INTEGRATION OF THEORY AND PRACTICE IN SOCIAL WORK: CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/49-2-62Abstract
Teaching (in any discipline) is rewarding when students show the required growth and development in terms of their knowledge, skills and attitude (within the social work context) (Kadushin & Harkness, 2002). So it is disappointing when, in completing various assessment tasks, some students do not achieve the learning objectives set for a given task. The most troubling within the UWC context was the challenges students experienced on the third year level in integrating their theoretical knowledge with their practice learning.Downloads
References
AMSTUTZ, D. 1999. Adult learning: moving towards more inclusive theories and practice. New Direction for Adult Continuing Education, 82:19-32.
BABBIE, E. & MOUTON, J. 2001. The practice of social research (South African ed). Cape Town: Oxford University Press.
BEDER, J. 2000. The integration of theory into practice: suggestions for supervisors. Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education, 3(2):40-48.
BELLEFEUILLE, G., MARTIN, R. & BUCK, M. 2005. From pedagogy to technagogy in social work education: a constructivist approach to instructional design in an online, competency-based child welfare practice course. Child & Youth Care Forum, 34(5):371-389.
BITZER, E. 2004. Cooperative learning. In: GRAVETT, S. & GEYSER, H. (eds) Teaching and learning in higher education. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
BOGO, M. & VAYDA, E. 2004. The practice of field instruction in social work theory and process (2nd ed). Toronto: University of Toronto. http://socialwork.journals.ac.za/
BOZALEK, V. 2009. Outcomes-based assessment: necessary evil or transformative potential? Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 45(1):91-110.
BREIER, M. 2010. Dropout or stop out at the University of the Western Cape. In: LETSEKA, M., COSSER, M., BREIER, M. & VISSER, M. Student retention and graduate destination: higher education and labour market access and success. Cape Town: HSRC Press.
BRUSSOW, S. & WILKINSON, A. 2010. Engaged learning: a pathway to better teaching. South African Journal of Higher Education, 24(3):374-391.
CASPI, J. & REID, W. 2002. Educational supervision in social work. New York Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press.
CLAPTON, G., CREE, V., ALLAN, M., EDWARDS, R., FORBES, R., IRWIN, M., MacGREGOR, C., PATERSON, W., BRODIE, I. & PERRY, R. 2008. Ideas in action. Thinking ‘outside the box’: a new approach to integration of learning for practice. Social Work Education, 27(3):334-340.
CLAPTON, G., CREE, V., ALLAN, M., EDWARDS, R., FORBES, R., IRWIN, M., PATERSON, W. & PERRY, R. 2006. Grasping the nettle: integrating learning and practice revised and re-imagined. Social Work Education, 25(6):645-656.
COLLINS, K. & VAN BREDA, A. 2010. Academic support for first year social work students in South Africa. Social Work /Maatskaplike Werk, 46(l):14-25.
CRESWELL, J. 2007. Qualitative inquiry & research design. Choosing from five approaches (2nd ed). United Kingdom: Sage Publications.
DALGARNO, B. 2001. Interpretations of constructivism and consequences for computer assisted learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 32(2):183-194.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. 2004. Policy Framework for Education and Training. Pretoria: Department of Education.
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK, 2007/6/5. Intermediate Fieldwork Quality Assurance Report. University of the Western Cape.
DYKES, G. 2009. Recognition of prior learning and support: are the needs of RPL first year students different? Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 45(3):314-326.
ENGSTROM, C. 2008. Curricular learning communities and unprepared students: How faculty can provide a foundation for success. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 115:5-19.
EISNER, E. 1998. The enlightened eye: qualitative inquiry and the enhancement of educational practice. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill.
FENWICK, T. 2001. Experiential learning: a theoretical critique from five perspectives. Information series No. 385. Ohio: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education. http://socialwork.journals.ac.za/
GRAVETT, S. 2004a. Enhancing teaching through an exploration of the biology of learning. In: GRAVETT, S. & GEYSER, H. (eds) Teaching and learning in higher education. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
GRAVETT, S. 2004b. Teaching and learning: establishing communities of enquiry and interpretation. In: GRAVETT, S. & GEYSER, H. (eds) Teaching and learning in higher education. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
GREEN, S. & VON SCHLICHT, E. 2003. A diverse student population: teaching and learning in social work education. Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch and Huguenot College.
HAY, D., KINCHIN, I. & LYGO-BAKER, S. 2008. Making learning visible: the role of concept mapping in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 33(3):304-306.
