Entering into dialogue with the taboo: Reflective writing in a social work human sexuality course
This paper examines a unique reflective writing assignment used in an undergraduate social work course on human sexuality. We ask what new understandings reflective writing mediates (Vygotsky, 1978) regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender relations—oft-neglected topics within pre...
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2012-06-01
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doaj-7705f4612e724c70bc6721b851dfa0312020-11-24T22:58:56ZengSIG Writing of EARLIJournal of Writing Research 2030-10062012-06-014181105Entering into dialogue with the taboo: Reflective writing in a social work human sexuality courseHeather Killelea McEntarfer, David Skiba & Sarah A. RobertThis paper examines a unique reflective writing assignment used in an undergraduate social work course on human sexuality. We ask what new understandings reflective writing mediates (Vygotsky, 1978) regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender relations—oft-neglected topics within pre-professional academic programs. One goal for this assignment was to mediate future social workers' abilities to differentiate between thoughts and feelings, and we evaluate the degree to which students did so in their writing. By adapting Hatton and Smith's (1994) framework for analyzing reflective writing, we also distinguish between descriptive and dialogical reflection, identifying and analyzing examples of both within the students' writing. Findings suggest that students engaged primarily in descriptive reflection, but also engaged in some dialogical reflection. We argue that both are useful but that the latter mediates deeper and more useful learning. We present recommendations for enhancing reflective writing assignment design in pre-professional academic programs.http://jowr.org/Ccount/click.php?id=50reflective writingantihomophobia worksocial workpre-professional programsassignment design |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Heather Killelea McEntarfer, David Skiba & Sarah A. Robert |
spellingShingle |
Heather Killelea McEntarfer, David Skiba & Sarah A. Robert Entering into dialogue with the taboo: Reflective writing in a social work human sexuality course Journal of Writing Research reflective writing antihomophobia work social work pre-professional programs assignment design |
author_facet |
Heather Killelea McEntarfer, David Skiba & Sarah A. Robert |
author_sort |
Heather Killelea McEntarfer, David Skiba & Sarah A. Robert |
title |
Entering into dialogue with the taboo: Reflective writing in a social work human sexuality course |
title_short |
Entering into dialogue with the taboo: Reflective writing in a social work human sexuality course |
title_full |
Entering into dialogue with the taboo: Reflective writing in a social work human sexuality course |
title_fullStr |
Entering into dialogue with the taboo: Reflective writing in a social work human sexuality course |
title_full_unstemmed |
Entering into dialogue with the taboo: Reflective writing in a social work human sexuality course |
title_sort |
entering into dialogue with the taboo: reflective writing in a social work human sexuality course |
publisher |
SIG Writing of EARLI |
series |
Journal of Writing Research |
issn |
2030-1006 |
publishDate |
2012-06-01 |
description |
This paper examines a unique reflective writing assignment used in an undergraduate social work course on human sexuality. We ask what new understandings reflective writing mediates (Vygotsky, 1978) regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender relations—oft-neglected topics within pre-professional academic programs. One goal for this assignment was to mediate future social workers' abilities to differentiate between thoughts and feelings, and we evaluate the degree to which students did so in their writing. By adapting Hatton and Smith's (1994) framework for analyzing reflective writing, we also distinguish between descriptive and dialogical reflection, identifying and analyzing examples of both within the students' writing. Findings suggest that students engaged primarily in descriptive reflection, but also engaged in some dialogical reflection. We argue that both are useful but that the latter mediates deeper and more useful learning. We present recommendations for enhancing reflective writing assignment design in pre-professional academic programs. |
topic |
reflective writing antihomophobia work social work pre-professional programs assignment design |
url |
http://jowr.org/Ccount/click.php?id=50 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT heatherkilleleamcentarferdavidskibasaraharobert enteringintodialoguewiththetabooreflectivewritinginasocialworkhumansexualitycourse |
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1725645985425653760 |