Learning a shared language–theoretical concepts as tools for enhanced well-being in social work interventions

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the opportunities of using theoretical concepts as way of gaining a shared language for people participating in an active labour market program (ALMP). The investigated programme offered vocational education preparing for work in eldercare to unemployed individuals. Data was collected through interviews with ten participants and two teachers, and through observations. All participants had experienced social problems such as homelessness, indebtedness, criminality. Half of the group had Swedish as their first language. In the other half of the group, several languages were spoken. Some spoke Swedish without difficulties, whereas others had big difficulties speaking, reading, and understanding Swedish. The programme included an introduction to Aaron Antonovsky’s theory Sense of Coherence (SOC). This article reports from, and reflects on, the acquisition of a theoretical vocabulary serving as a pedagogical short-cut for the participants. By filling the concept of SOC with meaning, participants got access to a new language, a language that was surely not ‘plain Swedish’, but rather a language of abstract theory. The pedagogical work created literacy–and a shared platform for increased understanding of one’s own life story and current situation. Using the empirical case of an ALMP serves as an attempt to cross-fertilize the theory of SOC and educational ideas in a way that is not conventional in social work research. We suggest that introducing a theoretical language relevant for one’s own personal story might enhance well-being and thus prime learning in social work interventions.