Abstract
Practice education is regarded as an integral component of the curriculum in social work training (Bogo & Globerman, 1999; Raskin, Skolnik & Wayne, 1991:276; Unger, 2003:107), because it is through practice education that students develop the professional skills that form the basis of their future work performance (Bogo & Globerman, 1999). Practice education makes it possible for students to integrate theory and practice, develop intervention skills and manage ethically challenging situations (Litvack, Bogo & Mishna, 2010:228). Valentine (2004:3) rightly observes that practice education is the place where theory, ethics and skills meet to form the professional judgement characteristic of an effective social work practitioner. The quality of the social work profession and social workers is therefore partly determined by the availability and effectiveness of the practice education opportunities which are offered by the university (Kanno & Koeske, 2010:23), because these opportunities have an important influence on the graduates’ readiness for practice (Wayne, Bogo & Raskin, 2006:161).
Highlights
Practice education is regarded as an integral component of the curriculum in social work training (Bogo & Globerman, 1999; Raskin, Skolnik & Wayne, 1991:276; Unger, 2003:107), because it is through practice education that students develop the professional skills that form the basis of their future work performance (Bogo & Globerman, 1999)
The results of the study are explained with reference to the research questions which were mainly aimed at determining: how social workers became involved in practice education; the rationale or motivation for remaining involved in practice education; the perspectives of the field instructors on the value of student practice education for the organisation; and the views of the field instructors on the ideal situation in which to teach students
The field instructors in this group mostly mentioned personal motivation or the intrinsic rewards that practice education holds for them. These reasons largely concerned the preparation of social workers for practice, the inputs that are made into young social workers, the unique contribution that field instructors feel they can make to the professional growth of students and the personal satisfaction the field instructors gain from teaching
Summary
Practice education is regarded as an integral component of the curriculum in social work training (Bogo & Globerman, 1999; Raskin, Skolnik & Wayne, 1991:276; Unger, 2003:107), because it is through practice education that students develop the professional skills that form the basis of their future work performance (Bogo & Globerman, 1999). Field instructors are essential for the success of practice education placements, especially because the relationship between the student and the field instructor influences the student’s perception of the learning experience, which in turn determines the student’s satisfaction with practice education This important educational role of field instructors is, seldom acknowledged in organisations as a formal role, which means that social workers often act as field instructors voluntarily without their workload being adjusted (Globerman & Bogo, 2003:65). In spite of the fact that practice education plays such a central role in the training of students, there are still insufficient research results available about the rationale or the motivation of social workers to act as field instructors (Bogo & Power, 1992; Globerman & Bogo, 2003; Lacerte, Ray & Irwin, 1989; Rosenfeld, 1988). The focus in this article will be on certain incentives that field instructors find supportive or motivating, and on what encourages them to remain involved in practice education
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