Attitudes and perceptions of undergraduate social work students toward sociology courses and lecturers in University of Ilorin, Nigeria

This study aims to examine the attitudes and perceptions of undergraduate social work students toward sociology courses and lecturers. The impacts of academic exposure, teaching quality, perceived relevance, and departmental support on the academic performance of social work students in sociology courses are examined. The study was hinged on Human Capital Theory and Expectancy-Value Theory. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey approach. A total of 300 social work students from the University of Ilorin were randomly selected. A structured questionnaire (with Likert-scale items) was used to collect data for this study. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted. Descriptive results showed neutral to positive attitudes toward sociology courses and lecturers (M = 2.56–3.07), low exposure to sociology courses (M = 2.22), and moderate performance in sociology courses (M = 46.31/100). Additionally, inferential analyses revealed a strong positive correlation between social work students’ perceptions of sociology lecturers and their performance in sociology courses (r = .91; p < .001). These findings suggest the need for enhanced teaching practices and curriculum integration to improve engagement of social work students in sociology courses. These findings have implications for social work education in developing countries, as the study recommends the adoption of participatory pedagogy and institutional support.