The Effect of Educational Disequilibrium in Field Work on Graduate Social Work Students' Self-Concept and Mental Health

Abstract

The author used a mixed methods design to assess field work-related educational disequilibrium and its effect on the self-concept and mental health of MSW students. Twenty-eight advanced, fourth-semester MSW students were compared with 37 entering, first-semester MSW students in practice-related sense of accomplishment. Compared with first-year students, second-year students reported a lower sense of accomplishment, which, in turn, explained their lower self-esteem and higher depressive symptoms. In addition, qualitative data revealed their field work-related struggles with incompetence caused by inexperience. Implications for social work education are discussed.

Keywords:

• educational disequilibrium
• field work
• social work students
• self-esteem
• depressive symptoms

Acknowledgments

The study was supported by a faculty grant from the University of California, Berkeley. Rufina Wu assisted with the literature search; Cheryl Francisconi and Amy Benton assisted with the data collection; and Amanda Lehning and Jing Guo performed the data analysis.