The research utilises a qualitative approach, combining media / visual research methods. The paper is set out to:
Understand and explore the representation of social work in Albanian media and news reports
Inform and elaborate an understanding of current discourse about social work’s role and need in the country.
Contribute to further research on the value, purpose, need and future of social work.
Purposive sampling was used (Williman, 2006, Mathewes and Ross, 2010) for the selection of the news and media outlets for the research, as well as to form a small focus group to read and discuss the selected news outlets and their representation of the social work. The sampling was made based on social-work knowledge and expertise as the common
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According to the Foucault’s (1980) notion of the history of the present, formulation of new ideas constantly challenges existing ones in the dynamic process of linking knowledge and change. Hall (1997) sees representation as a way in which portrayal of present events can lead to coding a set of values, attitudes and social climate. May (2003) theory of research as a “reflexive endeavour” enables this research to make a thorough examination of the selected texts, to discover the level of media and public knowledge on social work in a given period of time. Qualitative interviewing of the focus groups helps detecting individual understandings and interpretations of the same text. This is a substantial part of the theoretical framework, as it focuses on Hall (1997) definition of representation and creation of meaning, which Hall defines as “the process by which members of a culture use language (signs and signifying system) to produce a meaning …show more content…
A number of theories are drawn from various disciplines (i.e. media and cultural studies, psychology, anthropology, etc) about the way how media represents reality. Media representation is the main focus of theories around portrayals (Hall 1997) and cultural studies (Grsiprund, 2002), and the central point of representation theory remains the dilemma whether the media simply reflects or actually constructs realities? On both sides, there are notable scholars defending each theory. Kellner (1995) argues that media reproduces social struggles, which in return, has an impact on the production of identities and audience understanding of the world. On the other hand, Branston and Stafford (1996) argue that media always constructs the reality and it is hardly a transparent window for this
First and foremost I just want to thank you for sharing your practicum experience with us. This week’s assignment required us to compare and pick a social work metaphor that describes our journey. In my original journey I did not pick the same metaphor that you have chosen, but this metaphor can be related to my social work journey. Practicing social work and striving for social justice is a practice of journey.
As part of my developmental learning for final year of social work is my emerging practice framework. A practice framework is designed as a tool for practitioners (Connolly, 2006). It is a statement about how I will practice as an emerging social worker. This semester I will work on this document throughout my final placement.
The whole system focus of social work is universal, but the priorities of social work practice will differ from one country to the next, and from time to time depending on historical, cultural, political and socio-economic conditions. It is the responsibility of social workers across the world to defend, enrich and realize the values and principles reflected in this definition. A social work definition can be meaningful when social workers committed to its values and vision. Thus social work is amazingly a meaningful career.
AC 1.1: The development of social services during the post-war period. During the war there were shortages in all supplies such as foodstuffs, clothing, or petrol. As part war effort took government management of the rationing, ensuring that the pregnant women, children and the vulnerable got extra supplies. People favoured this action by the government so much that they were happy if it could continue.
Social Care Practice is a generic term that has been used to define the practice of providing physical, emotional and or psychological support to people with variety of needs and in contemporary times, the social care environments has widened to include care for the elderly, care for people with a physical or intellectual disability, community care, family support and residential care for old people, children and adults (Lyons, 1998). Social care practice takes place in the shared life space, where experiences, perspectives, feelings, emotions and beliefs are fussed and in the process of meeting service user’s needs, social care practitioners needs to be aware of the dynamics and position of referent power which they occupy over the vulnerable
Chapter One: You Are What You See In today’s society, the media is inescapable. The advancements of technology have led to an even larger outreach of media--touching close to every person. For me, the media has always been an influence in my life. From the songs I’ve listen to, the movies I grew up watching, and the stories I’ve heard, the media has sculpted a significant portion of my identity.
Modern social workers are frequently tasked with certain objectives by their agencies, which leave little room for any work beyond specific treatments and timeframes (Gitterman & Knight, 2016). Although social workers are bound to the set of ethics put forth by the NASW, practitioners are often limited to focusing on the issues of the individual rather than the larger societal issues that may be behind those concerns. Additionally, many social work students end up working in direct practice, rather than macro work. There is a need for social workers to engage at the macro level in order to facilitate community organization and empowerment. Critics suggest this theory may not take into account the unique experiences of each individual and perhaps key characteristics of the individual or group are not taken into consideration (Sadan, 1997).
