Carmel Halton

Reflective learning in social work education: researching student experiences

This study examines the implications of using a reflective approach to teaching and learning for the students on a postgraduate programme in social work. The findings from a qualitative approach to the collection and analysis of data from 21 research participants are presented. Participants were invited to provide written and anonymous accounts of their experiences on the course at four selected points. These were four weeks into the course, midway, end of course and one year after graduation. The paper begins by conceptually locating reflective teaching and learning within social work education. The context of this particular postgraduate course is briefly described. Themes emerging from the data are discussed. In incorporating the findings from this study into course revision and planning, the authors have engaged in a hermeneutic circle of inquiry, which spans teaching/learning, professional practice/supervision and professional research/evaluation.

Introducing tools of reflective learning into peer supervision groups in a social work agency: An action research project

Summary: This article describes an action research project carried out by the authors in conjunction with a group of Irish hospital based social workers. The aim of the research was to investigate the introduction of reflective learning tools into peer supervision groups. Twenty-one social workers engaged with the research process. Data was collected from nine focus groups over a twelve month period. Findings chart the development of practitioners’ understandings of reflection. Engagement with the tools of reflective learning in peer supervision groups led to increased awareness and mindfulness (as described by Langer [1989]) in practice. Some of the challenges of peer supervision group processes are also explicated leading to the identification of further research questions.

The transfer of reflective engagement from social work education into the workplace: a study of the value of scaffolded reflection

The focal concern of this article is the investigation of the transfer and sustainability of the reflective process into the work environment. Specifically, the identification of the variables which support or challenge practitioners to continue the ongoing process of reflection in practice contexts is addressed. The article describes a study carried out over a seven-year period with students/graduates from a masters in social work (MSW) professional qualification programme in Ireland. The research involved gathering data on participants’ experiences of reflective teaching and learning while on the course and in the initial years of their work as practitioners. In the early phases of the data collection, participants referred to developing epistemological awareness through the reflective process while on the course. This was in the context of a scaffold for reflection through journal writing and mentored portfolio inquiry. The outcomes of the study offer considerable insight into the challenges and value of developing a reflective teaching and learning environment in professional education. In particular, the work highlights how it impacts positively on professional practice.

Reflective Inquiry in Social Work Education

One of the central preoccupations of social workers is the increasing bureaucratisation of the profession. As Saltiel (2003) notes, a theme emerging from his research was the importance of social workers being able to exercise autonomous judgement rather than acting in accordance with management imperatives. “ The tension between this managerialism on the one hand and, on the other, the practitioners’ skills of flexibility and creativity whereby new knowledge for practice was being created, seemed to me to be at the heart of practice ” (p. 109). Managerialist and technicist approaches to practice contribute to a climate where professional activity is challenged and monitored (Healy 2005). This engenders an approach to the work that emphasises defensive practice, which at times seems to value adherence to practice protocols at the expense of professional creativity. The tension between professionalism and bureaucratisation in agencies has given a new impetus for reflection in social work education.

Fostering Reflective Practice in the Public Service: A Study of the Probation Service in the Republic of Ireland

This chapter situates the Irish Probation Service within history of ideas that have helped to shape it. The author will draw from a recent study (Halton 2007), to identify some of the challenges and opportunities facing probation officers in their work today. A core objective of the study was to uncover the frameworks of understandings and meanings that probation officers use to make sense of their work practice in a changing social and political landscape. In this chapter, the author will makes links between changes in social and political ideologies, alterations in the structure of the probation organisation and modifications in the roles, function and practices of personnel. She examines the literature on reflection and the texts of probation officers to highlight important themes and to explore the potential for fostering reflective practice in the Probation Service.

Construction of Peer Support Groups in Child Protection Social Work: Negotiating Practicalities to Enhance the Professional Self

This paper reports on a research project that was developed between a cohort of child protection social workers in the Republic of Ireland and the authors. The focus of the research was on researching participants’ experiences of developing peer support groups (PSGs) in child protection social work. Eleven participants formed two PSGs; one group had six participants, the other had five. This qualitative research study involved focus groups with each of the peer groups at the beginning, middle and end of the 12-month period. Data from the focus groups were analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Findings from the research indicate that the organic development of a PSG involves negotiating a range of practicalities which, working together, help to promote reflective practice and to advance the development of the professional self. A number of important and interconnected subthemes emerged within the texts of the focus groups. These included: the establishment of PSGs as a work activity; consideration of logistical matters in forming PSGs; identification of the influence of group dynamics in structuring and negotiating PSGs; PSGs as a conduit for integrating personal and professional values and as a context for facilitating and enabling an increased consciousness of self in practice. Drawing on these findings, the authors consider the implications for integrating PSGs within child protection agency services.