Quality of social work education and practice in the Arab countries: a comparative study of Palestine, Qatar and Tunisia

Abstract

This comparative study aims to identify student perceptions of the quality of their social work education and practice experience in 3 Arab states. It considers 8 domains: faculty members, the student cohort, curriculum, textbooks, the library, teaching methods, field practicum, and quality of student assessment. The goal is not to produce a set of league tables but to move social work courses in the Arab states towards the achievement of international standards and recognition while recognizing cultural differences and promot ing cultural sensitivity. From this study, of the three states, Qatar received the highest relative strength in the 8 domains. This study has several recommendations to improve the quality of social work education and practice in the three studied universities particularly, and for universities in the Arab world in general. In focusing on the 8 domains, it can encourage researchers to study each one indivi dually and build culturally and regionally appropriate recommen dations for institutional improvement and professional education in social work.