Content analysis of periodical literature on social work supervision, 1970-1979

Ma, Connie (1981) Content analysis of periodical literature on social work supervision, 1970-1979. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

A review of literature on social work supervision suggested that there has been no systematic study to date of the literature on social work supervision using the methodology of content analysis. It was thought that this kind of systematic study of the periodical literature on social work supervision would reflect the status of practice and knowledge in social work supervision and that the findings would also help to identify the potential for more research in this area. -- Thirty-seven articles were sampled from Social Work Research and Abstracts 1970-1979 under the headings of "supervision" and "supervisor." The contents of the articles were examined under several categories: geographical location, gender status and professional status of authors; target readers and their organizational settings; modes and components of social work supervision; and, research orientation and theoretical perspectives of social work supervision. -- Data analysis revealed fewer articles on social work supervision in the periodical literature of 1970-79 as compared with articles on other topics. Over half of the articles in this study were found in five major journals of social work. The authors are mainly male and are predominently from the United States. The majority of the articles are contributed by writers with faculty status in a university setting. More attention has been given by the writers to agency-based practice and knowledge building in the interest of front-line workers rather than to issues related to professional education for social work. Individual supervision is still the primary mode of social work supervision. Educational theory is found to be the predominant framework in which the supervisory process is based and explained. Non-empirical studies make up the larger portion of the articles. Two dimensions of supervisory practice are prominently absent from the articles reviewed in the study. These are: the use of audio-visual technology in practice, and, evaluation of supervision as a vehicle to improved practice.

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