ERIC Number: EJ1091896
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0884-1233
EISSN: N/A
Developing Social Work Professional Judgment Skills: Enhancing Learning in Practice by Researching Learning in Practice
Rawles, Joanna
Journal of Teaching in Social Work, v36 n1 p102-122 2016
The aims of this article are twofold: to discuss the value of practice-based research as a basis for enhancing learning and teaching in social work and, as an illustration of this, to present the findings of a preliminary qualitative research study into social work students' development of professional judgment skills. The research was conducted with UK social work students at the point of qualification (graduation) to explore how they had developed skills of professional judgement during their field work placements. Practice-based research was used to gain insight into the authentic professional learning that takes place for students as they develop into qualified social workers required to formulate and exercise their own professional judgment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a critical incident approach, within an appreciative inquiry framework. The findings indicate that the participants' conceptualization of professional judgment was formulated around an interplay of social work values and knowledge and that their skills of professional judgement were developed through supported autonomy and a sense of their personal agency in learning and professional development.
Descriptors: Social Work, Counselor Training, Decision Making, Teaching Methods, Learning Processes, Qualitative Research, Skill Development, Foreign Countries, Semi Structured Interviews, Critical Incidents Method, Values, Personal Autonomy, Professional Autonomy, Clinical Experience, Masters Programs, Graduate Students
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A