Social Justice is the rock: Social work students' learning about social justice on placement

Social justice is a core principle of social work and a social justice framework underpins the knowledge and teaching in social work education programs in Australia. Field education offers students the opportunity to discover... [ view full abstract ]

Social justice is a core principle of social work and a social justice framework underpins the knowledge and teaching in social work education programs in Australia. Field education offers students the opportunity to discover the complexities of social work practice. While field education is an integral component of social work education, there is insufficient research on the inclusion of social justice principles within field education. This under-researched area was explored in my doctoral thesis and is the focus of this presentation. Students’ understandings of social justice and observations of learning about social justice during field education were sought and discussed. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews of 32 social work students, new graduates, field educators, managers and academics each with an acknowledged interest in social justice in social work placements. Using a critical theory perspective, these interviews were thematically analysed. The key findings will be discussed: Field education was viewed as central to students developing practice with a social justice focus. Students and new graduates understandings of social justice and the significant influences on these were identified. Key sites of learning and the struggles engaged with were also identified. Field educators, agency managers and academics described how they assisted students to link their experiences to theoretical models and the challenges that they observed. In using a critical theory perspective this study affirms the central importance of field education for learning about social justice and exposes tensions between field education, campus learning and the social context for future social work practitioners with a social justice focus.