Dissertation Abstract for Dr. Christian M. Itin

THE ORIENTATION OF SOCIAL WORK FACULTY
TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
IN THE CLASSROOM

An Abstract of a Dissertation
Presented to the Faculty of the
Graduate School of Social Work
University of Denver

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy

By
Christian Marcel Itin
June 1997

        This multi method study explored the orientation of social work faculty to the philosophy of experiential education in the classroom. This philosophy grows out of the work of John Dewey and Kurt Hahn and has informed numerous approaches including experiential learning, adult learning, and empowerment-based education. No previous research has looked at the orientation toward this philosophy, though research had considered the orientation to the approaches informed by the philosophy. The current Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation evaluative guidelines call for approaches in the classroom that appear to reflect the philosophy of experiential education. Unless social work faculty are oriented in a direction congruent with this philosophy it is unlikely they will adopt approaches consistent with it.
        A random sample of 816 members of the CSWE were mailed surveys which included 10 open-ended questions, a 36-item instrument designed for the study, and 9 demographic questions. A total of 242 usable responses were obtained. The sample was deemed to representative of the sample frame and population through chi-square analysis of known perimeters.
        The qualitative data were analyzed using techniques reflective of the constant comparison method and consistent with a grounded theory approach. Results included the development of a quadrant model which explains the relationship between the delivery of content axis (the domains of content and process) and relationship axis (the domains of task and affect).
        The instrument development process is presented for the Experiential Education Orientation Scale (EEOS) and its six subscales (goals, relationships, place of content, roles of the teacher, roles of the student, and learning environment). Results for reliability and validity work on the instrument are presented including internal consistency reliability, factor, and Rasch analysis.
        ANOVA, bivariate, and multiple regression analyses were used to test hypotheses and explore the relationship between demographic variables and scores on the EEOS and subscales. Gender, age, years of practice prior to teaching, teaching to bachelor level students, and teaching micro and macro level courses were found to be significant predictors on several subscales. Implications and future research are considered.