Building professional identity during social work education: the role of reflective writing as a tool

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to increase knowledge about how the process of building a professional identity can be incorporated into social work education at a Swedish university. In the subject called Personal and Professional Development (PPD), taught during the first five semesters, students are trained in specific generic skills and approaches required in social work. Different pedagogical tools, such as keeping a logbook in which students can reflect on different course elements, are used to support the learning- and development process. The data consists of 95 log texts and critical reflections from 41 students who finished the PPD course. Thematic content analysis with both quantitative and qualitative elements was used. The results indicate that this course gives students the opportunity to begin the process of developing their professional identity by linking knowledge and skills training to ideas about their future profession. The results point to the field placement as a central part in this process where theoretical knowledge can be contextualized and focus can be broadened from the individual to the societal level. One conclusion is that reflective writing seems to be a valuable and important part of students’ development of metacognition by making their own learning visible.

KEYWORDS:

• Social work
• professional identity
• education
• preparedness
• critical reflection

Introduction

The topic of newly educated social work students’ readiness for the challenges they will face in their work life is widely discussed in the field (Frost et al., 2013; Hitchcock et al., 2021; Moorhead et al., 2019; Tham & Lynch, 2014; Tham et al., 2023). Besides employers’ responsibility to offer a proper induction to the work and the workplace, the importance of adequate training during social work education is highlighted (Grant et al., 2015; Moorhead et al., 2016).

As social work can be described as one of the most difficult and challenging professions (Kinman & Grant, 2017; McFadden et al., 2015), where building personal relationships is crucial in assisting individuals and families in different vulnerable life situations (Hasenfeld, 2009), the development of professional knowledge and competence is important during social work education (Fook et al., 1996). To be able to navigate the many and often complex dilemmas social workers might face during their professional practice, social work students need to develop a variety of competencies. Besides building knowledge and training skills, students also need to begin building a professional identity, a process that includes reflective writing, critical thinking, and self-reflection, alongside deep and guided reflection (Moorhead et al., 2019; Wiles, 2017).

This article contributes to the ongoing discussion in social work education across the globe about how to best prepare students for the challenging work tasks ahead. Newly graduated social workers often begin their careers with the most difficult work tasks, such as in child welfare (Tham & Björktomta; Tham et al., 2023). Being as prepared as possible for the work seems crucial, which puts the spotlight on the education.

The present study is part of an interdisciplinary research and development project with the overall purpose to explore whether writing as a pedagogical tool can support students in developing a professional identity. The aim of the study was to increase the knowledge about how the process of building a professional identity can be incorporated into social work education. More specifically, the study explores the role of reflective writing in the students’ incipient constructions of their professional identity.

Developing professional identity in social work students: concepts and definitions

Although the standards and main features of social work education differ between countries, some common key concepts in the process of developing the professional identity have been identified, such as self-reflection, self-awareness, and reflective practice. Harrison and Ruch (2007) stress the difference between having a professional identity and being and sustaining a professional self, arguing that the latter entails an internalized identity from which social workers can draw when work challenges them. This adheres to Nyström’s (2009) description of professional identity as a process in different sequences going from an ‘individual focus to more relational and integrated ways of reasoning about one’s profession’ (p. 6). A strong professional identity is described as positively connected to job satisfaction as well as work force retention (Healy et al., 2015; Holter, 2018; Wiles, 2017). The ability to reflect on practice is regarded as a key skill in disciplines with a professional or vocational focus (Gursansky et al., 2010; Ruch, 2002).

Reflection as a tool to develop critical thinking

Reflection has been particularly central to professional education such as teacher education (Hatton & Smith, 1995), nursing education (Brooke, 2019; Hargreaves, 2004), and social work education (Boryczko, 2022; Christensen & Wärnsby, 2023; Rai & Lillis, 2013). Reflection can be described as a tool for deep learning which comprises own emotions, experiences, reactions, and knowledge, changing the way we think (Bie, 2021). Bie considers reflection to be an active, conscious, and intentional act that needs to be allocated time to be carried out. To develop social work students’ reflective skills several tools are used, such as keeping an online journal, writing a daily diary, weekly reflections, reflective writing assignments, and end-of-course reflections (Boryczko, 2022; Christensen & Wärnsby, 2023; Gursansky et al., 2010; Ruch, 2002; Vinjamuri et al., 2017).

