Objectives: Ensuring that the students of social work possess the ideal attitude is critical for shaping effective social work professionals for the future. In this regard, the present research documents the development of the 15-item Social Work Attitude Test for Students (SWATS-15). Method: Using a sample of 263 social work students in India and using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the final set of items of the tool was established. Results: The tool has shown a high degree of validity and reliability across various statistical measurements (McDonald's Omega = 0.92). Conclusion: SWATS-15 has multiple real-world uses. While it can be used as a tool to identify whether an applicant for a social work program has the ideal attitude necessary for the program, it can also be used by organizations working with vulnerable and sensitive communities to select student interns.
Krishnan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.