The Role of the Field Practicum in Social Workers' Preparedness to Enter the Workforce
Open Access
- Author:
- Mac Intire, Jessica Mae
- Graduate Program:
- Adult Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 12, 2019
- Committee Members:
- Karin Sprow Forte, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Elizabeth Jean Tisdell, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Charity Dawn Fox, Committee Member
Karin Sprow Forte, Committee Member
Jennifer Lindmar Schally, Outside Member - Keywords:
- social work
field practicum
internship
communities of practice
critical feminist theory
experiential learning - Abstract:
- The purpose of this qualitative study was two-fold: (1) to explore how social workers within their first years of practicing after graduation view the extent to which their field practicum influenced their preparedness to enter the workforce; and (2) to examine how they interacted with, understood, and made meaning of the gender gap that exists within the field of social work during that experience. The theoretical frameworks used to analyze data in this study were experiential learning theory, communities of practice, and critical feminist theory. The study focused on the experiences of recently graduated, bachelor’s level social workers during their field practicum and explored factors that promoted or prohibited students’ learning. Additionally, this study explored issues that exist within academic social work and multiple social work agencies related to gender. Ten participants, who graduated from a bachelor’s-level social work program within the past five years, volunteered to participate in this study. Data consisted primarily of in-depth participant interviews and analysis of related documents from the field practicum experience and universities the participants attended. Data was manually analyzed thematically. The findings of the study are grouped into four primary areas: (a) the need for adequate preparation for selection and beginning the field practicum; (b) the importance of learning through direct practice; (c) the influential role of coworkers; and (d) the limited gender consciousness within social work academia and the social work field. The findings suggest a need to incorporate critical feminist perspectives in social work education, research, and discourse, provision of appropriate direct learning opportunities during the field practicum, and recognition of the impact of coworkers and supervisors on student learning.