Critical thinking is considered an essential skill for social workers (Belchior-Rocha & Casquilho-Martins, 2019; Verburgh, 2019; Watts, 2019), linking theory and practice with the goal of developing wisdom and good professional judgment (Bie, 2021). However, critical thinking is an elusive concept which can mean different things to different people in various academic disciplines (Hargreaves, 2004; Hatton & Smith, 1995; Moore, 2013). Lipman (1988) describes critical thinking in a profession as skilful responsible thinking that facilitates good judgment. In social work, critical thinking is not only about reasoning and writing; it is also about being able to make good judgments. This underlines the need for a clear view on what constitutes ‘good work’ (Ahlbäck Öberg et al., 2016, p. 96). Critical thinking in the context of social work can be seen as a conscious act, of which an important part is defining the problem at hand (Schön, 1987) and as a form of practical reasoning that guides decision-making in social work practices (Mathias, 2015). Becoming a reflective practitioner is thus both a methodological and an ethical issue (Schön, 1987). According to Røkenes and Hansson (2016) the concept of the reflective practitioner includes craftsmanship, i.e. using different tools to relate to other people by creating warmth, trust, and mutual respect in order to make a positive difference.

In previous studies, a common picture emerges of the importance of incorporating reflection and critical thinking into the social work curriculum to give social work students the possibility to develop their metacognition as part of developing a sustainable professional identity (Bruno & Dell’aversana, 2018; Moorhead et al., 2019; Wiles, 2017). How to develop courses that give students the opportunity to strengthen their self-knowledge and start the process of developing a professional identity already during their education can therefore be seen as important to explore.

The Swedish context

Social work is not a regulated profession in Sweden (Tham et al., 2021). The majority of social workers work in the municipal social services, most of them in the statutory social welfare sector and some also in NGOs. Welfare services have developed from being dominated by the public sector at the end of the 1970s into a market where private, municipal, and nonprofit organizations work (Järkestig Berggren et al., 2021).

Swedish social work education consists of 3.5 years of full-time study and can be described as a generalist education with the clear goal of preparing students for employment in the broad field of social work (see Table 1). Newly graduated social workers are expected to gain more profession-specific competence at the workplace (Frost et al., 2013); however, this is rarely the case (Tham & Lynch, 2019). The available courses cover different areas of knowledge as well as generic knowledge and skills (see Table 1). Field placement (20 weeks) normally occurs only once during education. In earlier studies students have expressed a need of more field practice and contact with practitioners during the education (Frost et al., 2013; Tham & Lynch, 2014, 2019). According to the national standards for Swedish social work education (Higher Education Ordinance, 1993, p. 100), during their education, students should develop a professional identity, personal maturity, and self-knowledge. In order to fulfil these goals, the course called PPD was developed.

Table 1. Syllabus for the social work programme.

S1	Introduction to Social Work, 7 credits	Welfare State, Social Work and Social Policy in Contemporary Sweden 7 credits	Social Conditions and Social Problems I, (sociology) 7 credits	Social Work with Globalisation and Migration, 7 credits
	PPD – personal and professional development, 2 credits
S2	Conversation and Communication in Social Work, 7 credits	Law and Social Work: Introductory Course, (law) 14 credits		Social Conditions and Social Problems II, (sociology) 7 credits
	PPD – personal and professional development, 2 credits
S3	Developmental Psychology for Social Work, (psychology) 7.5 credits	Law and Social Work: Social Law, 7 credits	Social Work and Domestic Violence: Different Perspectives, 6 credits	Social Conditions and Social Problems III, (social work; field study, essay) 7.5 credits
	PPD – personal and professional development, 2 credits
S4	The Human Life Cycle and Social Work, 19 credits			Law and Social Work: Methodology in Social Work Investigations, 9 credits
	PPD – personal and professional development, 2 credits
S5	Supervised Field Placement Training in Social Work, 28 credits
	PPD – personal and development professional, 2 credits
S6	Scientific Methods credits and Research Processes, 15 credits		Bachelor thesis in Social Work, 15 credits
S7 Eligible	Social Work: Research and Practice, 7.5 credits Social Work with Children, Youth and Family, 7.5 credits Disability Studies – Social Perspectives, 7,5 credits		Domestic Violence, 7.5 credits Substance Abuse and Dependence: Social, Biological and Individual Perspectives, 7.5 credits Social Perspectives on Mental Health, 7.5 credits

