Younger Students in Social Work Education:

1
Younger Students in Social Work Education

• Our new non-traditional students?
• Cath Holmstrom, Katy Razavi, Rebecca Halldearn

2
Introductions and outline of presentation

• Co-presented by one social work educator, one
  current student and one former student
• Based upon research primarily carried out last
  summer
• Presents a summary of the findings in relation to
  experiences of first 3 cohorts of younger
  students on one SW programme in order to
  highlight issues for further exploration

3
Research focus and rationale

• The first cohorts of new degree students
  graduating in the summer of 2006, what can we
  learn from the experiences of those students in
  relation to teaching, learning, support and
  recruitment issues
• Through teaching, tutoring and recruitment work
  with our undergraduate students, Cath had become
  aware of some of some of the younger students
  reporting difficult experiences.

4
Context

• Jointly run degree by two local HEIs (one older
  and one post 92 HEI)
• Relatively high entry requirements (BBB or
  equivalent as standard offer)
• Government advertising campaign and bursary
  provision new to external context
• Proportion of U21 students on our programme has
  increased from 4 out of 30 (1/7th) in 2003 to
  13/40 currently (1/3rd)

5
Methodology

• Research was designed flexibly, with key themes
  emerging from focus group discussions
  subsequently incorporated into the questionnaire
  design.
• Evaluative research approach
• Main research with younger students. Secondary
  surveys with mature students and Practice
  Assessors/Tutors (only referred to in passing
  here). Explored pre-course and during course
  experiences and issues.

6
Respondent characteristics

• All younger students were female
• Just over half were local and just over half
  lived in university accommodation in 1st year
• Many referred to marks being lower in first year
  than they had expected (given high grades at A
  level)
• 70 had come direct from school/college
• 58 had studied only traditional A levels with
  37 combining these with AVCEs
• Wide spread of previous subjects studied but
  Psychology, sociology, AVCE HSC and English Lit
  amongst the most frequently studied
• Correlations between subjects studied and end of
  year one mean marks?

7
Findings re pre-course issues

• Extent to which students felt previous study had
  prepared them for the social work degree 15 of
  the 19 highlighted CONTENT relevance 9 also
  highlighted process related factors 4 mentioned
  academic confidence
• Intensity of the programme 12 of the 19 reported
  the course being more time-intensive than
  expected
• Emotional impact 15 of the 19 reported the
  emotional impact of the course to be more/much
  more than expected

8

• Prior experience a theme identified from the
  focus group discussion was the perceived
  assumption that younger students did not have
  relevant previous work or life experiences. In
  social work education literature, there is often
  a primacy placed upon the value of experience.
  Only 1 respondent stated that they had no
  experience at all and only 4 having less than 6
  months relevant previous experience.
• Motivation Focus group discussions highlighted
  the experience many reported in relation to the
  way they had been challenged about their
  motivation for considering social work training
  (by practice assessors and fellow students).

9
Experiences during study

• Awareness of age-related differences peaked
  during key points on programme shadowing PBL
  work (see quotes) perceived differences/expectat
  ions and experiences essay preparation time
  preparation for placement
• Pressures during study included caring
  responsibilities and (for all but one respondent)
  the need to carry out significant amounts of paid
  work

10

• Challenges reported as being faced by younger
  students included
• The attitudes of fellow students
• The attitude of assessors/HEI staff
• The expectations of service users
• Need for a social life as part of transition to
  independence
• Own attitudes
• Adapting to life away from home

11

• Several students had experienced overtly negative
  comments as a result of age-related differences.
• Most respondents felt that the strengths that
  they brought as younger participants in the
  course had been largely over-looked. The main
  strengths identified included energy academic
  confidence IT skills fun (all also identified
  by mature students) but also organisational
  skills commitment and life experience

12
Recommendations from research

• Work to support younger students via peer
  mentoring/support group
• Work to share these experiences and issues with
  tutors, assessors and practice colleagues
• Further work re difference within the student
  group during orientation or induction phase
• Work with schools/colleges and careers advisors
  regarding nature of programme and nature of
  professional learning

13
Understanding the findings

• Findings of this research project mirror those
  from research into the experiences of mature
  returners to HE (see Bowl, 2001 and Taylor, 1997)
  regarding challenges and difficult experiences
• Earlier literature focusses upon the importance
  of process knowledge and life/work experience and
  emphasises the need for SW education to utilise
  this.
• We need to explore how our newer entrants fit
  within this context
• Within our programme, it seemed to be these
  younger students who were left feeling
  non-standard or needing to catch up in terms
  of their lack of experience (as reported by
  several respondents)

14
Project evaluation

• Small sample and researchers own position as
  tutor and now programme director may have
  influenced some of the responses
• There is a danger of creating or maintaining an
  artificial divide (Under or over 21 etc) and this
  risks simplifying something much more complex
• However, raised important issues and has informed
  work during induction and work with agencies

15
Final comments/references

• Experiences elsewhere with larger proportions of
  younger applicants/students?
• Experiences where entry requirements are
  different?
• Implications for recruitment an careers advice
  work
• Implications for working with student groups on
  professional programmes and role of the othering
  process in respect of identity and difference.
• Key references
• Webb, S (1997) Alternative Students?
  Conceptualisation of difference in J. Williams
  (ed) Negotiating Access to Higher Education the
  Discourse of selectivity and Equity, Buckingham,
  SRHE and OUP, pp108-129
• Taylor, I (1997) Developing Learning in
  Professional Education, Buckingham SRHE and OUP
• Bowl, M (2001) Experiencing the barriers
  non-traditional students entering higher
  education in Research Papers in Education 16(2)
  2001, pp141-160