How to teach practice research and facilitate the creation of research-minded expertise in MSW education?

This proposal belongs to the Symphosia organised by Mirja Satka et al. This paper examines and illustrates one particular example of collaboration and knowledge creation as part of the professional education of Finnish social... [ view full abstract ]

This proposal belongs to the Symphosia organised by Mirja Satka et al.

This paper examines and illustrates one particular example of collaboration and knowledge creation as part of the professional education of Finnish social workers. In the present circumstances, we understand social work expertise as something in constant transformation, and thus our aim is to provide our students with meta-level tools which will enable knowledge creation and on-going adaptation in future changes. On the other hand, the aims of the study module include also offering a helping hand to develop local services: We begin the module by asking the agencies their most burning issues for what they would like to have a MSW student to complete a practice research project. At fall 2014 we received about 200 proposals.
The presentation introduces the realization of the innovative study module of practice research as part of social workers’ education on graduate level. The module has established a unique and on-going dialogue in addition to collaborative learning relationship between students, local social workers and service users, social welfare agencies, employers and academic staff. The core of the study module is a particular form of small scale practice-research in which the stakeholders as equally important participants learn how to plan, produce and disseminate research-based knowledge as part of the daily activities of social work practice. In this presentation we will analyze students’ practice research reports and their reflective essays during the study period. It seems practice research module strengthens students’ skills to do research and also to complete a master´s thesis. Most importantly, this study module seems to strengthen students’ research-mindedness, and transforms the way how they orientate to collaborative working with clients and colleagues.