International field work training has focused mainly on the importance of support systems and supervision. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no detailed framework that specifies the components and strategies that should be included. To fill this gap, this article will explore the use of an experiential 3-week psycho-educational training seminar. Four main components were developed for the psycho-educational seminar on the basis of the approach to traditional field work practicum. In addition, five strategies were adopted to achieve these components. Practical guidelines are proposed for training social work students in international field work abroad.Field work training in social work combines theoretical instruction with professional training in the field. In this setting, students are expected to learn theories and skills, which they implement in their practical training. One of the challenges faced in this learning process is the need to reduce the gap between theoretical knowledge and practice in the field (Vayda and Bogo, 1991). Toward this end, learning spaces have been developed in some social work programs, where students study in small groups (about 10-18 participants), based on the reflective approach developed by Schon (1991). These are supportive settings in which the students process, identify, and assess their feelings and perceptions. They engage in critical examination of their experiences in the field in an attempt to understand the implications of those experiences (Segal-Engelchin et al., 2004). Based on this approach, additional models have been developed, which also emphasize teaching of the social aspect of social work and exploration of social problems (e.g. Nuttman-Shwartz and Hantman, 2003).In addition to the learning spaces provided in academic settings, students are supervised in their field work placements. Supervision has three main functions: administrative, educational, and
The present study aimed to gain further insights into how visiting international social work students and their hosts from different cultures learn about each others' social services, culture, and personal values. Six Israeli students and 8 Indian students have written narratives and reflections on their experiences in the international encounter during the fieldwork exchange program. Content analysis of the students' papers revealed a learning process that students go through, through which paternalistic attitudes move in the direction of cultural sensitivity that leads to cultural relativism, and then moves back again. Through this process, the students acquire the knowledge and skills they need for implementing international social work in line with social work values and declaration.
Although the values of pluralism and diversity are enshrined in social work’s Code of Ethics, the literature indicates that religious students will experience hostility within social work schools. This qualitative study explores how religious Jewish and Arab-Muslim social work students in Israel experience the secular academic context, in light of the profession’s values. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted over a 6-month period, starting in January 2018, with third-year women students of social work at the country’s largest public college – a microcosm of Israeli society in terms of ethnic, religious, and national affiliation. The participants were 20 women (10 Jewish and 10 Arab-Muslim) who self-identify as religious, in a secular academic setting. Analysis of the findings yields a broad and varied picture: the main themes include the initial encounter with the physical, social, and intellectual college environment; questioning whether academe is really liberal; and the feeling of being outsiders. These findings, which contribute to an understanding of the social and educational needs of the student who is the ‘other’, are relevant to social work educators worldwide. The other is everywhere.
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