Opportunities to strengthen community development teaching in undergraduate social work programmes: an international curriculum comparative case study analysis

Abstract

This study is a comparative case study analysis between Otago University, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland to evaluate the prevalence of community development concepts, theories, and approaches in the final two years of a qualifying undergraduate social work degree. Drawing upon literature, research insights, and practice experience, a comprehensive list of terms explicitly associated with community development, both internationally and in the local context, was established collectively by the team. Employing a framework method a matrix was developed to accurately capture information in a format that could be easily compared between case studies. Such an approach ensured that content in community development specialist modules could be captured, as well as occurrences of community development content woven into other modules in the degree could be identified. This paper aims to shine a light on opportunities for strengthening the links between community development and social work in higher education and promote innovative approaches in social work qualifying training.