Perceived Racial Discrimination by Students of Color among Social Work Programs in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study

Social work is a profession that is based upon principles such as social justice and dignity and worth of the person. As such, social work education ought to reflect those values by ensuring that all students receive an adequate education in an environment characterized by fair and equal treatment of all students, including students of color. There is a lack of research, however, that addresses the experiences of students of color in colleges of social work across the United States. This study addresses this gap in literature by conducting a secondary data analysis of the data gathered using the Bowie-Hancock Preparation for Graduate Social Work Education (PGSWE) Scale. The sample included 377 students from underrepresented racial groups who graduated from accredited MSW programs between 1958 and 2002. Frequency distributions and measures of central tendency were conducted to obtain sample demographics and answer several of the research questions. Chi-square tests were also conducted to determine the relationship between respondent demographics and their perception of racial discrimination during both undergraduate and graduate education. At first glance the results indicated that a majority of respondents had low perceptions of discrimination during their social work education. Nonetheless, further examination of chi-square tests revealed that respondents who attended predominantly Black institutions were much more likely to report fair treatment than their counterparts who attended predominantly White institutions. Implications for social work education and practice as well as study strengths and limitations are also discussed.