REFLECTIVE PRACTICE AS AN INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL METHODOLOGY: INTEGRATING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES IN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Abstract

Reflective practice and critical reflexivity in social work education are increasingly recognized as a core set of practices that need to accommodate the complexities of professional tasks, uncertain ethics, and the emotional labor of practice that social work practitioners face. Using existing theoretical work, the current paper seeks to add depth to this literature by synthesizing research approaches from empirically related work that considers practices of reflection and reflexivity in social work practice and education. This discussion focuses on debating the context in which reflection is transformed from a theoretical understanding of practice into something more applicable. This paper draws on recent research to critically evaluate various approaches to reflection, including reflection journals, more embodied approaches to reflection, reflexivity-based educational approaches, and video-based approaches to reflection. Of key importance is the role of such approaches in the context of field educational work and transitions between educational roles and practice, where newly qualified social care practitioners are often exposed to conditions of especial risk and organization-based challenge. Findings indicate that reflection and reflexivity approaches work best when they are formalized, maintained over time, and provided support both at the educational and organization levels, as distinct from personal responsibility.