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Encouraging Research in Social Work:Narrative as the Thread IntegratingEducation and Research in Social WorkJoan Phillips a , Denise MacGiollaRi a & Sue Callaghan aa Athlone Institute of Technology, Ireland

Version of record first published: 11 Jul 2012.

To cite this article: Joan Phillips, Denise MacGiollaRi & Sue Callaghan (2012): Encouraging Researchin Social Work: Narrative as the Thread Integrating Education and Research in Social Work, SocialWork Education: The International Journal, 31:6, 785-793

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Encouraging Research in Social Work:Narrative as the Thread IntegratingEducation and Research in Social WorkJoan Phillips, Denise MacGiollaRi & Sue Callaghan

The call for more research-based practice is universal as all the social science professions

look to bring research into the forefront. Social work research must be seamlesslyintegrated into social work education in order to adequately address trends in evidence-

based practice. International trends call for research to be seamlessly integrated withteaching and learning, so that social work practitioners and educators can function in an

environment that is ‘research-led, research-based and research-informed’ [C. Hunt(2011) The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030: Report of the Strategy

Group, Department of Education and Skills, Dublin, p. 44]. This review and analysis ofrecent literature in nursing, medicine, social work and social care suggests that the creativearts can be a way to encourage student thinking and questioning skills as well as a

potential link to relevant social science research models and thus engender a moreresearch-minded environment. Additionally, the trend toward humanities in general,

infusing education with an interdisciplinary flavour, supports the use of creative methodsin both teaching and research. This brief literature review and discussion focuses on these

issues with specific attention to narrative and story-telling as one particular theme ineducation and research.

Keywords: Narrative; Social Work; Education; Creative Arts; Research

Introduction

Research is the ultimate telling of a story; the goal of all research is to shed light on

that which previously remained in the dark. Those in the social care field know the

ISSN 0261-5479 print/1470-1227 online q 2012 Taylor & Francishttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2012.695200

Correspondence to: Joan Phillips, PhD, Fulbright Scholar, Creative Arts in Social Care, Department of Humanities,

Athlone Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, Athlone, Co, Westmeath, Ireland and School of Art and Art History,

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Email: joanphillips@ou.edu

Joan Phillips, Denise MacGiollaRi & Sue Callaghan, Athlone Institute of Technology, Ireland

Social Work EducationVol. 31, No. 6, September 2012, pp. 785–793

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importance of facilitating clients’ telling of their stories in practice, but have we

engaged our students in such ways that they can become adept at having the curiosityand narrative skills to conduct social science research and practice with competence

and comfort? Have we given them the models and means by which to adequatelyresearch and tell the stories that will inform practice and create best-practice models

based upon evidence from real life? ‘The term “narrative” carries many meanings andis used in a variety of ways by different disciplines, but often is synonymous with

“story”’ (Larson and Sjoblom, 2010, p. 274). Interestingly our review of the inclusionof narrative and story-telling methods in social care education revealed a focus on howstory-telling can lead directly into research; indeed, stories are the raw data for much

research. In training social work students and encouraging research, the use of storiesand narrative, and engaging both students and clients in these creative processes, seem

to pose one of the best opportunities for encouraging meaningful research both withinand in support of social work education.

Narrative in Education

Social sciences are ‘social’ and thus benefit from the element of interaction andrelational paradigms in all its manifestations—education, research and social care

services. By integrating more narrative processes into all levels of education, betteroutcomes may be possible in training reflective, engaged and competent practitioners.Smith (1999), after a concise review of the several authors who advocate for the use of

personal stories, states: ‘In short, the importance and value of story-telling and hearingto the social work task is well documented’ (p. 481). Smith goes on to assess the

implications of stories for social work education and concludes that engaging in tellingand listening to stories can be an excellent tool in teaching social work students and, in

going further to record the stories they tell, educators have an opportunity for students‘evidencing competence and engaging in practitioner research’ (p. 486). The literature

on using narrative in teaching comes from a wide range of disciplines and has emergedprimarily over the past 10 years. It also appears to be consistent internationally, so

possibly the threads of discourse about narrative research are working their way intothe direct education of students. Medical humanities courses and interest beganappearing in the literature in the 1990s and many authors point out that the medical

profession has a strong body of writing explicating the use of humanities and arts inmedical education (Freeman and Bays, 2007; McClean, 2011).

