Theses (funded by SWAP)
• Study 2 An email survey and telephone interviews
  with professional doctorate programme directors
  (unfunded)

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Study 1, part 1 The social work doctoral student
population

• Web-based survey. The aim was to describe the
  doctoral student population and the topics being
  researched.
• Demographics
• 32 male, 68 female
• 88 white
• Age profile

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Age profile and mode of study
Age N
Under 30 9 7
30-39 42 31
40-49 44 32
50-59 30 22
60 10 7
There was a significant association between age
and mode of study. 73 of respondents are
studying part-time
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Employment and funding
Years of social work experience
Number of years Frequency Percentage
1-5 25 18
6-10 23 17
11-15 19 14
16 40 29
N/A 23 17
Funding 51 had their doctoral study funded by
some source or other, 37 (27) were self-funded
and 23 (17) reported a combination of the two
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Type of doctorate
University Pre-1992 Pre-1992 Post-1992 Post-1992
University Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage
PhD by research 26 79 48 52
Professional doctorate 5 15 43 47
PhD by publication 2 6 1 1
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Topic of doctorate

• Children, young people, families 43
• Adult service users 20
• Organisation, management of personal social
  services 13
• Knowledge, theories, skills and/or values 7
• Methods or settings 7
• Education, training and professional development
  5

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Research approach

• 57 reported that they were undertaking an
  evaluation of policy or practice
• 22 thought their doctoral project was primarily
  a contribution to academic theorising about
  social work
• 10 viewed their research project as an action
  research project where the engagement of local
  workers and/or service users in the research
  process was the most important aspect of the
  studys impact

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Research methodology
Methodology Frequency Percentage
Primarily qualitative 76 56
Mixed method 41 30
Primarily quantitative 7 5
It is not empirical research 6 4
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Satisfaction

• Highly satisfied 30
• Satisfied 48
• 13 neutral
• 5 unhappy
• Arguably SW doctoral students have higher levels
  of satisfaction than the PGR body as a whole
  (c.f. Post-graduate Experience Survey)

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Study 1, part 2 Completed theses

• Search strategy Index to Theses relevant
  subject categories and the phrase social work
  1997-2006
• An average rate of 38 social work thesis
  completions each year

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Topic and method

• Topics
• 34 Children, young people, families
• 19 Methods or settings
• 15 Adult service users
• 14 Knowledge, theories, skills and/or values
• 9 Organisation, management of personal social
  services
• 8 Education, training, professional development
• Methods
• 40 Primarily qualitative
• 8 Primarily quantitative
• 18 Mixed method
• 34 Not known

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Study 2 Professional doctorate programmes

• The aim of the research to map the provision of
  PD programmes
• Research methods email survey and telephone
  interviews

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Mapping PD programmes

• How many programmes and where?
• How long have they been running?
• How many students are there?
• Nomenclature
• Structure
• What is working well?
• Relationship between research and practice

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• How many programmes and where?
• 14 universities five pre-92 (old) and nine
  post-92 (new)
• How long have they been running?

Year started Number of universities
No data 2
1997 1
1998 1
2000 1
2001 1
2002 2
2003 1
2004 3
2006 1
2007 1
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• How many students are there?
• Total 72
• Mean 6
• Mode 3
• Median 3
• Only two in double figures (17 and 22
  respectively)
• What are the degrees called?

Name of degree Number of universities
Doctor of Social Work 4
Professional Doctorate in Social Work 2
Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care (or similar title) 4
Doctorate in Professional Studies (Health and Social Care) 1
Doctorate in Professional Studies 1
Doctor of Professional Practice 1
SocScD in Applied Social Research 1
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• Structure a full list of responses
• A systematic review an empirical/field research
  study and a practice-based project - all about
  30,000 words in length.
• 120 Masters credits 10,000 word dissertation
  pilot study 45,000 word thesis 5,000 word
  assessment of thesis outcomes
• 160 credits at M level plus 40,000 word project
• 3x7000 word papers plus a 60,000 word thesis
• 2 practice analyses (about 10-15,000 words each)
  and a research proposal (5,000) plus research
  thesis (60,000 words)
• 2 years of M-level research methods 50,000
  thesis
• 3 taught years - with 3 modules (and 60 credits)
  each year plus a dissertation of 40-60,000 words
• 4 modules plus 40,000 thesis
• 8 modules, 4 of which have to be passed at D
  level, plus 50,000 word thesis
• Part 1 Module 1 Review of Previous Learning and
  APEL claim plus Module 2 Planning a Practitioner
  Research Programme. Part 2 Work-Based Project/s -
  usually 1 large one, sometimes 2 smaller ones
• 4 modules plus 50,000 word thesis
• 6 modules plus 30,000 word thesis
• Phase 1 3 essays/ project (17-18,000 words)
  Phase 2 project (18-20000 words) Phase 3
  thesis (35-45000 words)
• Stage one consists of 2 M-level macro-modules
  research methods (70 credits) and professional
  development (50 Credits) plus one 60 credit
  D-level module on project development, design and
  management. Stage two is a supervised work-based
  research project 50,000 words

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• What seems to be working well?
• Collaboration with other disciplines
• Cohort identity
• Relationship between research and practice
• Little evidence, but....
• Most programmes seem to be applied research
  doctorates rather than practice-based doctorates
  as in clinical psychology

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Access to the research

• Both studies have been published in BJSW advance
  access http//bjsw.oxfordjournals.org/papbyrecent.
  dtl
• Scourfield, J. and Maxwell, N. (2009) Social work
  doctoral students in the UK A web-based survey
  and search of the Index to Theses. British
  Journal of Social Work, doi10.1093/bjsw/bcn139.
• Scourfield, J. (2008) Professional doctorate
  programmes in social work The current state of
  provision in the UK. British Journal of Social
  Work, Advance Access, doi10.1093/bjsw/bcn139.