Technology-Based Social Work Education and Its Implications for Rural Communities: A Scoping Review

Background and Purpose

Rural residents in the United States experience worse mental health outcomes, including higher rates of suicidality, as compared to urban residents. This disparity is due in part to mental health workforce shortages. Past research has pointed toward rural-specific educational pathways as a mechanism for increasing the mental health workforce, thereby reducing urban-rural mental health disparities. Distance learning has the benefit of allowing rural residents to remain in their home communities thereby reducing barriers to entry into educational programs which are most often located in urban centers. We conducted a scoping review to explore existing literature and synthesize studies that included rural outcomes associated with technology-based distance learning social work programs. Our research question was, “What is known about the rural impact of social work programs that are technology-based distance learning?”

Methods

This study used the JBI scoping framework and followed the PRISMA-ScR checklist to review 23 studies. These studies were identified through systematically searching six databases: APA PsycInfo (Ovid); Medline (Ovid); ERIC (EBSCOhost); Education Source Premier (EBSCOhost); Social Services Abstracts (ProQuest); Scopus; and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Three members of the research team used Covidence software to independently screen studies based on predetermined inclusion criteria. Study characteristics for the final sample of studies (n=23) were reviewed and extracted independently by two members of the research team and, after resolving discrepancies, two members of the research team conducted a qualitative content analysis.

Results

The most common rural outcome examined in our final sample of studies was access to education for rural residents (65%), followed by workforce recruitment and retention (17%), quality of education (9%), workforce development (4%), and student supports (4%). Participants in the technology-based distance learning were most often MSW students (39%), closely followed by BSW students (35%) followed by programs that combined BSW and MSW students (26%). The most common technology types used in distance learning programs were Interactive Television (39%) and online education (35%). Mixed-methods and qualitative methodologies were most common, and each represented 39% of studies.

Conclusions and Implications

Studies in our final sample demonstrated that technology-based distance learning social work programs can have a positive impact on the rural social work workforce without sacrificing quality of education. However, our review identified a dearth of recent literature examining rural outcomes related to social work education that was technology-based distance learning. Specifically, only eight studies in our final sample examined online education as it relates to rural outcomes. To address mental health workforce shortages, and lessen rural-urban mental health disparities, understanding and promoting rural educational pathway programs, such as online social work education, is paramount. Our study reveals the need for more research to systematically examine the impact of online social work programs on the rural mental health workforce.