Encouraging Research in Social Work: Narrative as the Thread Integrating Education and Research in Social Work

The call for more research-based practice is universal as all the social science professions look to bring research into the forefront. Social work research must be seamlessly integrated into social work education in order to adequately address trends in evidence-based practice. International trends call for research to be seamlessly integrated with teaching and learning, so that social work practitioners and educators can function in an environment that is 'research-led, research-based and research-informed' [C. Hunt (2011) The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030: Report of the Strategy Group, Department of Education and Skills, Dublin, p. 44]. This review and analysis of recent literature in nursing, medicine, social work and social care suggests that the creative arts can be a way to encourage student thinking and questioning skills as well as a potential link to relevant social science research models and thus engender a more research-minded environment. Additionally, the trend toward humanities in general, infusing education with an interdisciplinary flavour, supports the use of creative methods in both teaching and research. This brief literature review and discussion focuses on these issues with specific attention to narrative and story-telling as one particular theme in education and research.