Identity Crises in Social Work Education in Korea
One of the challenges we face in social work education in some countries like mine is that the boundary between social welfare and social work is becoming blurry, resulting severe identity crises both in social welfare and social work. In place of social work where the professional identity has been greatly diminishing, social welfare took over social work's place from long time ago. Social welfare is very popular as a major at the colleges and universities throughout the country. The name or title of the departments has been shifted from social work to social welfare even before the concepts of social welfare were fully comprehended and agreed upon and before the relationship between social welfare and social work was adequately established. Accordingly, confusions and conflicts have risen both in social welfare and social work. This paper examines the importance of field work education for students as mediator and facilitator between social welfare as a field and social work as a profession. Students in the practicum play roles of change agents between expanding areas of social welfare and traditioanl social work, and between the rapidly changing and moving society and rather static schools. They not only learn the areas of change or development in society but also bring fresh input (information, facts, and even knowledge) to school immediately so that schools and teachers can better be equipped themselves. This paper examines the very positive side stories of students' field work experiences in various settings of traditional and non-traditional plancements and its' implications to educators and schools. When the componets of social work are missing, to get along well with other professions within welfare systems in the civilized society will be a great importance. The educational systems will be examined with suggestions for social work education.