The Importance of Social Education in Practical Training

Transcription

1 Final report about the study Curricular Research on Education in Professional Practical Training for Social Education and Social Work. Professor Dr. Günter Seifert / Thomas Fitzner, Technical College Fulda, University of Applied Sciences, Translation services: Dr. B. Quednau, Los Angeles Ca, USA Research on Professional Trainees 200 / 2002 Goal of the Empirical Investigation. In this empirical investigation, the dual education system will be examined for social pedagogues and social workers at the Technical College Fulda with regard to the efficiency and effectiveness of the co-ordination of academic education and practical education. 2. With respect to the education quality, the study will examine whether sufficient room for experimenting is made available to the professional trainee; which structures within the organization foster this; and how the quality of the relationship between teacher and professional trainee impacts the quality of the education. 3. Earlier investigations about choices of professional fields already demonstrated that male and female trainees showed preferences for particular professional fields in the area of social work. The goal of the following investigation is to examine whether significant changes have occurred with respect to the choice of a particular professional field, and to study the possible causes underlying these changes. Research Method The survey was conducted in three successive phases at the Technical College Fulda from November 200 until July 2002, using standardized questionnaires. In order to guarantee an anonymous and effective return of the answers the questionnaires were mailed to the professional trainees along with stamped return envelopes. In this investigation, choice of the professional field, the conditions of the present working environment, and the tension in the relationship of theory and practice are of central importance. General Statements Of 689 mailed questionnaires, 234 were returned. That corresponds to a return rate of approximately 34%; 2 out of the 234 addressees had either moved to an unknown location or the mail was not deliverable. Therefore, 23 valid questionnaires were used for the final analysis. That corresponds to a total return of 3%, which is a representative result for the major Social Education. With regard to the characteristics, this detailed study continues my long-term investigation. Students of the Technical

2 College Fulda enrolled in the practical professional training course at the time were questioned. 22 (57%) of the 23 professional trainees are employed by public agencies. Private agencies employed 86 of the 23 professional trainees (40%). The remaining 3% of the students participating in the study did not give any information regarding their professional field. The distribution of professional fields according to male and female trainees shows no significant difference between both employing agencies. Distribution of the Professional Trainees within the Professional Fields The following investigation will show the distribution of the professional trainees within the individual professional fields of social work. The analysis of the questionnaires was performed according to gender and employing agency. Thus, the analysis will offer information about gender-specific distribution of individual professional fields of social work and furthermore, it will investigate whether significant differences can be demonstrated with regard to the enrollment into practical courses at public and private agencies, respectively. In all work places, significant differences emerged in the distribution of female and male professional trainees. In general, female professional trainees are more numerous. However, a different pattern is seen in open child and youth work, in the penal system, and in court services for juveniles; here, the proportion of male applicants is clearly higher. The dominating presence of male professional trainees in these work places allows the assumption that male applicants may offer more favorable, gender-related traits for applying to these work places. However, this thesis needs to be proven in a separate investigation. The opposite observation is made particularly in the area of kindergarten work, outpatient help for families, and psycho-social advice; none of the male professional trainees questioned in this study were awarded a training place in these professional fields. Further studies will determine whether the results of this regional investigation of a gender-specific distribution of trainees in individual professional fields are valid on a statewide and federal level. 2

3 Public Agency Professional Fields Male Trainees Female Trainees Total Number in the Work Place General social services 3 (ASD) 6 9 Employment exchange 0 Psycho-social advice Advisory services for 4 addiction- and drugrelated 7 Issues Court services for 3 juveniles 2 5 (JGH) Social services in schools Psychiatry Kindergarten Outpatient help for families Social services in hospitals Educational work (public agency) Penal system Open child and youth work Other public agencies Total (Auswertung: Thomas Fitzner, Berufspraktikantenforschung Prof. Dr. G. Seifert an der Fachhochschule Fulda, 200/2002 3

4 -Free Agency Professional Fields Male Trainees Female Trainees Total Number in the Professional Field Senior services within nursing 0 home social services Outpatient services for juveniles 3 8 Inpatient services for children and 4 juveniles 5 Other services for children and 2 juveniles 7 9 Inpatient and outpatient services for 7 physically and mentally 2 28 handicapped people Inpatient services for adults 0 Educational services for adults 3 4 Open services for handicapped 0 people Establishments for juvenile 5 education 6 Advisory services for migrants 0 Social advisory services, private supporting agencies Services for parents and children 0 Other 5 6 Total result (Auswertung: Thomas Fitzner, Berufspraktikantenforschung Prof. Dr. G. Seifert an der Fachhochschule Fulda, 4

