Should Field Instructors Be Social Workers?

Abstract

Despite the importance of the field experience in social work education, scant attention has been paid to the educational requirements for field instructors. Differences in the type and level of education might influence how they approach their task, instructional methods, and ability to determine students' readiness for professional social work practice. This article reports the findings of a study exploring the differences in educational background and role approach between 80 social work-educated and non-social work-educated field instructors. Field instructors reported discomfort with empirical research and frustration with the inflexibility of their roles and a lack of adequate supervisory time; they generally agreed on valued student qualities. Overall, the study revealed few differences between the two subgroups of respondents, suggesting that the profession's mandate for social worker—provided field instruction be examined.

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