Multiple Challenges Faced By Social Work Students during the Field Practice: Special Reference to the National Institute of Social Development

Abstract

Sri Lanka has a limited number of social work educational institutions, with the National Institute being the first to offer social work education since 1962. It serves as the pioneer institute for social work education in the country, currently offering programs in Tamil, Sinhala, and English, both full-time and part-time. All courses include a field practicum component aligned with the Sri Lanka Qualification Framework (SLQF). The Bachelor of Social Work program spans four years and incorporates observational visits, field studies, and fieldwork practice at various levels. Students encounter different challenges during their fieldwork, particularly in institutions assigned to them. They work under the supervision of Field supervisors (also referred to as agency supervisors) and faculty supervisors. Multiple challenges faced by students during fieldwork include transportation issues, a lack of clarity from agencies regarding fieldwork objectives, insufficient cooperation from supervisors, difficulties in organising reports, challenges in understanding fieldwork guidance manuals, and financial constraints. These challenges can hinder the timely completion of fieldwork, the achievement of objectives, and the quality of reports. To address these issues, the institute has appointed linguistically separate coordinators and supervisors at various levels for oversight. Additionally, orientation workshops, progress panel presentations, and final panel presentations have been instituted for students. Despite these support measures, students continue to experience challenges in completing field practice. To address this research objective, this study examines the multiple challenges and Regulation of supervision faced by social work students during field practice.150 fourth-year Social Work students studying in the Tamil medium participated in this study. The students were stratified by field practice location, and a purposive sampling method was used to select 20% of the participants based on their willingness and experience in providing data for fieldwork Practice. Primary data were collected through interviews and key informant interviews, while secondary data were obtained from the literature. The collected data were subjected to conceptual analysis, which identified aspects such as experiences and challenges associated with fieldwork. The study's findings indicated that several factors affect the completion of fieldwork, including low support for field supervisors, poor communication between the institutional field experience department and other supervisors, and a lack of student commitment. Further research into supervisor responsibilities may help mitigate the challenges students face in the field.