Flanagan, Niamh and Wilson, Elaine
(2018)
What makes a good placement? Findings of a Social Work Student-to-Student Peer
Research Study.
Social Work Education, 37.
ISSN 0261-5476
Abstract
Social work fieldwork placements are recognised as a key component of social work
education. This article analyses the experiences of students who have completed one social
2
work placement and examines what they felt was most effective in aiding their learning. The
innovative methodology used for the research enabled first year students to design an on-line
survey which they administered to their second year student colleagues. As a result the first
year students gained experience in designing and administering a piece of research, but also
gained a greater understanding of what previous students have found assisted their learning on
placement. This cross-sectional research surveyed accessed the 2014/15 cohort of year 1 and
year 2 Masters in Social Work (MSW) students. It was conducted in two phases: in the first
phase a year 1 student-staff team surveyed year 2 students who had just completed their
placements, and in the second phase staff researchers surveyed both year 1 and year 2
students who had just completed their placements.
Students reported how prepared they felt for placement and also who or what facilitated their
learning on placement. Students’ perception of the volume of learning on placement was
strongly correlated with satisfaction. It is argued that being able to clearly identify types of
interaction that enhance students’ learning, leads to more positive outcomes for all involved in
the placement experience.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
Social work; practice placement; practicum; practice learning; student experiences; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > Applied Social Studies |
| Item ID: |
12770 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2018.1450373 |
| Depositing User: |
Niamh Flanagan
|
| Date Deposited: |
20 Apr 2020 10:06 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Social Work Education |
| Publisher: |
Taylor & Francis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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