Culture Wars in the Classroom
Perceptions of Social Work Faculty at Public and Private Institutions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/28439Keywords:
culture wars, social work education, academic freedomAbstract
Social work educators engage with students from diverse political and personal backgrounds, often facing culture wars within the classroom. The Council on Social Work Education emphasizes academic freedom in higher education. This study surveyed 35 social work educators to examine their perceptions of culture wars' effects on programs, students, and faculty. Using a nonexperimental, causal-comparative design, it compared these perceptions between faculty at public and private institutions. Demographic data were analyzed using crosstabulations and descriptive statistics. Public institution faculty (M = 3.64, SD =.58) reported lower faculty scores than private institution counterparts. Private institution faculty felt their institutional culture conflicted more with NASW policies but had more positive perceptions of culture wars. Findings indicate significant implications for teaching where social work values clash with institutional values or political influences.
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