Indigenous knowledge in field education – expanding Praxis

Abstract

Social work education faces the challenge of overcoming the dominance of teaching and learning approaches that originate in the global north. Both professional standards and ethical principles in Aotearoa New Zealand require social work educators to be informed about indigenous models of practice and utilise cultural perspectives in their work. This article reports one aspect of an exploratory qualitative research project that investigated the factors that influence how social workers engage in the teaching and learning process with students on practicum. The research involved 20 individual interviews and five focus groups with field educators from two academic institutions. Participants were aware of the importance of facilitating student learning about culturally informed practice and discussed creative ways they achieved this. Although participants suggested that field education is inherently informed by indigenous knowledge and values, applied thematic analysis indicated that Māori pedagogical models were not intentionally utilised. Limited management support, insufficient development time, and the marginalisation and isolation of field educators were highlighted as inhibiting the transformation of practice to address this gap. The article proposes a professional learning community model that has the potential to support field educators to develop their practice when these kinds of tensions and limitations are identified.

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