Putting old heads on young shoulders: helping social work students uncover the neoliberal hegemony

Jane Fenton (Lead / Corresponding author)

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    15 Citations (Scopus)
    414 Downloads (Pure)

    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 languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)941-954
    Number of pages14
    JournalSocial Work Education
    Volume37
    Issue number8
    Early online date2 May 2018
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 17 Nov 2018

    Keywords

    • Students
    • age
    • critical thinking
    • neoliberalism

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Education
    • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Putting old heads on young shoulders: helping social work students uncover the neoliberal hegemony'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this