Exploring social workers’ views on pursuing postgraduate studies outside the social work field: Gauteng Province

Abstract

The pursuit of postgraduate qualifications (Honors, Master’s and PhD) by social workers may be regarded as an act to improve their career prospects. Therefore, the current study aims to explore the views of social workers who were pursuing postgraduate studies outside the discipline of social work, in Gauteng Province. The researcher employed a qualitative research approach and a case study research design. Additionally, the researcher used the purposive sampling method, resulting in the recruitment of 12 participants. Participants were a share of both men and women, who had more than three years of working experience as social workers. Semi-structured interviews were utilised for data collection. The collected data were analysed using qualitative content analysis (QCA). The participants in this study were generally motivated to study further by their exposure to various undergraduate courses like psychology, the desire to gain more knowledge and skills, as well as career progression. Reasons for further studies, particularly outside the social work field, were loss of interest in the profession, and not willing to be a social work supervisor. Participants were further hindered from furthering studies in their field by a lack of self-development and growth, being underpaid and more. The current study can promote the development of social workers and contribute to the field of Occupational Social Work (OSW), as it promotes the health and well-being of employees. Moreover, the study’s findings may contribute to the curriculum changes of social work in the institutions.