5 Evaluation of the Distribution of Professional Fields of Private Agencies The distribution of professional trainees in private agencies shows three principal areas. Of 86 professional trainees employed by private agencies: - 37 work with children and youths work in inpatient and outpatient services for physically and mentally handicapped people. - 8 work in services for adults, in inpatient services for senior citizens, and in educational and advisory services for adults. It can be emphasized that the classic fields of social work in private agencies are located in the areas of work with children and youths as well as services for physically and mentally handicapped people. The low number of the professional trainees in the area of services for seniors and adults could be an indication that the increasing implementation of economical measures in the area of social work leads to a displacement of social pedagogues and social workers from these professional fields. This thesis needs to be evaluated in a separate study; however, some evidence could already be drawn from this investigation: the analysis of questions 2 to 20 on the questionnaire (more details below) showed that especially in the areas of services for seniors as well as social work in clinics and hospitals the professional trainees described a rather aggressive work environment in so far as the professional trainees were complaining about the lack of competent practical instruction. In addition, the professional trainees did not have sufficient time to work with clients in their appropriate area of expertise. According to the professional trainees, the strong economical aspect in these professional fields is the main cause for the lack of time required to perform tasks in the area of social pedagogue work. Analysis of Questions 2 to 20 The professional trainees answered the question how their attitude towards social work changed after the professional training following their studies over six semesters, as follows: - 3% indicated that their attitude had improved - 49% said that their attitude did not change - approx. 6% reported a deteriorating attitude towards their profession On average, the quality of practical instruction was rated 2,5. However, in the area of clinical and hospital work the evaluation was worse. 46% of the students considered the representation by a labor union or a professional association as necessary, and 49% considered it not (yet) meaningful. The increasing need for adequate representation of their interests by either a labor union or a professional association correlated significantly with a negative evaluation of the practical instruction and a poor translation of the curriculum. Especially in the first period of the professional practical training, many students indicated that they currently do not see a need for representation. Accordingly, it can 5

6 be speculated that the representation of interests in the area of social work is primarily viewed as a Social Emergency Response Team, which is only necessary when needed. 64% of all professional trainees commented positive on the subject of teamwork. In this regard, more than 56% of all professional trainees view themselves as employees rather than trainees. For the professional trainees cooperativeness, sufficient room for experimenting, and a pro-active attitude of their colleagues are essential quality features of the work environment. The block of questions listed under question number 20 exclusively dealt with the work environment. More than 60% of the interviewed students judged the work environment as positive. The following individual quality features were emphasized: - According to 60% of the interviewed students, sense of responsibility towards the client, personal engagement, willingness to participate in discussions, sense of duty, enjoyment of successful work, willingness to learn, and cooperation were supported and encouraged during their professional training. - 60% of the interviewed students did not report any negative aspects, for example fear of losing the job, disappointment over too few successes, and a destructive competitive behavior, during their professional training. The educational situation was viewed by: - 28% of all interviewed students as rather burdening - 48% of all interviewed students as hardly burdening - 5% of all interviewed students as not at all burdening With regard to the question about the quality of the practical instruction, a significant correlation was observed between a rather burdening educational situation and a negative evaluation of the practical experiences. With regard to the translation of the curriculum a tendency toward weak and insufficient results was seen as well. This outcome offers an indication that the educational training and planning contributes significantly to an enhanced quality of the practical education. 54% and 44% of the trainees reported a good and a satisfying to poor translation of the curriculum, respectively. 72% of all interviewed students indicated that during their professional training, they did not have to perform any tasks not related to their profession. It should be noted at this point that for a number of the professional trainees the question arose what could be labeled as not related to their profession. Another part of the survey dealt with the question how successful the trainees were with regard to establishing contact with the clients in the respective establishment. Over 9% of the interviewed students had no problems establishing and maintaining the desired contact to clients in the practice. According to 76% of all professional trainees, the staff members of the practice understood the theoretical background provided by the Technical College in so far as there were no considerable problems with its adaptation in the professional practice. 6

