Using the grounded theory approach in fieldwork education in India

Abstract

Fieldwork occupies a critical space in social work education in India. The role of field education in preparing professional social workers has been acknowledged in the university curriculum. However, there has been a huge disparity among various colleges and universities in the way they adopt field education in their curriculum. Besides, there has been a large disconnect between theoretical learning in the classroom and practice adopted by the organizations in the field. As an applied discipline, social work must reinvent itself to become relevant in the Indian context. The grounded theory approach could be used to visualize the social work ecosystem in India, which will replace the theoretical approach. Application of grounded theory would apprise academicians to the realities of fieldwork and the creation of a new theoretical model. Instituting a field action project by the social work department within colleges and universities can supply local knowledge and a theoretical construct. However, due to a lack of funds and many other reasons, this practice has rarely been used. Hence, there has been little value addition through field education in the social work discipline. Acknowledging and using the grounded theory approach will fill this vacuum and revive the theoretical construct through field education in social work. It will help not only the educators but also the students to contextualize theories, practices, and models. Against this backdrop, this chapter tries to resolve the continuous tension between classroom theory and application using the grounded theory approach. It will use the qualitative analysis of a narrative produced by students in their fieldwork reports, along with evaluation and feedback given by field supervisors in an academic year.