Whiting & Birch (E-Journals)
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Deciding to fail
Get PDFWithin pre-registration nursing education programmes, clinical competence is verified via continuous assessment in practice. Registered nurses who have undertaken mentor preparation assess competence in practice and have a responsibility to confirm that nursing students are capable of safe and effective practice prior to registration. This requires mentors to identify underperforming students and manage the situation appropriately. Drawing on interview data from 10 mentors who had failed a student in practice this paper will highlight the processes, alongside, the difficulties and dilemmas associated with managing a failed assessment successfully. Three key concepts emerging from the data will provide the framework for this paper, namely: identifying the weak student; creating possibilities for success; deciding to fail.Within the concept of ‘Identifying the weak student’ participants discuss how they recognised the early indicators of possible failure. While, ‘Creating possibilities for success’ reveals the strategies mentors used to attempt to facilitate students’ progress. The final concept ‘Deciding to fail’ exposes the emotional consequences for both the mentor and the student of a failed assessment and the importance of debriefing following the event. The paper concludes by discussing the support needs of mentors as this emerged as crucial in the process of managing a failed assessment
Whose students are they anyway?
Get PDFThis paper draws on case study research which explored the support needs of those involved in social work practice learning in an English local authority. Data was collected through questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews with 27 practice educators, students and team managers. Although issues relating to failing students were not intended as the primary focus of the research, this theme dominates the findings from practice educators and team managers. Practice educators cited problematic placements as a key factor in their decision not to continue in the role.A significant contributory factor in the negative impact of the failing experience is the participants’ dissatisfaction with the attitude and approach of the students’ universities. Particularly striking is the perception that universities present an obstruction to a fail decision resulting in students being passed who possibly should not do so. This paper considers whether the different institutional perceptions of the social work student and the organisations’ role in relation to them could be at the root of these difficulties in collaboration and fuel the ‘failure to fail’ debate
Using narrative therapy in an educational parenting group
Get PDFNarrative therapy techniques have been used extensively in family therapy, individual therapy, and social work. Surprisingly, these techniques have seen limited application to therapeutic and support groups and almost no application to education groups. This paper reports on the use of narrative therapy with an education group, specifically a parent-education group. The central question addressed was: How do results compare with those of traditional parent-education groups? Case examples were reviewed to see if using narrative therapy was beneficial to parents. Written feedback was used to compare groups which did not use narrative therapy to groups which used narrative therapy. The review indicated that the narrative groups reported learning more specific ‘helpful’ skills (especially the skill of ‘listening’) compared to the non-narrative groups
A serial focus group model for understanding experiences of older adult volunteers and non-profit agency managers
Get PDFSerial focus group data shed light on the experiences of senior volunteers and nonprofit agency professional staff with the aim of maximizing the volunteer experience and contribution. Data were analyzed using a serial focus group approach to suggest pathways towards increasing mutual benefits. Themes from both volunteers and non-profit professionals included the need for better utilization of volunteers, the importance of communication and the advantage of defining roles at the beginning of the volunteer experience. Data from the groups also highlighted the need for planning on the part of the nonprofit staff and flexibility from the volunteers. Discussion and implications follow the report on the data
Gender relations in Canadian multicultural families
Get PDFThis article is a secondary analysis of the data gathered from 12 focus groups which were set up in 2006 with 64 members of three communities (Somali, Chinese and Lebanese origins). Its aim is to explore the barriers to social integration encountered by young women from those communities, given that Bruns (2011) points out the need for more research into issues relating to young women. For each community, four focus groups were conducted, represented by four subgroups: young women, young men, adult women and men. Their verbatim comments were subjected to content analysis in terms of gender role socialisation. Regardless of cultural background, the young women objected to the pressure exerted on them to carry out gender-based roles and duties. They all faced barriers to their social integration and clearly recognized that a double standard exists: young men have more freedom and parents are generally stricter with their daughters. This cross-cultural observation leads us to reflect upon social work as it relates to young women and calls for meaningful intergenerational dialogue
What works in helping people and why?
Get PDFRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the most rigorous test of effectiveness for any intervention. This article considers RCTs as policy projects, and outlines the key elements of effective delivery of interventions within an RCT. It is argued that conceptualizing RCTs as practice delivery projects provides insights of relevance for effective leadership in social work or other helping professions. Three elements of effective RCT delivery are suggested to be crucial: (a) a theory about the nature of the issues being worked with and how people can be helped by professionals; (b) a detailed description of practice that flows from this and (c) skills development and monitoring methods for ensuring practitioners are delivering practice in this way. These are argued to be key components required for effective leadership in social work. Finally, it is suggested that while there is increasing focus on the common elements within specific interventions there has been a neglect of the common features associated with their delivery. Attention to these might help explain the ‘Dodo bird effect’, in which different interventions often prove to be equally effective, and thereby enrich our appreciation of what works, for whom and why
‘They thought I wasn’t good enough for social work practice’
Get PDFThe few studies of why social work students fail their practice learning opportunity (PLOs) have been undertaken through the lens of practice educators, lecturers and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with no input from students. Using qualitative interviews; this research explores the reasons for failure from the perspective of the students. The findings identified a number of interrelated issues such as previous work experiences, family history and personal circumstances as the rationale for what led those interviewed into social work. Issues such as ill health, personal problems and lack of clarity around assessment criteria as well as perceived lack of support from HEIs were identified as some of the factors that led students to fail their practice learning experiences. Recommendations from those interviewed included the suggestion that HEIs should, at the recruitment stage, provide clear information about the implications of failing practice learning opportunities and clarify what type of support for is available for those who fail. The students interviewed also echo the desire expressed by the HEIs and practice educators for clearer assessment criteria/frameworks and a more supportive process for all parties
The ‘not yet competent’ student
Get PDFThe Social Work Reform Board emphasises the need for robust assessment processes and qualified practice educators. Following our analysis of ‘failing – or ‘not yet competent’ students’ - we argue that most students ‘failed’ for reasons other than incompetent practice, which we outline.We conclude by arguing for a robust construction of practice education/assessment, which emphasises doing ‘practice’ in the agency; a return to the notion of a portfolio as a vehicle for assessment, as opposed to the portfolio becoming the assessment; and a greater emphasis upon the practice educator to assess ‘practice, as opposed to shifting the assessment decision to portfolio reading or practice assessment panels Our discussion will contribute to preparations for assessing capability within the new social work degree, and poses challenges to Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and all involved in social work education