Student readiness for criminal justice social work practice: A calibration study

Dimitra Lattas; Brittany Adams; Rachel Michelle Ross; Peter Innes; Melissa Innes

doi:10.1177/02645505251364699

Back

Student readiness for criminal justice social work practice: A calibration study

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Student readiness for criminal justice social work practice: A calibration study

Dimitra Lattas, Brittany Adams, Rachel Michelle Ross, Peter Innes and Melissa Innes

Probation Journal, Vol.72(4), pp.425-446

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02645505251364699

Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs

Files and links (1)

pdf

lattas-et-al-2025-student-readiness-for-criminal-justice-social-work-practice-a-calibration-study714.82 kBDownload View

Published Version Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Humanities and social sciences curriculum and pedagogy (excl. economics, business and management)

Pedagogy

Workforce transition and employment

social work education

criminal justice

confidence

calibration

practice readiness

Concerns have been raised about the readiness of social work graduates for criminal justice practice in many countries, including the United States and Australia. Social workers play an essential role in the criminal justice system, so equipping graduates with the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence for effective practice is crucial. Using factor analysis and logistic regression, the study investigates the relationship (calibrated vs misaligned) between student self-assessed confidence and their graded competence in a simulated activity. This study examines the alignment and relationship between confidence and competence in American and Australian social work and criminology students (n = 204). Findings reveal a miscalibration between confidence and skill level, with students often over- or underestimating their abilities. The results indicate that field education and work experience support student skill-building but does not necessarily lead to high confidence-competence alignment. This suggests confidence fluctuates as students engage with increasingly complex knowledge and practice. The results reinforce the idea that graduates should not be considered ‘end-products’ but require ongoing workplace learning, supervision, and support. To enhance forensic social work readiness, universities and industry stakeholders must collaborate to integrate experiential learning, structured supervision, and reflective practice into both pre- and post-graduate education.

Details

Title: Student readiness for criminal justice social work practice: A calibration study
Authors: Dimitra Lattas (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Brittany Adams (Author) - University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Rachel Michelle Ross (Author) - University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Peter Innes (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Melissa Innes (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
Publication details: Probation Journal, Vol.72(4), pp.425-446
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd.
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1177/02645505251364699
ISSN: 1741-3079
Copyright note: © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991153940102621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

2 File views/ downloads

31 Record Views