The field of nursing also has a growing body of literature about using creative arts inthe education process. For example, Frei et al., (2010) developed and implemented a

programme using observation and description related to works of art. Their work‘supports using art observation and interpretation to develop nuanced understanding

of communication, narrative sequencing, power in relationships, and empathy’(p. 673). They state: ‘Integrating the humanities in the core courses of the nursingcurriculum advances the objectives of a profession that operates at the intersection of

science and art’ (p. 676). Similarly, Freeman and Bays (2007) report on the use ofliterature and the arts as a specific teaching strategy with nursing students. Jensen and

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Curtis (2008) used art, literature, music and film in the education of nurses and

engaged in a qualitative research study of the effectiveness and outcome of such arts-

infused teaching. They found that the methods were effective and that the students

derive meanings that ‘are consistent with desired educational outcomes identified by

nursing leaders’ (pp. 7–8). Walsh et al., (2005) used arts activities to reduce student

stress and to have students simultaneously engage in participant research as to the

effectiveness of the arts in reducing their stress. Casey (2009) describes the inclusion of

arts-based inquiry into a nursing humanities option and it includes students making

art pieces, contextual discussions and reflective narrative. Thus we see nursing

education embracing, to some extent, the inclusion and integration of arts into their

curriculum.

Walmsley and Birkbeck (2006) describe an autobiographical writing assignment

they use with fourth year social work students. The focus of their work is on helping

students to clarify the values and embedded beliefs they have as preparation for quality

social work practice that acknowledges such. One very helpful aspect of their work is

the inclusion of assessment criteria for the autobiographical writing as well as the

specific language of the assignment which directs students to focus on a variety of

aspects such as family, culture, history, environment, etc. Students were assessed in

terms of their inclusion of all these areas, the clarity and organization of their writing

and the degree of engagement in the process. The entire assignment spanned six weeks

and the authors indicate that such narrative writing assignments can be beneficial in

helping students to understand and be explicitly aware of their own values and

narratives which impact upon their future work.Rundell (2007) describes a ‘re-story-ing’ process which was developed with fourth

year social work students who engaged in a narrative-based intervention process

developing potential interventions in a very troubled and poorly funded community

programme. Given the lack of resources, the narrative process of interviewing,

understanding and reflecting on the situation gave rise to meaningful intervention—

more so than if a template of social care had been dogmatically applied. Rundell refers

to being a ‘reflective practitioner’, which naturally leads to forms of action research

which ‘require documentation and reflection of real world experiences that create a

meaning and purpose for all participants’ (p. 54). Students generally seek meaningful

connections from their education into practice and finding the best ways to

incorporate narratives as report as well as research can be daunting in social work

education (Wilson et al., 2009).Even stories as archetypal as the Chronicles of Narnia have been used. Taylor (2008)

states:

The introduction of children’s stories in adult educational settings as a form oflearning is more effective when adults are given a rationale for revisiting children’sstories. It is important to discuss how children’s literature has been used to workwith a variety of issues and with both child and adult clients. Students can expandtheir self-awareness by considering whether the literature of their childhood hascontributed to their own critical thinking, problem solving, spirituality, valuedevelopment, and understanding of differences and diversity. (p. 150)

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Practice-based uses of narrative with clients and consumers abound in the literature,

with Jennings and Cattanach providing multiple key examples that are useful to teach(Cattanach, 2002, 2008; Jennings, 2010). However, it is not possible to introduce

narrative and story-telling to students as a practice OR research method withoutproviding some learning opportunities for them to express and engage with their own

creativity. Bringing all the creative arts into social work education is exemplified wellin work by Lyons (2010). Although the focus of work shared by Lyons is in applied uses

of the creative arts, most of the activities described would be appropriate to havecollege students engage in as a way to experientially understand that which we expectthem to facilitate in future professional work. Many parallel the teaching methods that

the nursing literature explicated but have yet to be incorporated more fully into socialwork education. As all levels of social work training take on a more mandated

curriculum, textbooks such as the Lyons (2010) edited volume will be valuable.

