When Failing doesn’t Matter: A Narrative Inquiry into the Social Work Practice Learning Experiences of Black African Students in England

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a small-scale empirical study into the practice learning experiences of black African students of social work in England. Undertaken in the form of a pilot study, the findings reveal that practice learning experiences can be beneficial in enhancing skills and knowledge but can also cause distress, lower self-esteem and result in students feeling discriminated against. For participants, failing their practice learning appeared to be a far more pleasant outcome than undergoing the levels of disrespect and discrimination they believed they were subjected to on a regular basis during placements. Using elements of the critical race theoretical (CRT) framework, an attempt is made to conceptualise the narratives generated from participant interviews.

How is ‘racism’ understood in literature about black and minority ethnic social work students in Britain? A conceptual review

“…A similar problem is illustrated by Bartoli and colleagues' (2008) discussion of 15 Black African students' experiences of practice learning settings. This and other articles by Tedam (2014aTedam ( , 2014b) provide a great deal of evidence about students' experiences of racism. However, the detailed recommendations proposed, such as incorporating international perspectives in teaching, developing a library of African texts, mentoring and shadowing experiences, do not directly address racism.…”

“…Data from interviews and focus groups are also analysed in limited ways, generally focusing on the content of what students say, rather than discursive analyses of how race and difference come to be discussed. Tedam (2014b) is distinctive in using a narrative approach in her study of Black African students' experiences of practice placements but, even here, the focus is on the content of participants' stories, not how racism is spoken about. There is very little attention in the literature to how social work educators speak about race and diversity (one exception is Fletcher et al, 2015).…”

Getting to Know the Context: The Complexities of Providing Off-Site Supervision in Social Work Practice Learning

“…The supervisory relationship is a focal point of the field education experience (Tedam, 2014) and supervision in field education is key factor in student satisfaction with their practice learning (Domakin 2013). Supervision and the supervisory relationship are impacted by internal and external factors.…”

“…However, workload pressures impact the provision of effective practice learning (Domakin, 2013). Moreover, the supervisory relationship is also shaped by the fact that students in field education are also being assessed by their field educator in regards to their competencies and strengths (Tedam, 2014). Field educators need to find ways to make the student's work visible and assessable beyond student's self-assessment that may be filtered through the student's experience, values and theoretical orientation (Maidment, 2000).…”

Navigating relationships in practice learning: voices from practice educators

“…The nature and dynamics of the PE-student relationship deserves some scrutiny as it is within this relationship that issues concerning social difference and power are played out (Tedam, 2014). Hackett and Marsland (1997, p. 47) contend that 'examination of power issues is central to the provision of quality practice learning experience'.…”