Factors examined that influence field experience curricula include: the profession itself, institution, region, and students; the teaching/learning process; and three approaches to field instruction in social work education (apprenticeship, academic, and articulated methods). Costs, the field placement agency, and educational outcomes are…

A study compared performance on the Area Concentration Achievement Test in Social Work (ACAT) of 32 undergraduates who had nearly completed a field practicum and 38 who had not begun it. Results showed no difference in the groups' knowledge of social work professional foundation overall or in individual content areas. Other variables that could…

In a study with 13 social work and counseling interns, field supervisors' ratings of students' field performance were compared to an independent judge's content analysis of performance. Results revealed significant correlations between the evaluations, providing evidence of validity of the supervisors' assessments. Validity may have been enhanced…

A method is outlined for social work students to evaluate their own interviewing techniques. Students focus on their implementation of critical components of the initial interview in role plays, field placements, and class assignments. An interview checklist is included as a tool for operationally defining and monitoring interview components.…

A survey of 62 social-work field educators investigated factors associated with effective interorganizational relationships, examining relationships between three categories of agencies and the university on four dimensions: commitment to education; organizational supports/resources; interpersonal relations; and collaborative/reciprocal…

This study examines the benefits and challenges of using distributed learning methods for teaching field practice seminars. Over a 3-year period (2000 through 2002), both in-class and online sections were evaluated in terms of meeting learning objectives and student satisfaction with the learning environment. Due to the small number of students…

The social work academic community is currently considering and critiquing the idea of evidence-based practice (EBP). Given the vital part that practicum education plays in the social work profession, understanding the views of field instructors on this subject is essential. The George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University…

Community mental health curriculum in schools of social work education is discussed. The contents are compiled from a series of empirical studies, interviews, and meetings with social work faculty and students, and from analyses of curriculum materials as part of a three-year study conducted by the Council on Social Work Education. Chapter 1…

Major papers presented at the Conference on Research Utilization in Social Work Education are compiled in this sourcebook. The conference focused on six topics that reviewed the state of the art of research utilization and suggested directions for the future. The papers included are: Understanding Research Utilization in Social Work (Stuart A.…

A 1995 study involving 78 female master's of social work (MSW) students compared satisfaction with field practicum supervision of those with female and those with male field instructors. Results revealed one statistically significant but practically unimportant finding that favored male instructors. The little existing research appears to support…

A survey of 131 bachelor's level and 30 master's level programs in social work found that less than 20% of undergraduate and 50% of graduate programs offered practica in government relations, electoral politics, and policy advocacy and development, and that existing practica were almost exclusively in government relations. Recommendations for…

A social work education model that integrates field instruction with clinical and research curricula is described and compared with less comprehensive approaches. Issues discussed increasing accountability through developing evaluation skills, classroom techniques, materials, faculty role, field educator role, field advisor role, and use of both…

A social work education model integrating classroom instruction and field experience, adapted from learning theory positing a four-stage learning cycle, is described. Instructors (in either classroom and practicum) begin with a specific practice situation and, with students, engage in a process of cognitive and personal associations to arrive at…

A major problem in social work field institution is that there is very little organized structure or order to field teaching. This document discusses the creation and evaluation of a training manual in performance-oriented field instruction that can be used as a tool for clinical faculty to develop an orderly and systematic progression of…

Assuming that the client is central to any service program, the American Indian Task Force examined a national sample of "grass roots" social service organizations and/or individuals and schools of social work to determine the capability of providing relevant social work education to American Indians. Accordingly, the highest priorities…