An experiential-learning based policy advocacy education model in Hong Kong: What works in a non-Western and partial democratic context?

Abstract

Policy advocacy is a crucial field of social work practice, which tackles structural barriers to social justice advancing the needs of vulnerable population groups. Social service organizations in Hong Kong face a challenging social political context in their role in practicing policy advocacy, and the social work education curriculum can play a critical role in equipping students with this capacity. The HKU piloted a teaching model for 'policy advocacy practice' that emphasized experiential learning in Spring 2018. This teaching innovation has implications for advancing social work education in Hong Kong and other non-Western/non-democratic societies.I. Create experiential learning materials for policy advocacy educationFirst, we created a series of videos on policy advocacy practice. Second, we created case studies by interviewing policy advocacy practitioners to share details about advocacy initiatives. Third, this course also has two experiential learning components as part of its design: legislative council visit and policy advocacy in action. Throughout the semester, students were required to select an advocacy organization, contact them, and participate in or volunteer for an advocacy initiative. In the presentation, we will share the experience and challenges in piloting this course.II. Formative and outcome evaluation of this policy advocacy teaching model using mixed methods research. The key evaluation research questions are: What do students find most valuable about taking this “policy advocacy practice” course? What do students find most challenging about taking this course? Does taking this policy advocacy course increase students’ intention and ability to engage in policy advocacy in the future? What is an ideal model of policy advocacy education in Hong Kong? To answer the above questions, we use four data collection methods: individual questionnaire/survey utilizing a quasi-experimental design (comparing treatment and comparison groups before and after the semester), focus groups, content analysis of students’ reflection papers, and key informant interviews.