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© British Association of Social Workers

Social Work Education: Tackling The Theory—Practice Dilemma

ROSALINE S. BARBOUR

The author is currently employed as a research fellow at the Institute of Medical Sociology in Aberdeen. She studied sociology at Aberdeen University and has also carried out post-graduate research into social work training.

Summary

The integration of theory and practice has long been a topic for debate and concern amongst social work educators. A longitudinal participant observation study of one cohort of social work students confirmed that the ideal of theory—practice integration was also high on their own list of self-established priorities. Students' efforts towards attaining this goal were also hampered by the perspectives which they themselves brought to bear on their training. Attempting to resolve the conflict between their own perspectives and their perceived demands of professional education students appealed to and reconstructed afresh various models of theory application endorsed both by social work educators and practitioners. These models, however, are essentially contradictory and pose serious problems for the development and maintenance of social work standards.


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