Materials and methods

The case: contents of the personal and professional development (PPD) course

During the PPD course, which is taught during the first five semesters, students are trained in specific generic skills and approaches required in social work. PPD is a process-oriented course that focuses on skills training for social work practice through an interplay between theoretical and practical knowledge, inspired by Dewey’s (Defalco, 2016) philosophy about the importance of seeing different perspectives through interaction—learning by doing. Most teachers are professional social workers working part-time at the university. The teaching is conducted in base groups with one teacher following the students (see Table 2).

Table 2. Overview of the PPD course.

Semester/group size	Students’ tasks in seminars	Students’ tasks in drama pedagogical workshops	Students’ tasks in logbook
1. Base groups of 15–17 students	Participate in a group led by students from semester 5.		3 logs 1 critical reflection of the 3 logs
2. Groups of 5 students	Conducting a minor field study and presenting results to the whole class.	1. Analyse oneself as an individual and in interaction with others. 2. Ethical dilemmas.	3 logs 1 critical reflection of the 3 logs
3. Pairs of 2 students	Practising deep listening. Conversation training, writing a lifeline and network map.	1. Leadership. 2. Power and ruling techniques.	3 logs 1 critical reflection of the 3 logs
4. Groups of 2–4 students	From examples in course literature, write a plan and lead a PPD seminar for their own base group.		3 logs 1 critical reflection of the 3 logs
5. Groups of 2 students	Lead a PPD seminar for students in semester 1 based on a script.		Summarise 12 logs and 4 critical reflections in 1 final critical reflection

Workshops

The workshops in semester two and three, led by a drama pedagogue, constitute a special element of the course. In these workshops, the idea is that students are allowed to express their thoughts and reflections without being met with criticism and questions. A central pedagogical focus is thus to create a safe situation where students can think and reflect, and where the presence of different opinions is seen as desirable rather than problematic. For example, reflections on leadership are linked to aspects that distinguish good leadership and to self-insights regarding individual contributions and one’s role in a group when no leader exists (Lennéer Axelson & Thylefors, 2018). In this context, students also relate to the existence of ruling techniques. When processing their own values and approaches, students are guided by exercises based on written guidelines from the Swedish Union for Social Workers (Akademikerförbundet SSR, 2017).

Logbooks

As yet another pedagogical tool, a logbook containing two types of texts are written: 1) Logs (about one page) where students reflect on different course elements in their education in relation to their own learning and development processes. 2) Critical reflections (about 2 pages) which draw on the logs but are expected to be more summarized and analytical.

The instructions for the logs are based on the course objectives in the given semester and follow the syllabus of the education (see Table 1). For example, the first theme addresses social work as a phenomenon: There is no uniform definition of social work. Describe in your own words how you understand social work. In semester 5, all the texts are summarized in one critical reflection under the theme: I am a social worker—about the social worker’s identity.

PPD is not linked to grades (apart from fail—pass). The logbooks are given formative rather than summative assessments and only the critical reflection is formally examined. This course structure strengthens the trustworthiness of the study (Stahl & King, 2020). Although the logbook is compulsory, little is at stake for the students, at least in relation to strategic considerations in studies and grades. Moreover, it is important to recognize that it is not the students’ personal and professional development that are examined, but their abilities and skills based on course objectives—namely the student’s ability to a) carry out a summary analysis of three logs and b) reflect critically on their logs.

Data collection and ethical considerations

The data consists of a) 41 log texts and 41 critical reflections from semester 1, and b) 13 critical reflections from semester 5, i.e. 95 texts in total, which all were submitted anonymously. The same students who were approached in 2018, during their first semester, were asked again in their fifth semester (in 2020) whether they were interested in participating in this study and sharing their last critical reflections. Of these, 13 students volunteered.

