Bridging the Theory–Practice Gap in Social Work Education: A Reflection on an Action Research in China

Abstract

Social work educators often ask what kinds of pedagogy can help develop students' competence in addressing the widening gap between theory and practice. The authors conducted an action experiment in Beijing, exploring the extent to which Schön's reciprocal‐reflection theory inhibited or facilitated post‐graduate students' learning of the art of synthesizing Western social work theories and local knowledge. Schön's theory postulates that the reciprocal‐reflection that occurs between teacher and learner determines the latter's ability to integrate theory with practice. This paper first presents the challenges facing social work practitioners on the Chinese Mainland. Second, it discusses how the students employed reciprocal‐reflection to guide them in making a shift from their applied model approach to a collaborative approach based on action research philosophy. Third, it highlights the lessons learnt from the experimentation of providing the Chinese students with a Western approach to learning and teaching.

Keywords:

• Reciprocal‐Reflection
• Professional Development
• Theory–Practice Link
• Learning How to Learn

Notes

1. To date, there are over 180 undergraduate social work programmes in China which are formally recognized by the Ministry of Education of China. The majority of the social work educators have not received any social work training prior to their involvement in teaching the social work programmes.

2. The whole process was either video‐ or audio‐taped.