Narrative in Research

Making the step from education and practice into research is the key challenge for

many students. Historically, social work education has been practice-based witheducation focusing on active engagement in practice settings. However, as regulatory

and consumer calls for accountability increase, so does the need for research andevidence to base good practice on and provide research-based support for practicechoices: ‘An increasing emphasis on developing research-minded practice has been

one of the most significant international trends in social work during the past decade’(McCrystal and Wilson, 2009, p. 856). Narrative places information in a specific

context that has meaning, and social work is a field seeking to understand humanbehaviour and change within specific contexts. Much of the push for increased

research comes from the focus on ‘evidence-based’ practice that has emerged in thelast 10–15 years, but as Mazza (2008) points out, the ‘evidence should come from

multiple sources (e.g. traditional research designs, case studies, practitioner reports,creative works, etc.)’ (p. 64). Peterson et al., (2011) advocate for stronger training in

accessing the existing literature in the social work field as a starting point for furthergraduate study and practice. Traditional research designs already include bothnarrative case-study forms as well as participant observer models (Thayer, 2001), but

the connection between students’ awareness of these models and their ability to utilizethem is missing. Narrative methods can be used both for research and as a treatment

method and the research part of this is often underemphasized despite the fact thatsocial work practice and research are often based on conversations and social

interactions with clients. Larson and Sjoblom (2010) review and critically examinemany variations on narrative research models yet come to no final assessment as to the

validity of such in social work research. They do see the ultimate challenge ofdeveloping and using these methods as resting on ‘theoretical perspectives on how tounderstand self, mind and consciousness which, in turn, may guide the narrative

researcher in social work when analysing the clients’ identity structures andpsychosocial problems’ (p. 279).

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Riessman and Quinney (2005) point out that narrative models have been proposed

and discussed for many years now in social science research yet little research getsdone. One reason, they hypothesize, is that narrative is not seen as ‘hard science’ and

that social work is looking to have ‘evidence-based’ outcomes. Similarly they pointout that the interdisciplinary nature of the philosophical and methodological

considerations in narrative are daunting to some. Secret et al., (2003) researched socialwork student attitudes toward research and advocate for a varied pedagogy that takes

into account student reluctance as well as the need for a mix of creative teachingmethods to engage students overall. Muller (2009) emphasizes the value of reflectivenarrative practice among those in training as a means of fully understanding the

complex connections within social work practice. Additionally, Muller emphasizes therole of social work education as a process of teaching social workers to ask questions, a

skill fundamental to research as well. Grady et al., (2011) researched curriculum issuesin social work education and used qualitative/narrative data in the research as well as

looking at the less explicit portions of the curriculum that students seek engagementin. Their findings point out that students have some discomfort in examining their

own political and religious views even in the context of their clinical education and therelevance these may have in practice. This kind of research model gathers useful data as

well as modelling a useful narrative model of research. Epstein et al., (2008) report onusing puppetry with children to elicit conversation and thus provide the raw datafor research being conducted. Without the creative means, the data gathered from

children are often lacking or non-existent, they assert; ‘Consequently, there is a needto explore and further develop other creative research methods to communicate with

children during an interview’ (p. 49). Throughout the literature, calls for increasedvariety and amounts of research are heard. Inclusion of participant and creative forms

of research utilizing narrative as described below may provide more effective ways tobring depth and breadth to the existing research protocols already being taught.

Practical Implications of Integrating Narrative into Education and Research

At first glance, the myriad of training models, curriculums and regulations existing insocial work education might appear to thwart attempts to bring creative methods,research and narrative into play. Research on social work education often highlights

the range of methods and delivery that social work education comes through, forexample in an examination of practice learning in both Northern and the Republic of

Ireland (Wilson et al., 2009). Wilson et al., (2007) also looked at the role of reflection,and whilst noting that students both at Master’s and Bachelor’s levels are put into

practice situations and asked to be reflective, none of the methods employed yetutilized any narrative approach such as case write ups or focused narratives drawn

from practice. Instead, more traditional educational methods of documentationstill prevail such as portfolios, verbal supervisory feedback and clinical casedocumentation. One creative method is detailed by Carter-Anand and Clarke (2009)

and involves the use of Internet exchanges, online discussions and a focus onsocial justice issues engaging social work students in the Republic of Ireland and the

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United States in this process. Again, finding new and creative ways to teach and allow

narratives to develop may be one of the first steps in making creative teaching a reality

in social work education. However, McCrystal and Wilson (2009) found significant

barriers toward actualizing a research-focused education for social work both due to

student attitudes as well as lecturer practices.