The researchers are university teachers but were not involved in teaching this particular course at the time of the study. The research was conducted in compliance with existing research rules (Bryman, 2016) as well as with codes of ethical conduct in social science research (Swedish Research Council, 2017). Participating students were informed that the findings would be presented in such a way that it would not be possible to identify any individual. It was clarified that the study was not part of the university’s evaluation of their education but part of a research project, and that whether they chose to participate would not influence their education in any way.

Data analysis

To capture the breadth and depth of students’ process of developing a professional identity, a content analysis was conducted by both authors using multi-method research (Bryman, 2016):

1. A content analysis using quantitative elements (Boréus & Kohl, 2018) was made to gain a broad understanding of the contents of the first log from semester one. It was a deductive approach, searching for what was said explicitly, answering the question: What is social work? Reading the texts, we found that concepts emerged dealing with definitions of social work, social work as a profession, social workers’ characteristics and skills, and driving forces. The various concepts were sorted, condensed, counted, and categorized on individual, relational, organizational, and structural levels (see Table 3). Concepts were sorted based on how students used them in their texts—for example, whether the concept of ‘ethics’ dealt with the social worker’s own profession or whether it was linked to the relationship between social worker and client.

   Table 3. What is social work? Concepts mentioned in students’ first logs from semester 1.

   	Individual level	Relational level	Organisational level	Structural level
   Professional identity as a social worker	143
   Help/to help/helping/helper/the helper	132
   Responsibility	10
   Empathy/empathic	10
   Relation to service user/client	8
   Methods/methods of treatment	6
   Challenges	5
   Powerlessness	4
   Dilemmas	4
   Ethics	2	1
   Power		55
   Support		40
   Change		23
   Conversations		20
   Balance		16
   Hope/be the hope/expectations		18
   Relationship		8
   Society/societal			59
   Authority/authorities/person in authority/exercise of public authority/social services			44
   Law/laws/legislation/The Social Service Act			37
   Interdisciplinary work			7
   Discretion				20
   Control				9
   Cooperation				7
   SUM:	324	181	147	36

2. A thematic qualitative analysis (Clarke & Braun, 2017) was conducted to gain a deeper insight in the students’ processes. The first log and critical reflections from semester one as well as the critical reflections from semester five were analyzed to track students’ development of a professional identity. In a form of data-driven analysis we searched for common themes as well as disparities, meaning no coding frame was used and the researchers’ analytical preconceptions were bracketed (Clarke & Braun, 2017).

Results and analysis

In the following sections, students’ logbooks will be analyzed to trace their process of progress in shaping a professional identity. In sum, it can be seen that the path of developing a professional identity progressed from comprising a personal level—looking at themselves as a future social worker—to a relational level, being able to see themselves in relation to others, and further on to also include an organizational level during the placement. On an overall level it becomes clear that the path to becoming a social worker is lined with self-reflection, self-awareness, and reflective practice and that students struggle with concerns as to what distinguishes ‘good work’ (Ahlbäck Öberg et al., 2016) and how they can achieve and manage such work.

Reflections from the first semester: what is social work?

In an initial overall content analysis of the logs in semester one, the breadth of what social work can contain and what being a social worker could imply was made visible. As can be seen in Table 3, concepts that describe social work at the individual level appeared the most frequently (324 times). The second most common were concepts that characterize aspects of the relationship between the social worker and the client/service user, which appeared 181 times, and third were concepts on the organizational level (147 times). Finally, concepts which relate to group and structural levels appeared 36 times. In sum, it was obvious that in the beginning of their education, students’ focus was primarily on the individual level.

Me becoming a social worker

In a thematic analysis of the first log in semester one, the question of what social work is and what it means to be a social worker was explored. The concepts help, to help, and to be a helper occurred frequently, as the quotes below from three different students show:

I really enjoy helping people to a better everyday life.

I have chosen this programme because I want to help vulnerable people.

Social workers help people find effective and sustainable solutions to their social problems. (Log1, semester 1)

A picture of an altruistic approach emerges, in which students define social work as helping those in need and assisting people in different vulnerable situations.

