Transforming Teaching and Learning in South Africa: First Year in the Bachelor of Social Work

Practitioners’ Experiences of Student Supervision in the Bachelor of Social Work Degree

“…South African higher education training institutions offering the BSW were required to implement the new BSW in 2007. Consequently, the previous, norm-based Bachelor of Arts in Social Work degree was replaced with the criterion-referenced BSW (Collins, 2012). Additionally in terms of the National Plan for Higher Education, learning programmes are to be structured in such a way that different components of a programme relate to each other meaningfully (Collins, 2012).…”

“…Consequently, the previous, norm-based Bachelor of Arts in Social Work degree was replaced with the criterion-referenced BSW (Collins, 2012). Additionally in terms of the National Plan for Higher Education, learning programmes are to be structured in such a way that different components of a programme relate to each other meaningfully (Collins, 2012). Significant in this approach to education is a clear set of learning outcomes that encompass all components of the programme.…”

“…In this regard, the BSW has a field education component, the key goal of which is to apply theory (classroom knowledge) to fieldwork (clinical practice) (Petersen, 2010;Teigiser, 2009;SACSSP, 2003). Moreover, social work training requires discipline-specific knowledge and has statutory accountability to the SACSSP (Collins, 2012) as well as to the learning institution/university (Bozalek, 2009). Currently the criteria for the BSW in the South African context are in line with international standards for social work training (Lombard, Grobbelaar and Pruis, 2003).…”

“…There are several studies in the South African context related to student and academic experiences in teaching and learning in social work (Collins, 2012;Petersen, 2010;Dykes, 2009;Schenck, 2009;Earl, 2008). However, there is not much literature on student supervision with reference to field supervisors' experiences in the BSW in the South African context.…”

“…In South Africa authentic learning environments for BSW students are constrained because of challenges relating to agency structures, scarce agency resources, and social workers' competence regarding student assessments in the BSW (Collins, 2012;Petersen, 2010). These challenges have implications for student learning in fieldwork placements and for the achievement of expected learning outcomes in the BSW (Collins, 2013).…”