What are the experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic students in relation to their progression on an undergraduate social work course in one university in England?

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research explored the progression experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (B.A.M.E) social work students that were failing and those that were successful on the undergraduate Social Work Degree. Extant empirical literature found that B.A.M.E students have different experiences of social work education and disproportionately experience progression problems compared to their white counterparts. The research was conducted using constructivist grounded theory with data collected and analysed concurrently, through an iterative process and the use of the constant comparison method. The research was conducted at an English post-1992 city-based university, and data collection involved individual interviews with 16 B.A.M.E participants at different stages of progression and analysis of university records. The findings from this research explain the lived experience of B.A.M.E social work students, especially in relation to how students understand and evaluate their self-concept with clarity, their experiences of racial discrimination, and in how students are supported to nurture their community cultural wealth. These key concepts are interdependent and there is power inherent in each of these areas. Guidance has been developed on how students can be supported to nurture their community cultural wealth in developing high self-concept clarity, tackling inequalities and enabling a more successful course progression.