Several texts focused on their future role and tasks as helpers offering help and assistance to individuals. In the quote below, one student summarizes her reflections on social work and a social worker’s duties:

When someone comes to seek help and the social worker is the one who has the solutions/interventions, knowledge on the subject and, based on that, a decision will be made about what measures will be available. It is therefore the social worker’s responsibility to ensure that the right measures are offered. (Log 1, Semester 1)

Most reflections are clearly focused on the individual level, both regarding the client/service user and themselves as future social workers. The choice to focus the reflections on social workers’ duties is also an image which is well known from other studies about how newly enrolled students define social work and how they describe their motives for choosing social work (Belchior-Rocha & Casquilho-Martins, 2019; Liedgren & Elvhage, 2015).

Narrowing down the social worker’s discretion

In connection with the theme of being a helper, some students reflect on their responsibilities, both in exercising public authority and in relation to clients and service users. This can be interpreted as an incipient awareness of the social worker’s discretion, as illustrated below:

How do I not become a person who follows laws to the letter? And how do I not become too personally involved? I think that support and help come into the picture here. Of course, I should be there to support and help other people in my profession, but I will also need support and help myself. (Log 1, Semester 1)

Discretion is a central part of the social worker’s profession and the previous quote highlights the dilemma of how to best manage the balance between help/support and control (Björktomta & Arnsvik, 2016). Reflecting on oneself as a person and on the different conditions and challenges of social work is a skill needed to be able to carry out the work tasks. Concerns and expressions of uncertainty about the upcoming work tasks and professional role, that is, handling their discretion, was visible in the logbooks throughout the whole educational period. Daring to doubt is part of the process of self-reflection and can be seen as a positive and important element (Bie, 2021).

Realising the complexity of one’s upcoming professional role in relation to oneself as a person can be interpreted as an example of progression. Some students also problematized the social worker’s responsibility, pointing to the users’/clients’ own responsibility to change their situation, as the quote below shows:

Social work is often about giving hope to people who are in vulnerable life situations, showing it is possible to change the situation. The will, on the other hand, is something the person him/herself must come up with, if the person does not want to change the situation, maybe you as a social worker can’t do much. (Log 1:1)

In the quote, this student draws a line between their responsibility as a social worker and the client’s own responsibility. It can be interpreted as an awareness of the central attitude in social work of empowerment, that is, aiming to support the individual to achieve an independent involvement in decision-making in their own lives. Doing empowerment can also be seen as a demarcation of the social worker’s discretion, pointing to the need of users/clients to be able to influence their own lives.

Reflections on power, control, and authority

A strong theme in the first logs was power and control in relation to the role of the social worker as a helper, and was particularly strong in relation to the exercise of authority. Fear and anxiety that they one day will possess power over another person’s possible life situation can be sensed in several logs. One example comes from a student’s reflections regarding working with financial assistance:

I can find it scary to possess that power, to decide who most deserves support and who does not, and to always be confident in my decision-making. At the same time, it is a huge advantage to possess that power because I get the opportunity to help people develop and change their lives. (Log 1, Semester 1)

The above quote points to social workers’ discretion and their ability to make good judgments. Linking the exercise of authority to the importance of having the knowledge to be able to do a good job and to help the service user/client was reflected in several logs written by students during semester one.

Several students expressed, in different ways, feelings of fear when thinking about the power they will exercise as a social worker. However, as the quote above shows, it seemed as though the fear was outweighed by a desire to help people.

A common thread in the process of developing a professional identity during semester one was a strong passion for helping others, not only the individual client/user but also society as a whole. This expression of a desire to be able to ‘make a difference’ can be recognized from previous studies on social work students (Belchior-Rocha & Casquilho-Martins, 2019).