7 Whether a part of the occurring tasks in the every day work of a social pedagogue could be performed without the theoretical professional background knowledge acquired at the Technical College was judged as Yes by 53% of the professional trainees and as No by 47%. This result does not necessarily mean that the theoretical education has no or lesser meaning within the practical setting; in the area of services for juveniles for example, many practical, life-orientated skills and functions as personal role models significantly determine the daily work routine. Hence, 70% of the interviewed students said that the theoretical education is generally viewed as a useful tool. In addition, more than 70% of the professional trainees recognize their successes at work. The investigation demonstrates that six semesters of studying social sciences followed by one year of practical training (dual education system) at the Technical College Fulda is a proven educational system that will do justice to the future demands of social work. We can conclude that social work is more frequently chosen by female professional trainees. This characteristic of the profession Social Pedagogue/Social Worker has consequences for the respective working conditions. For example, this is evident in disputes about fair payment as well as in the work of the labor unions. In comparison with technically more privileged professions, which show a dominance of male employees, for example engineers, doctors, lawyers, etc., professions with a higher number of female qualified employees run the danger of being lowered in their social status as well as their work compensation. In addition, the survey demonstrates that some professional fields are predominantly frequented by women while others are predominantly frequented by men. Regarding the question how and in which form the attitude of professional trainees has changed following their six semesters of studying social sciences, 3% of all interviewed students saw an improvement while 49% saw no change, and approx. 6% of the interviewed students reported a deterioration of their attitude. On average, the interviewed students evaluated the practical instruction as good or satisfying. Significant deviations from this judgment by the professional trainees emerged in the area of clinics and hospitals. Here, the quality of practical instructions was rated partly as poor. In the context of further statements of the interviewed students, this leads to the hypothesis that in areas of nursing professions a much stronger economic orientation is demanded of the pedagogical work. Several professional trainees complained that the available time is not sufficient to provide meaningful care for clients. 46% of the professional trainees consider representation by a labor union or a professional association as necessary while 49% considers it not (yet) meaningful. In correlation with negative practical instruction as well as a bad translation of the curriculum, the demand for representation of interests by a professional association or labor union increased significantly. Especially in the first part of their practical, professional training many students indicated, that they do not see any need for representation right now. This allows the assumption that representation of interests is mainly regarded as a Social Emergency Response Team, which is only necessary if there is demand. With increasing length of the practical training, questions emerge more frequently regarding the regulations of salary scales, which would require the competent support of an 7

8 association or a labor union. The complexity of these regulations is discussed in Chapter 6, using the example of regulations of wages and compensations. 64% of all professional trainees saw themselves involved in positive collegial teamwork. More than 56% of all professional trainees indicated, that they have experienced their practical course as an employee rather than a trainee in an educational situation. Essential components, which determine the conditions of the work environment in the practical fields of social pedagogue, are teamwork and cooperativeness, good practical instruction, good structuring of the course of the education, and sufficient room for experimenting according to the professional trainees. In order to be able to describe which work climate the professional trainees were exposed to, the answers to other questions need to be considered in addition to question 20. The analysis showed that more than 60% of all interviewed students declared that on the one hand sense of responsibility towards the client, personal initiative, willingness to participate in discussions, sense of duty, joy of successful work, willingness to learn and cooperativeness were positively supported; on the other hand, fear of losing the job, disappointment over too little success, and overly strong competitiveness were avoided. 28% of the interviewed students categorized the practical training as rather burdening, 48% felt it was hardly burdening, while 5% thought it was slightly burdening. With regard to the question of quality of the practical instruction, it was noted that a significant correlation exists between a rather burdening educational situation and a negative evaluation of the practical instruction. Regarding the translation of the curriculum there was a tendency toward weak or insufficient results as well. 54% of the professional trainees described the translation of the curriculum as good and 44% described it as rather satisfying to bad. 72% of all interviewed students answered No to the question whether they had to perform tasks not related to their profession. For some of the professional trainees the question arose what should be labeled as not related to their profession in this regard. Some professional trainees had difficulties answering questions about the subject of tasks not related to their profession. In this sense, the famous activity of making coffee for a colleague can serve as a good example in an institution providing services for juveniles as it shows positive collegial and social interaction. On the other hand, if the professional trainee is asked to perform a private service, it can be regarded as a negative action and therefore can be labeled as a task unrelated to his or her profession according to 9 i.v.m. 6 BbiG. More than 9% of all practical trainees indicated that client contact was successfully established. The majority had no problems initiating and maintaining the desired contact to clients in the practice. According to 76% of all professional trainees, the staff members of the practice understood the theoretical background provided by the Technical College in such a way that no considerable problems occurred regarding its translation into the professional practice. Furthermore, the survey reveals results that can be interpreted to be a consequence of the increasing influence of technology in almost every area of the professional routine of social services: the future social pedagogue and social worker is expected to have sufficient knowledge in the use of personal computers and electronic data processing since the preparation of reports and documents is carried out using a personal computer. 8

