Pedagogy of international social work: a comparative study in the USA, UK, and Georgia

The social work profession worldwide has been increasingly influenced by globalization and its effects on social issues that require social workers to be responsive and knowledgeable in addressing them. In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on the internationalization of the social work profession and education. With limited examples of international social-work-teaching methods discussed in the literature, there is also a lack of information obtained directly from students on methods of instruction that they most prefer and find beneficial. This collaborative, comparative project examined students’ perceptions of methods that make teaching international social work successful at three universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Georgia.While there were different preferences for content- and process-driven approaches in teaching, students’ common interest was in gaining practice examples and exposure to reallife practice of international social work in their own and other countries. The findings suggest that international social work education needs to be more experiential and practice-based.