Supervising Students Developmentally: Evaluating a Seminar for New Field Instructors

Effects of Field Instructor Training on Student Competencies and the Supervisory Alliance

“…Models to train social work field instructors (FIs) tend to either target the development of a specialized skill (Armour, Bain, & Rubio, 2004; Doueck & Kasper, 1990; Raschick et al, 1998; Rogers & McDonald, 1992, 1995) or teach a combination of skills that focus on the development of FIs as educators. Six FI training models incorporate a broad range of supervisory skills, combining such topics as utilizing learning contracts and process recordings as teaching methods, integrating theory and practice, responding to students based on their developmental level, establishing expectations for student performance and evaluation, and managing ethical and legal issues (Abramson & Fortune, 1990; Deal & Clements, 2006; Finch & Feigelman, 2008; Gourdine & Baffour, 2004; McChesney & Euster, 2000; Reardon, 1988). A review of these studies found little support for the effectiveness of multiskill training models.…”

“…One model educated beginning FIs about student attachment cues and learning needs (Bennett, 2008b) and the role of attachment processes in establishing a supervisory working alliance (Borden, 1983). The second model trained FIs to modify the focus and content of supervision based on the developmental needs of students (Deal & Clements, 2006). The Developmental–Relational Approach to Field Supervision integrates these two models and emphasizes the interface of literature on developmental levels of graduate education (see Deal, 2000, 2002) and the theory and research on attachment in social work field supervision (see Bennett, et al, 2008; Bennett & Deal, 2009; Bennett, 2006).…”

Supervision Training: What We Know and What We Need to Know

“…By examining changes in FIs' responses to supervisory vignettes pre-and posttraining, Reardon discovered that FIs were better able to assess students' professional development and to generate appropriate learning goals and strategies. Deal and Clements (2006) trained a control group of FIs to use developmental stage models to assess students' cognitive, behavioral, and affective abilities and to modify their supervisory approach to address students' changing learning needs. Analysis of student ratings of FI competencies found that students of trained FIs were significantly more satisfied than students of untrained FIs regarding how FIs supported students' agency work, linked theory to practice, and provided specific feedback.…”

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“…Few studies examine the implications for students of quality field director training, though many learn "on the job" and through "trial and error" (Deal & Clements, 2006;Raskin & Ellison, 2011). The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE, 2010) now designates field as the signature pedagogy of social work, which should give an added impetus to focusing on the social work educator in class and field.…”