Let’s try to change ourselves first. An action-research on experiential learning with social work students

Abstract

The article presents an innovative learning activity in social work education. A number of young social work students were asked to ‘try to change themselves first’, starting with a concrete goal of personal change. Fifteen students were accompanied in the direct experience of taking charge of changes within themselves to prepare them to support others’ life improvements in the future. Through focus groups and online diaries, qualitative research was conducted to understand the educational benefits of the activity. Findings show that in trying to change themselves, the students gained basic insights into the key principles of social work practice. These results could inspire social work educators to promote creative opportunities for experiential learning for social work students to stimulate them to become effective and ethical guides for others’ improvement.

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