At the end of semester one: a retrospective reflection

The three logs each semester form the material for the students’ examination assignments (see Table 2). The quote below is an example of how a student during semester one reflects on her personal development:

Reflection is something that is not included in [my] logs, but I have noticed during seminars how I have grown as a person and have dared to step forward more and talk more. I remember the first PPD seminar, and that most of the time I sat rather quietly and didn’t really contribute to discussions the way I wished I had. During the last seminar I found myself active in discussions and remembered that when I left, I would have liked to sit for hours and discuss and analyse. (Critical reflection, Semester 1)

Looking closely at the quote it reveals how the logbook, as a pedagogical tool, seems to support the student in reasoning, explaining, and reviewing PPD seminars and their own development in terms of knowledge and skills as well as on a personal level. Social work is both a vocational and an academic education, but in the quote above the emphasis is more on the academic part—that is, developing the ability and courage to analyze and engage in discussions with one’s classmates. The quote is in line with how Davies and Barnett (2015) define what critical thinking in academia entails, namely that critical thinking encompasses skills and dispositions with moral and ethical dimensions.

In sum, links to future actions within the profession were made almost exclusively when newly enrolled students reflected in the first log about what social work is and why they have chosen this profession. This was sometimes done directly and explicitly, but usually more indirectly through descriptions and generalizations of what the professional role entails and what its challenges are. The critical reflections, on the other hand, looked back at the logs and inwards at the student’s own learning. In several of the critical reflections, as in the one above, the professional dimension was completely absent.

Reflections from semester five: learning by doing during field placement

Semester five runs parallel to the field placement. The final examination assignment of PPD takes place at the end of this semester when the students analyze all the previous logs and critical reflections in one final critical reflection (see Table 2).

Now that I have had the opportunity to see reality during placement, I have developed on many levels. I have been in the section for social assistance (income support) for new arrivals [migrants]. I’ve realised that you learn something new every day when working with people. Many of the reflections I made in my [earlier] logs I have also encountered during placement, which has been cool to see. (Critical reflection, Semester 5)

In the quote above, the student’s experiences during field placement are displayed. Shadowing an experienced social worker and being able to take part in daily work tasks are important parts.

During field placement, students have the opportunity to tie theoretical knowledge to social work practice and see how theories can work in practice. This shift from the university to the workplace and back again seems to be a central part of the process of developing a professional identity. Like the student in the quote above, several other students described in their critical reflections how theories and different themes they had worked with in previous PPD seminars now were concretized in meetings with clients. The field placement is described by students as an educational period where they have the opportunity to meet individuals and families and to actively participate in practical social work, including conducting their own investigative and/or supportive conversations with clients:

I also bring with me the experience of meeting children and teenagers in vulnerable life situations. I really needed to understand how those I have met feel and at the same time remain steady in my role and be someone who listens to them when they want to vent and be a helping hand. (Critical reflection, Semester 5)

This quote shows a nascent development of an empathetic approach that is made visible in the student’s reflection on young people’s vulnerable life situations. The quote also points to the ability of relationship competence, which is about having the self-knowledge needed to understand other people’s experiences while at the same time being aware of and able to separate one’s own feelings from the client’s/user’s experiences (Røkenes & Hansson, 2016).

The critical reflections formed the basis for examination assignments, but also seemed, to some extent, to serve as material for supervision at the placement. It also became evident that students used experiences from placements in their logbooks:

Together with my supervisor at the last tutoring meeting during the placement, I discussed how I had developed during the 20 weeks I have been there. We both came to the conclusion that a lot has happened. It’s easy to forget to reflect as the days roll on, but during these days a lot happens that only becomes visible if you make a comparison between then and now. (Critical reflection, Semester 5)

The above quote points at the field placement and the supervisor as central and important elements in the process of developing a professional identity. The workplace where the field placement occurs can be understood as the professional part of the different life spheres that Nyström (2009) argues affect the construction of a professional identity. Nyström (2009) describes these spheres as fluid in character, together forming a more holistic professional identity; the process can be viewed as a dynamic relationship involving all aspects ‘of an individual’s identity and life spheres in a lifelong learning process’ (p. 17). This process can only be captured by a reflection, as the quote above illustrates. By reading their own logs, students were able to remember previous experiences and continue their development.

