Promoting Competence
Multistage Conceptualization, Empirical Evidence, and Current Controversies on Licensure to Inform a Future Research Agenda
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21619060 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Laura Curran (0000-0001-8877-397X), Jeounghee Kim (0000-0001-9305-7142, corresponding author), Myungkook Joo (0000-0002-6736-930X) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 173-188 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social Work Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1043-7797 • E-ISSN: 2163-5811 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10437797.2024.2420091 |
| OpenAlex | W4406661783 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 50 |
This article examines the role of social work licensure in the promotion, assessment, and oversight of professional competence in social work practice. We ground our discussion of licensure and competence within a broader conceptualization of professional competence. The article (a) presents conceptual and assessment models of a multistage competence, (b) considers the extant empirical evidence on the assessment of competence at each stage, (c) discusses the role of state regulatory and licensing bodies in credentialing and upholding entry-level and continuing competency in social work practice, and (d) presents recommendations for future empirical research to inform best practices. The article engages with contemporary debates around licensure, including evidence of structural racism in the licensure process. The unique challenges associated with articulating, assessing, and regulating competence in a broad-based, values-driven profession practiced in complex and diverse settings are considered throughout
Alternative medicine · Conceptualization · Empirical evidence · Empirical research · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Evidence-based practice · Licensure · Medical education · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Human Resource Development and Performance Evaluation · Innovations in Medical Education · Medicine · Occupational and Professional Licensing Regulation · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Work
Measuring Social Work Competencies
Assessment Processes in Social Work Education
A Test of the Validity of the LCSW Examination
Social Work Continuing Education
Social Work Continuing Education
Microaggressions and racial privilege within the social work profession
An Effective Model for Continuing Education Training in Evidence-Based Practice
Racial Disparities in Social Workers’ Licensing Rates
Linking Social Work Licensing Exam Content to Educational Competencies
Social Work Licensure and Regulation in the United States
Racial Bias and ASWB Exams
The Association of Social Work Boards’ Licensure Examinations
Winter is Coming
Results from a National Study of Social Workers Sanctioned by State Licensing Boards
Racial and Age Disparities in Licensing Rates among a Sample of Urban MSW Graduates
Mandatory Continuing Education
Contemporary Social Work Licensure
Race, Gender, and Teacher Testing
Insights on Professional Identification and Licensure from Community Practice Social Workers
"Testing for competence rather than for "intelligence
Preservice Teachers' Mathematics Teaching Competence
Testing and Social Stratification in American Education
Sanctioning Patterns of Social Work Licensing Boards, 2000-2009
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |