Social Justice Advocacy Implementation in Rural Settings

Abstract

Globally, Social workers face myriads of challenges. Among these challenges are the practitioner’s perception with regards to implementation outcomes of social justice advocacy in Schools. As a point of focus, this article reports on the challenge using Imo state as a case in point to address this challenge on the one hand and providing a blue print towards guaranteeing reforms in schools, academic growth and achievement, and offering voice to social workers operating in challenging rural settings concerning the obstacles they face. The outcomes specify that school social workers’ understanding of the effective implementation of social justice types and the derivative social advocacy problems encountered during their implementation, their self-efficacy, professional contentment and coping at rural schools are global issues that requires local interest in terms of the apparent importance of social justice advocacy and coping mechanisms. Methodologically, Sixty-nine social work practitioners in rural high schools located in three senatorial zones of Imo State, Nigeria were involved in an on-site pilot-study implementing social justice types and the emanated social advocacy problems. Implications for social work on social justice effectiveness and social advocacy problems were measured. Through positivist paradigm driven research, we conclude that ‘eustress’ enables the empowerment of social advocacy and the need for social workers to reflect on its utilisation is expedient.

Keywords: Social justice effectiveness, social workers, social advocacy, rural schools