Growing into the role of an authority practitioner

Power and power relations are often described as central themes in social work (Svensson et al., 2008) and were also a recurrent topic during the PPD course. With the help of various valuation exercises and role-playing, students discuss and reflect on power in the drama pedagogical workshops (see Table 2), focusing especially on experiencing power from different perspectives. The aim is to increase students’ awareness of power and power relations. Afterwards, students write in their logs about ruling techniques and pros and cons of power from a professional perspective as well as from the client’s perspective. In the critical reflection during semester five, self-criticism and awareness of one’s own prejudices about future clients are displayed in some cases:

In my logs I lack reflections that tell me that my prejudices about clients have changed. Instead, I connect to the work climate, which is an important aspect, but I lack deeper reflections on power and clients. Becoming aware of my ‘gaps’, where my prejudices affect my actions, is something that I very much want to become better at. But after reading my logs, I realise that I still have some work to do. (Critical reflection, Semester 5)

As in the quote above, the students’ self-evaluations were predominantly investigative in nature with a problematizing approach where they also described their weaknesses and could identify areas where further development was needed.

Although the reflections often showed that students gained knowledge of different perspectives on power and power relations from their education, it became evident that it was during field placement, during meetings with individuals in different vulnerable life situations, that they could seriously relate to power and their own position as social workers:

The power perspective is something I have written about and reflected on earlier in the education, but it is only now that I have seen it from a real perspective. (Critical reflection, Semester 5)

This quote can be seen as an example of how students’ professional identity is formed in an interplay between the field placement and academic education.

Reflections about the future professional role

A common theme is the introspective reflection on how their knowledge had increased, built into different courses during education and interplaying with their experiences from the field placement. This student described her progression by examining her personal and professional development during education:

I dared to think about the role of the social worker. I also dared to be critical of myself and examine my reflections. In the latest logs several pieces of the puzzle that I’ve received along the way clicked into place. I thus see a development both in terms of my social work identity and in terms of knowledge. (Critical reflection, Semester 5)

As can be seen in this quote, the text is retrospective and shows a more integrated professional identity construct consisting of the private, personal, and professional spheres. It was by reading their own logs that students increased their self-knowledge, which in turn seemed to be an incentive to further process different weaknesses.

Another theme was about leadership in social work, which is one of the degree goals in Swedish social work education. During PPD seminars, students get to practice taking on a leadership role in different ways (see Table 2). In the quote below, a student expresses how useful reading the logs has been as a confirmation of her progress.

I remember feeling scared and incredibly nervous [earlier in the education]. Now that I’m in semester five and have led a group of students I didn’t know before, I didn’t feel nervous, and I feel like I’ve grown in a role that I previously found intimidating. This insight feels good and like I have great use of this in my future professional role. (Critical reflection, Semester 5)

As the quote shows it was obvious that reading previous logs offered the students the opportunity to remember feelings they had had of inadequacy and fear at the thought of leading a PPD seminar for new students. Afterwards, when reading the logs, this made students realize that they had developed their skills as leaders.

However, there were also some critical comments around PPD and the writing. Some students expressed difficulties regarding writing logs and critical reflections. For some it took time to understand the purpose of reflective writing and to realize how to use the logbook for their own development:

Although I’ve not always understood the purpose [of writing logs], I now see a positive development in myself and know that I can continue to work on things, because I will learn. I feel strengthened for my future professional life as a social worker. (Critical reflection, Semester 5)

As illustrated in this quote, when becoming more involved and starting writing for their own sake, however, almost all the students described positive changes.

In the process of developing professional identity, self-reflection, self-awareness, and reflective practice are all part of a fluid and continuous process (Nyström, 2009). Learning new things in order to develop both personally and professionally will always be a part of a social worker’s working life:

Again, I reflected on my own personality and write in a log that I often take on far too much responsibility in groups and that this can be both positive and negative. I thus continue to get to know myself. (Critical reflection, Semester 5)

The quote above points to the three pillars of social work education: professional identity, personal maturity, and self-knowledge. Central aspects were about the desire to develop as a person and the realization that one never will be fully taught. Joy and anticipation for the students’ future professional life permeates most of the final critical reflections.

Taken together, the critical reflections at the end of semester five often covered discussions of individual learning, pointing to a constructive and forward-looking attitude showing an awareness of the fact that developing a professional identity and achieving more self-knowledge is a long-term process. In their evaluation of the PPD course several students expressed awareness of their own development in terms of themselves as persons and as professionals not being finished.