Media portrayal. The way in which social work is portrayed in the media contributes to the shaping of the public’s view of social workers and their roles (Freeman & Valentine, 2004). Kagan (2016) and Freeman and Valentine (2004) agreed that the public receives most of their knowledge from the media, which has not been committed to promoting the social work profession and more often depicts social workers as unprofessional. Kagan (2016) attributed the public’s misconception of social work roles to the media noting, “stories of difficulty finding work or housing are often portrayed in the media, with accusations aimed at social workers for not helping” as an example. Kagan (2016) also reported that the present survey exhibited that social worker
Introduction In our current society, the media is a very powerful medium which cultivates the way the society thinks and behaves. At this stage of the political economy, the intellectual mode of production is largely made through the media industry. Aspects such as Hollywood, television and movies, they frame and direct our thinkings and values towards the direction as they desire.
Practice based on empirical knowledge helps reduce bias, enables workers to study interpretations, perspectives or alternative solutions, and makes social workers more accountable for their decisions JD Hudson (1997). The dialogue between theory and practice In the past and present, there is hesitation among practitioners in social work to adapt theory and research because they feel that the reference to theory is the loss of connection with reality when practicing social work. In order for the social worker to be an effective practitioner, man must have a sound theoretical basis and this is not easy to achieve.
Introduction The social work profession, was based on values that contributed not only to its own professional development and to helping different service user groups, but also to the development of societies in general. Describe how theories and research (EBP process) inform our professional knowledgebase. A clear theoretical perspective guide and influences social work practice in five key areas: observation, description, explanation, prediction and intervention.
INTRODUCTION This is a key framework of sociological theory. It depend on symbols and their meaning. The words we use to describe our behaviour and the behaviour of others is very important. To elaborate further and get into detail about this theory, firstly the theory and key terms have to be defined, secondly the major proponents and tenets, thirdly the history of the theory, fourthly the purpose of the theory, fifthly the significance of the theory for social work practice, followed by the epistemology, consistency with social work values and ethics, implication of the theory, position of the theory on the population served by the social worker, strength and weakness, relevance of Intersectionality, critical perspective on contemporary issues
Considering that, the situation is difficult, as the object of social help is personality that is understood as a unique and solid system which is dynamic in itself. So the social worker in the process of social help encounters himself with the challenge to help a person to primarily restore his worthiness which would let him to solve his problems and not, conversely, resign and live with them. Yet the social work actually still impresses with its aspirations more than with concrete and tangible achievements or prestige (Kavaliauskienė, 2005). The objective of a social worker is noble, but often he confronts himself with unsolvable tasks. This situation raises because of the twofold orientation of social work: on one hand, it is directed towards a person, but on the other hand, to the society; that is, the direction goes towards a whole and towards its part – the community and the individual – by trying to reach their interaction and consistency.
The article, “Media Images and the Social Construction of Reality”, by William A. Gamson, David Croteau, William Hoynes, and Theodore Sasson, states how media, and more specifically images in the media, shape our daily lives. The authors state that there are many problems associated with our “images” that we create and more so that “We emphasize the production of images rather than facts or information…” (Gamson et al. 374) This is basically stating that we put more care into to creating an image rather than conveying a message in through an image.
Media are platforms of mass communication that can be categorized as either new of traditional media, with new media being forms of communication that make use of technologies such as the Internet, and traditional media being more conventional forms of media such as newspapers. Media, primarily new media, is getting more popular and influential, especially in today’s day and age since we are exposed to it a lot more than in the past and also since media is more easily accessible now. The media can shape our behaviours, perceptions and opinions, and it is important to know how people are influenced and impacted by it. The media can influence someone’s perception of social reality, or perceptions of beauty or even influence people’s behaviours and habits and therefore, the media does shape who we are. One way that the media can shape who we are is by influencing our perception of social reality.