INCLUSION OF CONTENT ON RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY IN THE SOCIAL-WORK CURRICULUM - A STUDY OF FACULTY VIEWS

Recently, there have been calls to re-examine the need for instruction on religion and spirituality in the social work curriculum. This study investigated the views of 280 full-time social work educators from 25 schools of social work on including such content in social work programs. Results showed that the majority (82.5%) supported inclusion of a specialized course, primarily as an elective. A positive attitude toward religion and spirituality in social work practice was the most important predictor of support for the inclusion of such content in the curriculum. Findings also revealed concerns about how the topic of religion and spirituality might be handled in practice and in the classroom. Issues related to appropriate course focus and teaching approaches in this content area are presented.