Application of Social Constructionist Principles in Field Practice Teaching in a Chinese Context

Abstract

This paper describes a project in which social constructionist principles were applied to the fieldwork supervision of five students. The principles applied included cultivation of skeptical attitudes to knowledge, understanding of the assumptions of any form of understanding, strengthening of critical thinking power, understanding of the importance of reflexivity in human beings, cultivation of the awareness of value and historical and cultural relativity, appreciation of the collaborative venture between supervisor and supervisees, development of the awareness of the strengths of clients, and promotion of the tolerance of uncertainty and ambiguity in the learning process. Qualitative evaluation utilizing information collected via individual supervision, group supervision, in‐depth interviews, and written materials (including pre‐ and post‐placement journals, weekly diaries and letters) showed that the students showed positive changes with respect to the objectives of the fieldwork project. The study demonstrates the applicability of utilizing social constructionist principles in fieldwork supervision of Chinese social work students.

Keywords:

• Social Constructionism
• Fieldwork Training
• Chinese Students
• Qualitative Evaluation

Acknowledgements

This paper is based on the MSW project conducted by the first author under the supervision of the second author. The preparation of this work was financially supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the University Grants Committee, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Grant CUHK4293/03H) awarded to the second author.