JANSEN, J. & CHRISTIE, P. 1999. Changing curriculum: studies on outcomes-based education in South Africa. Kenwyn: Juta and Co Ltd.
KADUSHIN, A. & HARKNESS, D. 2002. Supervision in social work (4th ed). New York & Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press.
KEMBER, D 2004 Interpreting student workload and the factors which shape students’ perceptions of their workload. Studies in Higher Education, 29(2):165-184.
LI, M. & CAMPBELL, J. 2008. Asian students’ perception of group work and group assignments in a New Zealand tertiary institution. Intercultural Education, 19(3):203-216.
MAYS, N. & POPE, C. 2000. Qualitative research in healthcare: assessing quality in qualitative research. Educate and Debate, 3(20):50-51.
MERRIAM, S. & CAFFARELLA, R. 1999. Learning in adulthood: a comprehensive guide (2nd ed). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
MGQWASHU, E. 2009. Re-visiting, re-thinking, and re-naming educational disadvantage in higher education. South African Journal in Higher Education, 23(4):720-736.
NOBLE, C. 2001. Researching field practice in social work education. Journal of Social Work, 1(3):347-360.
OKO, J. 2008. Understanding and using theory in social work. London: Learning Matters.
RAMSDEN, P. 2003. Learning to teach in higher education (2nd ed). London: Routledge Falmer.
RAMSDEN, P. 1992. Learning to teach in higher education. London: Routledge.
ROSENSHINE, B. & MEISTER, C. 1992. The use of scaffolds for teaching higher order cognitive strategies. Educational leadership, 49(7):22-33.
RUBIN, A. & BABBIE, E. 2005. Research methods for social work (5th ed). Australia: Thomson Brooks/Cole. http://socialwork.journals.ac.za/
Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk 2013:49(2)
RUST, C. 2002. The impact of assessment on student learning. Active Learning in Higher Education, 3(2):145-158.
SCHENCK, R. 2009. The socio-economic realities of social work students of the University of South Africa. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 45(3):299-313.
SIEMINSKI, S. & SEDEN, J. 2011. An exploration of how some tutors use learning materials to enable student social workers to link theory to practice while learning in the workplace. Social Work Education, 30(7):797-810.
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY (SAQA). 2003. Qualification: Bachelor of Social Work. Government Gazette Vol. 452 No. 24362, 7 February 2003. [Online] Available: http://www.saqa.org.za/nsb/sgestds/assessors2.html. [Accessed: 26/02/2013].
SPADY, W. 1994. Outcomes-based education: critical issues and answers. Arlington: American Association of School Administrators.
TAM, M. 2000. Positivism and constructivism. [Online] Available: http://www. ifets.info/journals/3_2/tam.html. [Accessed: 21/01/2010].
TEATER, B. 2011. Maximizing student learning: a case example of applying teaching and learning theory in social work education. Social Work Education, 30(5):571-585.
TUCHMAN, E. & LALANE, M. 2011. Evidence-based practice: integrating classroom curriculum and field education. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 31(3):329-340.
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH. 2013. Integrating theory and practice. [Online] Available: www.d.umn.edu/sw/field/onlinefieldsuptrain/Integration.htm. [Accessed: 21/02/2013].
VAICEKAUSKAITE, R., ALGENAITE, I. & VAICIULIENE, J. 2010. The problem of relation between theory and practice in the studies of social work for people with disabilities. TILTAI, (2):145-158.
VAN DER MERWE, D. & DE BEER, M. 2006. Challenges of student selection: predicting academic performance. South African Journal of Higher Education, 20(4):547-562.
VELLA, J. 2000. Taking learning to task. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
VOLET, S. & MANSFIELD, C. 2006. Group work at university: significance of personal goals in the regulation strategies of students with positive and negative appraisals. Higher Education Research & Development, 25(4):341-356.
WEHBI, S. 2011. Reflections on experiential teaching methods: Linking the classroom to practice. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 31(5):493-504.
WEIMER, M. 2002. Learner-centered Teaching: five key changes to practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
WHITTAKER, A. 2009. Research skills for social workers: transforming social work practice. Britain: Learning Matters Ltd. http://socialwork.journals.ac.za/
WRENN, J. & WRENN, B. 2009. Enhancing learning by integrating theory and practice. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 21(2):258-265.
YIN, R. 2003. Case study research-design and methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.
Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-4.0
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.
Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.