Individualized anti-oppressive practice coaching (I-AOPC): a pilot study on anti-oppressive practice in social work education

Background: Despite social work educational standards on cultural competence that address racial inequality there are challenges in identifying effective pedagogical practices that measure course design for individual professional growth. The purpose of this pilot study is to investigate the use of the Integrated Systems Anti-oppressive Practice (ISAOP) Model and Individualized Anti-oppressive Practice Coaching (I-AOPC) for social work students. Guided by transformative learning theory, this study highlights the need for individualized learning to support social work students with differing emotional needs. Methods: A mixed-methods research design was used for this pre-experimental pilot study to conduct preliminary evaluation of the intervention. Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, researchers recruited graduate social work students (n = 9) from a large Midwest University. Participants completed pre/posttest measures on reflexivity, intercultural communication, and anti-racism, virtual coaching session that used a dialectical process to identify strengths and opportunities for anti-oppressive skill development, and feedback survey to understand participant experience. Results: The findings from this study suggests that ISAOP and I-AOPC showed promising results in the effective use as an educational intervention for diversity curriculum. This study identified coaching processes needed for adaptation to increase statistical significance. Qualitative analysis yielded five themes: (1) Connecting past experiences to current practices; (2) Evaluation of cognitive and behavioral processes; (3) Identifying barriers to skills development; (4) Planning for applicable behavior changes; and (5) Value in private space for feedback and reflection. Quantitative analysis showed changes between pre/posttest measures for reflexivity, intercultural communication, and anti-racism; changes did not meet the threshold for statistical significance due to a small sample size. Conclusion: The conceptual development of ISAOP and I-AOPC are meaningful contributions to diversity education within social work. Future development of this model including interprofessional education and training components suggests promising effective use in diversity curriculum and individualized learning for social work students.