Discussion

The aim of the present study was to increase the knowledge about how the process of building a professional identity can be incorporated into social work education. More specifically, the study aimed to explore the role of reflective writing in the students’ incipient construction of their professional identity. By analyzing 95 log texts and critical reflections from 41 students written at different points during the PPD course in semesters one and five, students’ development processes during education became visible.

The PPD course is embedded in the curriculum during the first five semesters, which gives the students time to process their own development and form a professional identity. The analysis shows that writing the logbook was perceived as meaningful by the great majority. Moreover, the course structure seemed to give students space to reflect on both pros and cons in their own personal and professional development, which strengthens the trustworthiness of the contents of the logbooks. Furthermore, in line with Christensen and Wärnsby (2023), the analysis shows that a combination of different learning activities can stimulate students’ learning progression, and develop their metacognitive skills, through reflective writing. However, the formative rather than summative assessments, contrary to research, did not imply a lower commitment from the students (see Hargreaves, 2004).

The importance of all three course elements

All three course elements seemed to, in different ways, support this development during education: (1) the content of the PPD seminars, which give the students the opportunity to link knowledge and theories with practical skill exercises; (2) the workshops where students through drama pedagogical methods work with power, ruling techniques, ethics, and moral values; and (3) using a logbook as an individual pedagogical tool, which gives students opportunities to reflect upon and gradually understand their development process.

Furthermore, the analysis showed that the process of forming a professional identity developed from a narrow, limited understanding of what social work is and what it can mean to work as a social worker to an increased knowledge of the complexities of the profession, with relational and integrated ways of reasoning about the future profession (see also Nyström, 2009). Reading their own logs, the students were able to remember previous experiences and continue the development of their metacognition as well as their professional identity.

It also became clear that field placement played a central role for the students to broaden their perspective by incorporating the professional sphere at the workplace into their professional identity. In this process, the supervisor at the workplace, who was an experienced social worker, functioned as a role-model. These results are in line with previous studies (Beddoe et al., 2014; Kinman & Grant, 2014; Moorhead et al., 2019; Wiles, 2017).

From the wish to be a helper to the formation of a professional identity

It was obvious that in the beginning of the education, students were busy understanding and taking on the social worker’s assignment to help and be a helper. In their logbooks the students took their individual needs and expectations as a starting point, but there were also expressions of anxiety and uncertainty about their future positions of power, and whether they would succeed in their mission. By linking theoretical knowledge to reflections on their future profession, together with discussions with peers, their own learning was made visible. There were notes on increased self-confidence, reflections on their upcoming professional life, and on themselves as future social workers. Over the course of their education, a progression could be identified where theoretical knowledge, together with skills training, began to shape a professional identity. This becomes clearly visible in semester five, during placement, when the students’ perspectives began to broaden to spheres outside themselves and the individual level, such as the workplace, the organization, and society.

Based on the findings and the use of content analysis, it has been possible to capture a comprehensive picture of how building professional identity starts and takes shape during social work education. In this process, the field placement and the supervisor have been shown to be important in offering students the opportunity to extend their reflections beyond themselves and the individual level in the development process (Nyström, 2009).

Concluding reflection

To sum up, although the context of this education is a Swedish university, there are some common features in a social worker’s identity—such as self-reflection, self-awareness, and reflective practice—which are global. Another common aspect is the importance of field placements and the supervisors as role models. What distinguishes the Swedish university’s approach is that the PPD course continues in parallel with the other courses over the first five semesters, based on a holistic approach to professional development and the use of logbooks as a pedagogical tool for the students’ progress. The results can be relevant and valuable for a broader education practice, showing the importance of embedding the process of developing a professional identity into the syllabus in social work education (see also Moorhead et al., 2019).

Against the background of the results from this study, we conclude that a vocational education, like social work, needs three legs to stand on: theoretical knowledge, training skills, and—not least—the opportunity to develop a professional identity. To make this possible, the students depend on the shift between university, the different exercises in the PPD course, and social work in practice at field placements. One conclusion is that the three course elements are valuable in several ways and are important parts in the students’ professional development and should be protected within the education.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).