Abstract
This paper explores the suggestion that younger students and social workers are more accepting of neoliberal social work practices than their older counterparts, understanding social problems more readily as failings of individual behaviour rather than as produced by societal forces such as inequality, poverty, and punitive social policy. The suggestion is made that the acceptance of a hegemonic view of people in poverty and other difficulties, which is simple and reductionist, and therefore, easy to grasp, can only be challenged by sophisticated critical thinking. Assignment results from two modules within one social work programme which significantly correlate marks attained and student age are considered in the light of the suggestion that younger students are struggling with critical thinking, and therefore, with deconstructing the neoliberal hegemony.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 941-954 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Social Work Education |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 8 |
Early online date | 2 May 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 17 Nov 2018 |
Keywords
- Students
- age
- critical thinking
- neoliberalism
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)