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The value of mixing it up: Student experiences of a multi-modal approach to supervision on placement

Version 2 2024-06-03, 22:39
Version 1 2019-02-21, 17:56
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-03, 22:39 authored by Sevi VassosSevi Vassos, L Harms, D Rose
One-to-one supervision has been widely acknowledged in the social work literature as the gold-standard approach in field education. However, the sustainability of this approach has been challenged in recent decades amidst the managerial mandates permeating both education and health/human service sectors. Universities and placement organisations have experimented with alternative supervision approaches in response to these contextual pressures, although the research on these alternatives is limited at this point. In an attempt to contribute to the emerging research base, this article reports on a three-year trial of a multi-modal supervision approach involving the systematic application of individual and collective supervision modes within each student placement. The study explored the supervision experiences of 128 Master of Social Work students participating in the multi-modal supervision trial across five health networks in Melbourne, Australia. The study adopted a mixed-methods research design involving surveys followed by interviews. The findings suggest that, although one-to-one supervision is integral, students value the combination of one-to-one and collective supervision, provided that supervision content is student-centred; and that inter-personal trust and mutual engagement imbue the supervisory process. Ultimately, the study points to the importance of both content and relationships in the supervisory process, irrespective of the supervision mode employed.

History

Journal

British Journal of Social Work

Volume

49

Pagination

1274-1295

Location

Oxford, Eng.

ISSN

0045-3102

eISSN

1468-263X

Language

English

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2018, The Authors

Issue

5

Publisher

OXFORD UNIV PRESS