Student Reflections on Field Education during COVID-19: One Year Later

Authors

  • Jesse Henton
  • Tara Collins
  • Mohammad Idris Alemi
  • Jayden Wickman
  • Lavender Xin Huang

Keywords:

social connection, pandemic, supervision, practicum, tuition costs

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected social work education, particularly field education. This article reflects upon field education of student research assistants doing their practica during COVID-19, comparing those perspectives to those of students surveyed one year ago. The research assistants worked on a national online survey conducted in July 2020 by the Transforming the Field Education Landscape (TFEL) partnership. The survey obtained responses from 367 BSW and MSW students. The article outlines five major student themes: social isolation, mental health, quality of learning, financial concerns, and a sense of fear and uncertainty. It juxtaposes these concerns with reflections by the TFEL student research assistants—each research assistant reflecting on one concern that resonated with them—to demonstrate their continued relevance to student practica one year later.

Author Biographies

Jesse Henton

Jesse Henton, MSW is a research assistant with the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary and a research assistant with Transforming the Field Education Landscape (TFEL).

Tara Collins

Tara Collins is a Ph.D. candidate with the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, and a research assistant with TFEL.

Mohammad Idris Alemi

Mohammad Idris Alemi is a Clinical MSW student with the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary (CNAR) and a research assistant with Transforming the Field Education Landscape (TFEL).

Jayden Wickman

Jayden Wickman is a fourth year BSW student in the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, and a research assistant with TFEL.

Lavender Xin Huang

Lavender Xin Huang is an MSW student in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary and a research assistant with TFEL.

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Published

2023-07-21

How to Cite

Henton, J., Collins, T., Idris Alemi, M. ., Wickman, J., & Xin Huang , L. (2023). Student Reflections on Field Education during COVID-19: One Year Later. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 29(1), 64–76. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/1942