Using critical reflection to integrate social work practice and theory – experiences from a project

Paper for 34 th Biannual Congress of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) “Transcending Global-Local Divides”, 20. – 24 July 2008, Durban South Africa

A. Moe, Department of Social Work, Sør Trøndelag University College (HIST), N-7004 Trondheim, Norway (e-mail: Denne e-postadressen er beskyttet mot programmer som samler e-postadresser. Du må aktivere JavaScript for å kunne se adressen )

I.M. Tronvoll, Department of Social Work and Health Science, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), N-7491 Trondheim, Norway

Introduction

This paper is based on a project during the studies for a Bachelor degree in Social Work in Norway. The project`s aim is to integrate social work practice and theory by reflection and critical reflection on practice experiences and descriptions. The results from the project are that reflection and critical reflection make opportunities for theorising practice, and theory help to connect meanings in practice. Also, it challenges the supervisors and teachers towards reflective processes (Moe and Kiik 2008). 

Reflection to integrate social work practice and theory

As teachers in social work we have experienced social work students` frustrations after field practice studies in the last year of their education. Students tell stories from their practice periods where they do not have theories to explain a situation or how to act for solving different social and practical problems. Students miss theories which explain the complexity of practice or give proper guidance for how to act in practice. Similar experiences are familiar also for social work practitioners. Such a theory or policy for proper explanations or guidance in practice does not exist. Social work practice is uncertain and ambiguous and changeable in different circumstances (Taylor and White 2000, Parton and O`Byrne 2000). 

Problems to integrate social work theory and practice have been discussed for a long time. Theory and practice often seem to be two different fields which are not combined. In this project we wanted to integrate social work theory and practice by reflections. This attempt is based on theories and texts of Schön 1983,1987, Fook 1999, 2002, White, Fook and Gardner 2006, Fook and Gardner 2007, Taylor and White 2000, Parton and O´Byrne 2000, Molander 1996.

The reflective tradition in social work focuses on how understanding and knowledge are constructed in social settings, for example in the meeting between the social worker and the user. The reflections are influenced by many factors as experiences, situation, context, knowledge etc. Our understandings, interpretations and acting influence on our practice. Reflection on practice can be a method for enhancing the consciousness and knowledge issues in practice situations. This can be helpful for regulating or improve acting in practice (White et al 2006, Aga Askeland 2006). Asking different questions to a presented understanding of a situation can explore other meanings. Other meanings will assist you deciding how to act in practical situations.

Students and social workers have to interpret the practical situations, and their interpretations and meanings can be explained by different theories. The meanings and theories can be in opposition to each other, e.g. is a woman depressed, oppressed or shy? This can be explained by different theories.

Critical reflection which is based on critical theory focuses on power (Taylor and White 2000, Fook 2002, White et al 2006)). Critical questions on meanings produce alternative meanings which have consequences for practice. Actual questions for exploring critical reflections are (Lehmann 2006):

1. What is this about? (reflection on content)
2. How do you/I understand this?
3. What other perspectives are there? What else? (reflection on meaning)
4. How could this be different? (critical reflection)

Activities for students, their supervisors, social work practitioners and teachers

Social work students in their last field studies in client oriented work, were divided into groups with their supervisors from the field studies (58 students and 12 supervisors in 5 groups). The group leaders were teachers in social work. The students had to write papers on different issues from their experiences in practicing social work and theory from the education curriculum before the group meetings. Practice is complex and it is often difficult to explain how different factors influence on practice. Questions from the group leaders and the group members aimed to create connections between practice and theory. Practice descriptions also showed how expectations from government, employers and managers as well as from social workers and the users influence in practical social work.

Groups of social work practitioner were offered supervision from teachers in social work (6 groups and 3 teachers in a year). The teachers used the same method for critical reflection as presented above.

After the end of the group activities, focus group interviews were employed (Wibeck 2000) with groups of all participants except teachers, with whom we had many preparing meetings and discussions during the project period. From the focus interviews we got data on the experiences from reflections in groups to prove integration of social work theory and practice.

Results

• The students had an arena to discuss experiences from practice with other students, supervisors and teachers which made them less frustrated after their field practice (Berthling and Johannesdottir 2007). The students became more optimistic about social work after being in a group and reflecting about different aspects of actions (causes and results).

• Students and supervisors have different positions and status in social work, and are usually of different ages which influence the interpretations. Students and supervisors inspired each other with varied meanings which challenged their own opinions and theoretical knowledge. Students asked questions and expressed opinions which exposed the supervisors` blind spots. The supervisors had practical experiences which exposed more complicated and varied understandings. All members in the group were challenged in theoretical knowledge and alternative definitions. We were afraid the discussions would be to elementary for the supervisors, but it turned out that supervisors had a meaningful role in the group, and they were inspired by all the reflections. The interaction in the groups resulted in many associations and reflections. It is difficult to change perspective and meanings alone, that happens in a social context.

• Reflection and critical reflection on actions in practice helped students to see connections between theory and practice. The reflections result in creating alternative meanings which challenged the group members to produce knowledge and theory for understanding. The meanings have the character of new and articulated knowledge. In this way the reflections in groups were an arena for producing new knowledge from practice experiences.

The preliminary analyses of data from the focus group interviews of social worker practitioners show some interesting results:

• Supervising by critical reflection is a very different method from traditional supervision in social work. Traditionally supervisors are experts in social work, but as supervisors in critical reflections they are non- experts. The supervisors have not the answers, but have to ask questions and stimulate for questions which influence for reflections and associations.

• The supervisors` important roles are committing. It is important to be aware of the perspective or theories the questions demand or offer. If the supervisors support critical theories, the questions may challenge such theories and perspectives. It is possible to ask questions which challenge private and personal psychological processes. Such questions will challenge individual theories which sometimes are helpful, but in a critical perspective they can shade for oppressed factors. Supervisors using critical reflection as a method need to be conscious about their perspective and how to use it.

• The supervisors have to take care of and stimulate for good group processes. Awareness of the group process and critical reflection process is necessary for success.

Conclusion

The methods of reflection are helpful in groups of students and social workers for producing alternative meanings and knowledge. Reflections contribute alternative meanings and knowledge which have consequences for practice. The supervisors must be aware of how to use critical reflection, specially on which theoretical perspective their questions are based.

Literature

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