A Change of Scene: Moving Pedagogical Practice from the Classroom to the Court Room. What Impact Does This Have on Social Work Students’ Feelings of Confidence?

Abstract

How effectively higher education institutes are in preparing future Social Workers for practice has been questioned by literature. This action research study focuses on one university in England and was inspired by previous Social Work students’ law module feedback. It considers interventions that could assist in enhancing student satisfaction, confidence and readiness to practice with a focus on court skills. The study explores the impact of simulated court skills days on students’ confidence in comparison to students who did not receive the intervention. Students completing the postgraduate social work course participated in the intervention alongside their law module teaching whilst undergraduate students received the intervention later in the academic year. Nineteen students completed questionnaires which were conducted before and after the law module. Results indicate that students who participated in three court skills days felt more confident in a range of court tasks and felt more ready for practice in comparison to those who had not received the intervention. The research highlights how combining traditional didactic lectures alongside more creative pedagogical approaches can lead to students’ feeling more prepared, confident and ready for front line practice.