A theoretical framework for understanding the importance of implementing simulation in social work education

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social work engages in many complex and emotionally charged environments that challenge the educational requirements of students. The profession draws on various theories, including sociology, psychology, and political sciences to inform understandings of power, oppression, structural injustice, and complex lived experiences. However, contributions from psychological science are important in understanding how students develop the necessary cognitive function needed to handle complex situations, thereby providing a blueprint for ways of teaching and learning. Theories of learning and cognition can be utilized to understand how people develop the capacity to perceive, process, store, and act upon complex information. This paper investigates a theoretical model that social worker educators can use to understand how individuals draw upon learning to frame their understanding for future practice. Memory is a key feature in how students process, learn and adapt to new information within their environment, playing a pivotal role in learning and teaching. By harnessing cognitive load theory, simulation pedagogy can draw on memory as a defining ingredient in practice skill development and complex decision making. Thus, providing a theoretical framework for inclusion of simulation within social work education, protecting vulnerable service users, equipping students for placement and upholding the professional integrity of social work.