Promoting research literacy during the social work practicum

Jane Maidment,Yvonne Crichton-Hill,Karen Meadows-Taurua,Dominic Chilvers

doi:10.11157/anzswj-vol23iss4id145

Jane Maidment, Yvonne Crichton-Hill + Show 2 more

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Recent research in New Zealand (Beddoe, 2010) and elsewhere (Joubert, 2006) has documented low levels of confidence amongst social work graduates in conducting applied social research. This article will examine the reasons why research literacy amongst students and graduates appears to be at a low ebb, and will report on the early developmental phases of a field education model being piloted in Christchurch, New Zealand, to promote knowledge and skill development in practice research. The process used for planning a suite of practice research placements is outlined, together with examining the application of the communities of practice model for facilitating this intervention. Practical strategies for including research learning objectives and activities are provided, with the view to encouraging routine inclusion of different tasks associated with systematic inquiry into all field placements. The evaluation design for the group of practice research placements is outlined with considerations of the project limitations and potential for future development. A second article on how the project progressed will be submitted later in 2012.

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Social work curricula and texts routinely cite the importance of research activity to promote knowledge development, practice evaluation, civic engagement and advocacy (Connolly & Harms, 2009; Beddoe & Maidment, 2009)
Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) and the University of Canterbury staff have submitted applications to gain approval to conduct the data collection and analysis necessary to carry out this evaluation process
One assumption in developing this research practicum project is that sound practice is supported by a good degree of thoughtfulness, scrutiny and systematic inquiry

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Social work curricula and texts routinely cite the importance of research activity to promote knowledge development, practice evaluation, civic engagement and advocacy (Connolly & Harms, 2009; Beddoe & Maidment, 2009). In the context of this project the practitioner is the field educator and the student is an active participant in the inquiry process.

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