Educating for social action: An evaluation of the impact of a fieldwork training program

This study employed a pretest-posttest design to evaluate the impact of an innovative fieldwork program in Israel that placed BS W students in social change organizations. It examined the program's impact upon students' willingness and sense of self-competence to engage in social action, their willingness to work in social change organizations, their perceptions regarding state responsibility for welfare, and the link between politics and social work. The sample consisted of 141 first-year BSW students from a research and comparison group. The findings show that the intended objectives of the program were not met. Several explanations are offered, as are implications for social work education.