How do social work students navigate professional practice situations?

Auner, Carolin (2023): How do social work students navigate professional practice situations?: exploring student strategies, challenges and influential factors: a grounded theory study. Dissertation, LMU München: Fakultät für Psychologie und Pädagogik

Abstract

Professional practice in social work is primarily considered as the capacity to pursue scientifically informed, method- and value-based interventions under conditions of complexity, paradoxes and uncertainties inherent in social work. As a nexus connecting knowledge and competence, professional practice aims at ensuring comprehensive examination, contextualisation, and interpretation of social problems of individuals or communities in a collaborative, solution-oriented approach. An essential target of social work education and training is therefore to thoroughly qualify students for professional practice. In order to equip students for the demanding practice of social work, universities have developed comprehensive curricula covering both, scientific knowledge, as well as practical skills. Nevertheless, there is little evidence about how social work students implement their theoretically acquired knowledge in the context of professional practice and how they approach complex and unpredictable situations of social work practice. This dissertation aims at closing this gap by investigating professional practices of social work students. The overall aim of this explorative research is to analyse and conceptualise the scope of students’ approaches and strategies for professional practice in-depth, as well as to identify possible influential factors on their actions. Research that strives to understand student professional practice strategies also attempts to improve and foster professional development and thus, enhancing quality of teaching by proposing suggestions for improving classroom quality. By providing findings from two empirical studies, this dissertation aims at contributing to social work education. The two consecutive empirical studies of this thesis were conducted applying the grounded theory methodology. Subsequently, to address the research aims to the fullest extent possible, a qualitative-exploratory approach to research was used. When pursuing to assess students’ professional practice with a high level of authenticity, a realistic portrayal of social work practice was crucial. Therefore, a simulation involving a trained actress standardised client was developed as the research design’s superstructure. By modelling an initial assessment process, the students were encouraged to step into the role of a social worker and to interact professionally with an overstrained client. In total, 25 social work students (bachelor’s level), from four different universities across Germany participated voluntarily. In the first study, the students’ professional practice was observed directly, based on non-participatory ethnographic observation and the examination of the video-taped simulations. Building upon the findings of this first study, the students’ reflections about their professional practice were placed at the core of the second study. This was accomplished through individual problem-centred interviews conducted after the simulation experience. More than 550 minutes of transcribed video and 650 minutes of interview material were analysed by using grounded theory’s systematic methods of open, axial and selective coding. As a result of this investigation, two conceptual models were developed. These models detail action patterns, strategies, challenges, and influential aspects of the students’ professional practice. Evidence provided by both studies reveal the complexity of learning professional practice in social work. The findings highlight challenges encountered by students in performing the professional role of a social worker, building and maintaining a professional relationship with the client, and dealing with the assessment process in general. Misunderstanding the demands of the professional situation results in adopting alternative strategies, such as recourse to day-to-day knowledge, individual reflection criteria and evasive actions. Furthermore, there is evidence that the students’ prior experiences, whether professional or personal, may influence their professional practice. Altogether, the results highlight substantial difficulties that the students face in terms of their capacity to engage in scientifically informed, method- and value- based activities under dynamic and unpredictable conditions of social work practice. Both studies strongly suggest that students should be given greater learning support in order to engage in the challenging practice of social work. Beyond this, the findings emphasise the relevance of providing students with opportunities to reflect on personal beliefs as well as prior experiences and, about how these may be influencing their professional practice. Considering all this, it is reasonable to conclude that students need access to more authentic, realistic exercises with individual feedback to systematically develop their capacities for professional practice in social work. Providing simulations relating to particular practice situations of social work involving standardised clients seems to be a promising approach for social work education and the professional development of future social workers.

• Dokumententyp: Dissertationen (Dissertation, LMU München)
• Themengebiete: 100 Philosophie und Psychologie ; 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 370 Erziehung, Schul- und Bildungswesen
• Fakultäten: Fakultät für Psychologie und Pädagogik
• Sprache der Hochschulschrift: Englisch
• Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 18. Juli 2023
• 1. Bericht­erstatter:in: Pankofer, Sabine