A case study of the impact of social work education on a diverse group of adult learners working in a grassroots, community-based family support agency

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to amplify voices of participants' understanding of the empowerment process as they experienced it in the Social Work Paraprofessional Education Program situated in a grassroots community-based family services agency. The study was created to explore the impact of the participants' educational experiences, the impact the program had on the way services were provided by the participants, changes in the participant's values from the inception of the program until its termination, and their experiences with peers while enrolled in the Social Work Paraprofessional Program.</DISS_para> <DISS_para>An instrumental case study methodology was used to collect data. Data were gathered through (a) individual participant interviews (b) participant observations among participants (c) archival documents (d) researcher's field notes. A content level of analysis was conducted.</DISS_para> <DISS_para>The results of the study indicated that four categories related to empowerment emerged from the analysis of data. They were: spiritual focus, self-transformation, skills acquisition, and values clarification. From these categories, four themes were generated. Implications for education and practice, along with implications for further research were recommended.