It appears to be time to not only teach ‘about’ narrative but to utilize it actively in

social work education overall, and this means linking it to research methodology. In a

thorough review of inclusion of research courses in social work education in the

United States, Rubin et al., (2010) found that ‘In spite of social work’s increasing

demands for research competence and growing complexities in the mandates for

research educators to meet that demand, there is little current information on research

requirements in social work education programs or attitudes of educators’ (p. 49).

Supervisors and instructors will need to take an isomorphic and modelling

approach to ‘show’ rather than just ‘tell’ students what narrative is. This will involve

engaging student and faculty creativity very directly. In doing so the potential is that

students, once they become professionals, will continue that thread and hopefully

engage in and publish more research. As MacGiollaRi (2010) states: ‘The challenge for

the arts is to normalise creativity by making it relevant to the ordinary person’ (p. 43).

Until creativity is relevant to our students, creative research is unlikely to be developed.

The stories students have in their own lives and the ability to tell and put them into

context is crucial in their learning. By integrating learning opportunities in the creative

arts, and particularly story-telling, puppetry, art, drama and other expressive/narrative

means, we equip students with tools for both practice AND research. It is up to

educators to connect the dots and encourage both student- and practitioner-led

research and provide the models and methods that support such research. Education is

the starting point for these narrative skills as Latta and Kim (2010) forcefully posit:

‘ . . . creating, adapting, and discerning are fundamental to the nature of human beings

and that the costs for teachers and learners of thwarting these agentic ways of being and

acting in classrooms are vastly underestimated’ (p. 137). Again, in the literature of the

field of nursing, innovative methods are detailed such as the use of art with Bachelor’s

nursing students’ individual expressions of art as part of a process of teaching reflective

practice, creativity and higher-level thinking skills (Hydo et al., 2007).Mazza (2009) makes a cogent case for inclusion of arts in social work education

stating:

The current expectations for scientifically validated and evidence-based studies arecertainly well founded and speak to competent and ethical practice. However, it isequally important to recognize that family social work is an art with inherentlanguage, discipline, and beauty . . . Both art and family practice deal withexpression, communication, conflict, and meaning making.

Mazza goes on to indicate that the arts in social work family practice are ‘particularly

well suited for narrative therapy’ (p. 4). The most fully realized integration of creativity

and arts into research comes in the 1998 publication of Arts-based Research by McNiff:

‘As an educator I strive to instil the discipline of research into every phase of training

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through rigorous methods of discovery, trial and error, observation and description,

comparison and contrast and evaluation’ (McNiff, 1998, p. 64). McNiff ’s work is the

theoretical base for creative research including visual, narrative and other expressive

means. However, the later work of Leavy (2008) provides a more applied and concrete

discussion of the ‘how-to’ of bringing arts-based research into the social sciences

effectively.

Conclusion

The threads here are many and form a colourful tapestry—but also a confusing path at

times. Narrative and creative methods, traditional social work education mandates,

regulatory and consumer demands, research methods, and our own creativity and

integrative potentials are all a part of the future direction in social work education. We

must, as educators and practitioners, begin to tell our own stories of work, practice,

training, obstacles, and research needs and interests before we can begin to use the

exciting work discussed above. ‘Perhaps the stories can be used to trigger the most

important discussion of all. That is, how can we foster imagination and creativity in

children and adults, students, clients, and practitioners . . . ’ (Taylor, 2008, p. 64). The

inclusion of narrative and story-telling is one specific niche but the broader imperative

is to move into inclusion of creative arts focus within our education of social work

professionals. This will not only provide effective practice methods but could engender

the capacity and even the motivation to engage in meaningful research. When our

students’ stories and their understanding and expression of them become a focal point,

the broadening into narrative and creative research is a natural next step. Thus the

stories we hear, understand and tell about our work and our clients move us naturally

into forms of research well suited to the social sciences but often not emphasized due

to the dominance of quantitative thinking and approaches.

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