9 With respect to tendencies toward a globalization / Europeazation the following can be detected: To an increasing degree, professional trainees participate in practical professional courses abroad. In the meantime, it has become self-evident that students with other cultural backgrounds enroll in Social Studies classes. This leads to new challenges for the subject Social Studies. Of particular interest is the question, which chances of participation do foreign students have at any given university and how these chances can be put into practice. In addition, it should be investigated what the chances are for foreign professional trainees to be integrated into the different professional fields of social services. 53% of the interviewed professional trainees answered with Yes to the question, whether a part of the occurring tasks in the daily professional routine of a social pedagogue could be solved without a specialized theoretical background; 47% of the interviewed professional trainees answered the question with No. The result does not necessarily allow the conclusion that the theoretical education has no or only a small impact. The daily professional routine of a social pedagogue features areas requiring tasks that cannot be connected to a particular education. In this regard, more than 70% of the interviewed students stated that the theoretical education is considered a useful tool. In addition, more than 70% of the professional trainees recognize when they have success with their work. Therefore, our investigation offers the indication that six semesters of studies in the Department of Social Studies at the Technical College Fulda followed by one year of practical training (dual education system) is a proven educational method that fulfills the future demands of social work. In addition, the dual education system offers a clear contractual relationship between the professional trainee and the work place offering the training. The professional trainee is protected legally and socially in multiple ways..) 3-8 i. V.m., 9 BBiG are in effect and with it a legally binding security regarding the regulations that govern education in the various professions. 2.) In all areas where this law cannot be applied, the general regulations as it pertains to the labor law are valid. In addition, the professional trainee is required to pay social security and therefore is eligible for unemployment compensation in case of unemployment at the end of the professional practical course according to 7 ff SGB III as long as he or she has maintained eligibility according to 23 and 24 SGB III. In a time, when the demands on a professional trainee are increasing steadily, these and other legal securities are of immense importance. As shown in this investigation, the professional trainees must integrate into and get used to their respective professional field in a relatively short period, and therefore find themselves rather in the situation of an employee than that of a trainee and student. Finally, the graphical analysis was performed following division into a) private agency of social work, b) public agency of social work. 9

10 (Auswertung: Thomas Fitzner, Berufspraktikantenforschung Prof. Dr. G. Seifert an der Fachhochschule Fulda, 200/2002) In- and outpainted services for physically and mentally handicapped people Inpainted services for children and juveniles Outpainted services for juveniles ther services for children and juveniles 6 Other 4 Establishments for juvenile education Educational serices for adults Anzahl der Berufspraktikanten in der Sozialpädagogik-arbeit Social advisory services, privatesupporting agencies Open services for handycapped people Avisory services for migrants Sevices for parents and children Inpatient ervices for adults Senior services within nursing home social services 0

11 (Auswertung: Thomas Fitzner, Berufspraktikantenforschung Prof. Dr. G. Seifert an der Fachhochschule Fulda, 200/2002) Gerneral social services (ASD) Open child and youth work 0 3 Social services in hospitals Social services in shools Advisory services for addiction- and drugrelated Issuses Psycho-social advice Psychiatry Other public agencies Penal system Court services for juveniles (JGH) Kindergarten Anzahl der Berufspraktikanten in der Sozialpädagogik-arbeit Outpatient help for families Educational work (Public agency) Eployment exchange

12 Note regarding the presented test results: This is a shortened version of our curricular research on education. If interested in the full-length version or in case of outstanding questions, please write to us at: vgl. Fragebogen im Anhang 2 Vgl.: Seifert, Günter : Einstellungen und Motivation des Sozialpädagogennachwuchses, in: Soziale Arbeit, Heft 2, Jg. 29, Febr. 980, S. 65 ff.(berlin) Seifert, Günter : Ergebnisse aus der Bildungsforschung im Fachhochschulbereich, Auswirkungen des Berufspraktikums bei Diplom-Sozialpädagoginnen/en von Fachhochschulen, in: DER SOZIALARBEITER Heft 5/984, S.90ff. (Essen) Seifert, Günter : Materialien zur Curriculum-Diskussion für eine Ausbildung Studium zur Diplom-Sozialpädagogik an Fachhochschulen, in: DER SOZIALARBEITER(DBSS),Heft 5/982, S. 0 ff., Erscheinungsort Essen/Berufsverband für soz.päd. Berufe Seifert, Günter : Ergebnisse der Bildungsforschung Fachhochschule Fulda im Berufspraktikum für Diplom-Sozialpädagogik, in: Hessische Lehrerzeitung für Erziehung, Bildung und Forschung, 52. Jg.,Heft 5,Mai 999, S. 90 ff. (Frankfurt a.m.) Seifert, Günter : Bildungsforschung Berufspraktikum Sozialpädagogik, mit Fragebogen dargestellt usw., international veröffentlicht im INTERNET 2000, http: // www. fh-fulda.de fb/sw/fragebogen-html. 2