SOCIAL SERVICE CURRICULA IN URUGUAY: BACKGROUNDS, AND PERCEPTIONS OF CURRICULA HELD BY URUGUAYAN SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine, describe and analyze the patterns of social service curricula in Uruguay. This exploratory study obtained data about structured and unstructured social service education, and the educational and professional backgrounds of educators and social service workers. The research process included: (1) administration of a questionnaire to University of the Republic's School of Social Service (EUSS) faculty to determine their perceptions of School curriculum, and their personal backgrounds; (2) administration of a questionnaire to social service workers in Montevideo to determine their perceptions of their professional education, and their personal backgrounds; (3) analysis of structured social service at EUSS and the Institute of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters’ (IFCL) Department of Social Service (formerly School of Social Service of Uruguay); (4) analysis of in-service social service education offered in Montevideo; and (5) observation of and participation in social service activities essentially in Montevideo. Forty-four faculty members of EUSS and one hundred and twenty social service workers responded to questionnaires. The results of the present research may be summarized thusly: (1) the social service professional respondents demonstrated a complete dedication to their profession and to the well-being of less fortunate members of Uruguayan society; (2) perceptions held by EUSS faculty about twenty-two courses of the EUSS 1979 curriculum were: nine courses, satisfactory in content; twelve courses, improve content; and one course, considerable content improvement required; (3) social service curricula of EUSS and IFCL differed notably in their requirements in social sciences, methodology and special course work; (4) the curricular mission of the Institute for Domestic Social Training (IFFS) appeared overly concerned with the family unit; (5) EUSS practicum training was poorly supervised by faculty, a broad spectrum of training sites was not used, and agency personnel were not utilized sufficiently for supervision of interns; (6) in-service educational offerings were limited in scope and number, and schools of social service were not meeting the continuing education needs of professional workers; (7) rural social service needs were not being met by structured and in-service education, nor was sufficient research being done about rural social problems; (8) insufficient research was being directed toward the indigenization and reconceptualization of social service curricula; (9) EUSS instructors were all part-time and limited in post-graduate training; (10) interest in postgraduate courses and a masters' degree program was high among EUSS faculty and social service professionals; and (11) graduates of Uruguayan schools of social service were limited in their ability to conduct independent research or to accept mid-level administrative positions due to minimal training in these two educational areas. EUSS faculty and social service professional defined social service priority curricular areas of emphasis for the 1980 as health, primary and secondary education, children, housing, the family, and social rehabilitation. Several conclusions and recommendations were derived from this research, including: (1) EUSS and IFCL curricula differed in emphasis on the social sciences and methodology courses; (2) social service education should be divided, and undergraduate education should be the responsibility of IFCL, and post-graduate education, as a structured masters’ degree program, the responsibility of the University of the Republic through a newly founded Graduate School of Social Service. In-service education should be a cooperative program involving all public and private social service educational institutions; (3) social service educators and professional workers should unite to influence national social policy formation; and (4) social service educators and professionals should give high priority to research to meet future needs of the Uruguayan society.