Transformative Learning in Field Education: Students Bridging the Theory/Practice Gap

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Archer-Kuhn ◽  
Patricia Samson ◽  
Thecla Damianakis ◽  
Betty Barrett ◽  
Sumaiya Matin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Field Supervisor ◽  
Disorienting Dilemmas ◽  
Identity Shifts ◽  
Theory Practice Gap ◽  
Social Work Field Education

Abstract In a four-year, four cohort study utilising a series of six focus groups, forty Masters of Social Work students preparing to graduate defined their personal and professional experiences of transformation in their respective social work field education settings. Using an inductive thematic analysis, students highlighted four key themes in their transformative learning (TL) process: (i) defining the nature of disorienting dilemmas in field education; (ii) critical self-reflection, coping and moving through disorienting dilemmas; (iii) identifying the transformative outcomes in a field context; and (iv) facilitative factors to TL in field education. The findings illuminate the essential role of the field supervisor in creating ‘relationship’. The field supervisor/student relationship is the conduit to students’ deep learning, critical reflection, identity shifts and empathy supporting the student’s navigation through their disorientating moments towards transformative and meaningful outcomes. This study extends our understanding of the role of TL theory within experiential learning contexts and the feasibility of its use in the social work field education experience.

“Technology and Boundary Concerns in Social Work Field Education”

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 7-24
Author(s):  
Allan Barsky
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Role Modeling ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Supervisory Relationship ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Professional Boundary ◽  
Boundary Issues ◽  
Social Work Field Education ◽  
Support Students

Field educators and social work students use technology in various realms of practice, including provision of services to clients and provision of supervision for students. This article identifies how professional boundary issues may arise when social workers, field educators, or students use technology. This article also explores four ways that field educators can educate and support students in relation to pre-empting and managing technology-related boundary issues: policy clarification, role modeling through interactions with clients and others, role modeling within supervisory relationship, and advocacy.

Keeping the Boss Happy: Black and Minority Ethnic Students’ Accounts of the Field Education Crisis

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 2168-2186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinthu Srikanthan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
Racial Categories ◽  
Accredited Schools ◽  
School Of Social Work ◽  
Ethnic Students ◽  
Social Work Field Education ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Abstract Social work field education, the mandatory, practice-based component of accredited schools of social work, is in a state of crisis. Welfare state retrenchment has reduced the social and health service sectors’ capacity to provide field education placements. Concurrently, increasing student enrollment in and the expansion of social work programmes in the academy have increased the demand for field education. Whilst the service and academic sectors have developed a range of formal and informal relationships to cope with the crisis that often benefit workers in both domains, the implications for students, especially those who are Black and Minority Ethnic (BME), remain largely unknown. This article reports findings from institutional ethnographic research based on textual analyses and interviews with five BME students from a school of social work in Southern Ontario who were engaged in securing field education placement. A central finding of the study was that racial categories and hierarchies are reproduced across placement settings and in the sorting process of students into placement settings itself, adding to the work of BME social work students. The findings implicate the institutional practices and context of field education in the production of a racially stratified labour market in social work field education.

Employment interview simulation project: Evaluating its potential for graduating social work students and its transferability to other health disciplines

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 118-137
Author(s):  
Mary-Katherine Lowes ◽  
Danielle Omrin ◽  
Andrea Moore ◽  
Joanne Sulman ◽  
Jill Pascoe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Employment Interview ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Msw Students ◽  
Social Work Field Education

The transition from student to professional is challenging and often filled with pressure to secure relevant employment in a competitive market. We provided MSW students with employment interview simulations during their final practicum to evaluate the application and utility of this training to social work field education. A participatory action research model was utilized. Primary themes were identified as fundamental to interviews, including managing anxiety, self-reflection, and effective communication. Overall, students found the process and feedback to be invaluable to their learning. We suggest ways in which interview training can be integrated into field education to strengthen students’ postgraduate employability.

scholarly journals Interrupting White Supremacy in Field Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 311-330
Author(s):  
Anita Gooding ◽  
Gita R. Mehrotra
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Racial Microaggressions ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Field Instructors ◽  
Field Placements ◽  
Practice Experience ◽  
Social Work Field Education

As social work’s signature pedagogy, field education socializes students into their professional roles as practitioners. However, for students and field instructors of color, racial microaggressions add another dimension to the practice experience. Utilizing findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) social work students and agency-based field instructors, this paper highlights experiences of microaggressions in field placement settings. Specifically, BIPOC students and field instructors described being tokenized in agencies, feeling invisible in placement settings, experiencing microaggressions from service users or students, and witnessing microaggressions. Experiences of microaggressions had emotional impacts, and affected participants’ sense of professional identity and confidence. Based on findings, we share recommendations for addressing racial microaggressions within social work field education in order to promote racial equity, including: grounding microaggressions in an ecological approach, unpacking the concept of professionalism, and building capacity of field instructors and agencies to respond to racism and microaggressions. Addressing microaggressions in field education is necessary to support BIPOC students in field placements, honor the work and well-being of racialized social workers who serve as field instructors, disrupt white supremacy, and move the social work field forward in regard to anti-racist practice.

Secondary Traumatization Among Social Work Students—The Contribution of Personal, Professional, and Environmental Factors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat Ben-Porat ◽  
Shahar Shemesh ◽  
Ronit Reuven Even Zahav ◽  
Shelly Gottlieb ◽  
Tehila Refaeli
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Explained Variance ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Self Differentiation

Abstract This study examined the rate of secondary traumatic stress (STS) among social work students and the contribution of background variables, personal resources (mastery and self-differentiation) and environmental resources (supervision satisfaction and peer support) to STS. The sample consisted of 259 social work students at three social work schools in Israel. The findings indicated that the mean level of STS was mild. Of the students, 36 per cent suffered STS to a mild extent, 19 per cent to a moderate extent and 18 per cent reported a ‘high to extreme extent’. A significant contribution was made by the student’s year of study, students in their second year of social work school suffered more severely from STS than did students in their first or third years. A positive contribution was made by the student’s level of exposure and a unique contribution was made by mastery and supervision satisfaction to the explained variance of STS. The findings highlight the importance of raising awareness of STS and its implications for social work students, as well as the necessity of helping students cope with this phenomenon. In addition, the study emphasises the significant role of supervisors in the training agencies and the importance of increasing students’ sense of mastery.

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