The aim of this study is to examine the level and influential factors of the empowerment of internal social workers of a school. In other words, it shows what relationships there are among some factors such as individual features, official features, o...
The aim of this study is to examine the level and influential factors of the empowerment of internal social workers of a school. In other words, it shows what relationships there are among some factors such as individual features, official features, organizational climate and the empowerment level. In light of this, the empowerment of internal social workers of a school is a multidimensional concept which is composed of three subordinate concepts(personal, relational, environme-ntal empowerment). It also finds a way to upgrade the empowerment level of internal social workers of a school, to check the negative factors against the empowerment level of internal social workers of a school, to give some proper precautionary measures and to try to make a contribution towards forming a client's empowerment.
The subjects of this survey are 93 social workers carrying out a school social work model service and 161 social workers carrying out an educational welfare service under the support of the Ministry of Education in the state. 160 replied by way of mail or e-mail and are included in the research.
The results of this study are as follows.
First, the level of the whole empowerment of internal social workers of a school is relatively high with marks on average 3.7057 of 5. More specifically, personal empowerment is 3.7469, relational empowerment is 3.6825 and environmental empowerment is 3.6838. Thus, internal social workers of a school recognize personal empowerment of the subordinate factors of empowerment more highly.
Second, according to the examination of the average differences of the empowerment level, which is accompanied with general features of the internal social workers of a school, the average difference between groups is meaningful in relation to a marriage, a religion, a region and an age.
Third, according to the examination of the influential factors of personal empowerment, self-control, task significance, role conflict and manager's consideration are meaningful and influential factors. In particular, a manager's consideration is the most influential for an individual's empowerment.
Fourth, according to the examination of the influential factors of relational empowerment, professional ability, role conflict and a manager's consideration are influential factors and a manager's consideration is the most influential for the relational empowerment, too.
Fifth, according to the examination of the influential factors of environmental empowerment, professional ability, self-control, interpersonal control, role conflict and autonomy are meaningful and influential variables. Professional ability and role conflict particularly influence the environmental empowerment. On the other hand, there is a negative relationship between the whole work experience of controlled variables and the environmental empowerment, so a person who works less than three years compared to more than three years has a lower recognition of the environmental empowerment.
Finally, professional ability, self-control, interpersonal control, role conflict and a manager's consideration are meaningful and influential variables in the whole empowerment of the internal social workers of a school. In particular, a manager's consideration of these variables is the most influential for the whole empowerment level.
Through the above consequences, role conflict is consistently meaningful and influential variables for individual, relational, environmental and whole empowerment. Professional ability is consistent too, but less meaningful in terms of individual empowerment. The most influential factor of the length and breadth of empowerment is a manager's consideration.
Based on the results of the research , it can be suggested that the empowerment of internal social workers of a school be strengthened as follows:
First, it is necessary to reinforce the professional abilities of internal social workers of a school. In particular, under a situation where there is no way to develop their own professional abilities in a school organization, it is very important for the school to appropriate educational expenses. This fund should be separate from the operating expenses of the school business because the school can then develop and apply new programs to benefit student's welfare by doing so.
The school district office has to provide opportunities to internal social workers of a school to take regular workshops to exchange information among them through the networks of schools which execute social welfare or educational welfare. The government also has to develop a system that provides much more supervision to internal social workers of a school.
Second, internal social workers of a school think that a manager's consideration is the most meaningful for the reinforcement of the empowerment. Therefore, it is important that the principals of the school and the educational officials collectively have to recognize school social welfare or school educational welfare as well as the related groups which include social welfare or educational welfare have to make these projects an issue in public. It is necessary that a student welfare training course has to be developed for teachers and principals by the school district office and a supporting framework for student welfare has to be formed.
Third, it is necessary to reduce the role conflict which is negative against empowerment. Internal social workers of a school are asked for an expectation of the multi-roles and they perform conflicting affairs against their own judgment because there are no processes in place of the role performance and standardization of the affairs. Therefore, the job analysis and affairs guide have to be made first. In a situation where most internal social workers of a school perform the welfare service of a student by themselves, if a program manual which is suitable for each specific business is prepared, a fast and efficient service could be offered to the students. In the end, it will be an efficient way to reduce role conflicts.