Download Diversity and Progression Amongst Social Work Students in England

Diversity and Progression Amongst
Social Work Students in England: An
Explanatory Study
Dr Claudia Bernard, Ms Anna
Fairtlough, Ms Joan Fletcher and
Dr Akile Ahmet.
Study Aims
• This study investigated
the particular
circumstances of black
and ethnic minority
students, disabled
students, and lesbian
and gay students to
identify the specific
factors that contributed
to their experiences on
social work courses.
• It sought to look at the
different contributory
factors to shed light on
the commonalities and
differences within and
across the groups to
provide
a
deeper
understanding of their
learning experiences.
Methodology
• Six Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) was
used as case studies. Indepth interviews and
focus groups were
conducted with
students and a range of
key informants within
the case study sites.
• The sample included
programme directors,
tutors, practice learning
co-ordinators,
and
learning support staff,
such
as
disability
officers, mental health
officers, and senior
members
of
staff
responsible
for
inclusion and access
policies within the HEI
sites.
Choosing the Sites
• We drew on the
quantitative data
provided by the GSCC
on progression rates
among DipSW & Degree
students (GSCC, 2007)
• Selected sites where the
progression rates of
these students were
either much better or
much worse than the
average.
• Included some within
the middle range.
• Geographical diversity;
including ‘old’ and
‘new’ universities,
• including both
undergraduate and
postgraduate
programmes;
• programmes with large
and small numbers of
black and ethnic
minority students.
The Sample
• The study gathered data from a total of
113 participants:
• 66 Black and ethnic minority students
• 16 Students with disabilities
• 13 Lesbian gay and bisexual students
• 18 key informants
Data-gathering and analysis
Methods
• This data-gathering methods included the
following:
• Focus groups with black, disabled and lesbian
and gay students;
• In-depth interviews with black, disabled and
lesbian and gay and bisexual students;
• In-depth interviews with key informants.
• The analysis of the data was based on the
procedures and techniques from grounded
theory.
Individual Factors
• Black and ethnic minority
students may have to
navigate a multiplicity of
factors, such as balancing
competing demands on their
time because of caring
responsibilities, having
limited finances, and in
many cases, English not
being their first language as
well as feelings of
marginalisation and
devaluation in the
classroom.
• HEI providers need to
understand how the
cumulative effects of these
factors may mitigate against
students being able to make
use of the available support
Individual Factors
• Because many of the
black and ethnic
minority students were
starting from
disadvantaged
educational
backgrounds, they
needed to devote the
maximum amount of
time to their learning if
they were to succeed.
• The findings suggest
that this group of
students had little time
to devote to their
studies because of the
competing demands on
their time. In some sites
programme providers
were not always able to
deliver the support that
students require.
Individual Factors
• Some black students • The lesbian, gay and
were reluctant to
bisexual
students
voice that they have
reported
particular support
experiencing blatant
needs,
as
they
homophobia
on
perceived
such
their programmes,
needs as deficient,
which left them in a
thus
constraining
very
isolated
their
access
to
support services.
position.
Individual Factors
• Disabled
• Good
participants valued
communication
disability
support
across the university
services that offered:
• Aware, sensitive and
• Timely assessments
skilled
support
and support plans
workers, staff in
• Effective delivery of
disability
units
and
the resources
lecturers.
outlined in the
plans,
Programme Level Factors
• In the sites that had • Students had less
very large intakes of
support to manage
students, and with
some of the value
much
of
the
dilemmas
and
teaching
taking
conflicts that arose
place
in
large
for them in the
groups, with limited
learning process.
opportunities
for
learning in small
groups:
Programme Level Factors
• In all of the sites • A common theme
some
form
of
emerging across all
centrally managed
the sites are the
language
and
students’ report of
academic
and
segregation around
disability
support
racial lines in the
alongside a personal
classroom.
tutoring system was
offered to students.
•
Programme Level Factors
• For a minority of students interviewed,
the researchers had concerns about
their
emotional
readiness
and
professional suitability for social work,
which raised questions about the
admissions and selections processes in
those HEIs.
Practice Learning
Environment Factors
• In some of the sites
there
are
some
significant barriers in
providing fair and equal
practice learning and
assessment
opportunities
for
disabled, black and
ethnic minority and
lesbian
and
gay
students.
• In some sites when
placements are scarce,
both students and HEIs
may
be
wary
of
challenging
discriminatory practice
for fear of losing
valuable
practice
learning opportunities.
•
Practice Learning
Environment Factors
• For some disabled
students
with • Difficulties in
mobility and sensory
finding suitable
impairment, there
placements;
are barriers related
to:
• Transferring the
support provided by
• Disabling attitudes
amongst
disability services
practitioners;
into their placement.
Practice Learning
Environment Factors
• Where black and ethnic
minority students are
undertaking
their
placements
in
predominately
white
areas they reported
experiencing
explicit
racism, which created
additional stressors.
• This emerged as a
major problem in
two of the sites.
Organisational and
Institutional Factors
• Across the majority of the sites, there
was little evidence on both a
programme and at institutional level to
show how equality and diversity
outcomes were monitored for students
based on race, ethnicity, disability and
sexual orientation.
Organisational and
Institutional Factors
• Where there appeared
to be a system wide
approach, including:
• Strong
commitment
and support at a senior
management level,
• Well-resourced learning
support systems;
• It appeared to make
a difference for the
black and ethnic
minority students’
progression.
Organisational and
Institutional Factors
• In terms of good practice, one site stood
out as exceptional in relation to the
emphasis informants placed on staff
training and development as a way of
promoting a shared vision and
embedding equality and diversity values
throughout the institution.
Organisational and
Institutional Factors
• Equality and
diversity profiled
within the staff
induction
programme;
• A compulsory elearning module on
equality and
diversity;
• A forum for staff to
meet and share
strategies
for
addressing some of
the complexities of
managing diversity
in the classroom.
Organisational and
Institutional Factors
• In one site key
informants reported
significant
investment in the
disability service;
• In this site a number
of instances of good
practice were cited;
• These included:
• Screening
all
new
students
in
the
university and offering
assessments to all those
who
show
dyslexia
related signs;
• Having staff to offer
individual
ongoing
support to students
with particular needs;
• Employing
two
specialist mental health
workers.
Summary
• The findings suggest that a number of
overt and subtle processes interact to
shape the overall learning experience,
both in the classroom and practice
learning environment, which may have
an impact on outcomes for black and
ethnic minority, disabled, and lesbian
gay and bisexual students.
Summary
• Whilst we cannot say
with certainty that
these factors in
themselves will lead to
poor progression
outcomes,
• They are important
factors to consider for
understanding how
they might compound
the problems that
students coming from
disadvantaged groups
face.
Summary
• Undoubtedly, these factors operate to place
additional pressures on students in terms of
the impediments they have to overcome to
be active learners in the learning
environment.