Students' Perceptions on Social Work Profession: Implications for Program Improvement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67903/ijroms0609Keywords:
Field Practicum, OBE, Program Improvement, Social Work, StudentsAbstract
This study aimed to investigate the lived experiences of graduating social work students and practicing field social workers in the field practicum. The study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the social work program, understand how field experiences shape professional identity and sense of purpose, and analyze students' perceptions of public and community views regarding the social work profession to inform program improvements. This study employed a phenomenological approach; data were collected using validated semi-structured interview guides through key informant interviews for students and focus group discussions for field social workers. Results reveal that the students and their AFIs shared field practicum experiences, emphasizing that experiential, field-based learning provides critical, eye-opening preparation for practice by bridging classroom theory and community reality. In professional identity and purpose, field immersion catalyzed a profound shift from viewing social work as a job to embracing it as a rights-based profession rooted in empathy, compassion, resilience, leadership, and human rights. Lastly, for program improvement insights, participants identified crucial areas for enhancement, including the need for longer and more diverse field exposures, the integration of sectoral alongside the generalist model, and a stronger emphasis on ethical grounding, communication skills, and Knowledge-Skills-Attitude integration. The findings underscore that social work education is a holistic, transformative process requiring close synergy between academic institutions and field placement agencies. Recommendations include moving higher education institutions from basic compliance toward contextualized, resource-supported outcomes-based education, institutionalizing structured field supervision, and fostering robust school-agency partnerships to ensure optimal graduate readiness.
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