Journal of Academic Development and Education JADE Issue 8 | Page 60

HIGHLIGHT #3 | 60 HIGHLIGHT #3 Title “A bone of contention”: reflections on the experiences of mature learners in social work education Authors Helen E. Machin DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.21252/ KEELE-0000013 Contact [email protected] School School of Social Science and Public Policy Faculty Faculty of Humanities and Social Science Abstract Research has found that mature, female social work learners often face barriers to achievement in higher education due to the demands of managing practice placements and classroom learning around caring responsibilities (Lister, 2003). This paper, originally submitted as part of an MA programme in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, reflects on a critical incident that occurred during my teaching practice with a group of social work undergraduate students. By reflecting on the incident and Knowles’ (1968) theory of andragogy which informed my response, this article explores the experiences of mature female learners in social work education. A discussion of the extent to which I addressed the needs of the learners and an exploration of my failings form the basis of a reflection on how to meet the needs of mature female learners with caring responsibilities in social work education. Keywords Mature learners, care, social work, education Introduction Social work degree programs in the UK have historically attracted mainly mature 1 , female learners. In 2014/15, 59% of enrolments on UK social work programs were aged 24 or over, and the majority of enrolments were female (Skills for Care, 2016). Although statistics that describe the caring responsibilities of social work students are not available, I have noticed anecdotally in my role as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Keele University that many mature female social work students have caring responsibilities and, often, financial considerations that impact on their learning experiences 2 . Studies have indicated that mature female social work learners face a number of barriers to success in higher education, including lack of information about services and support, difficulties managing academic and personal responsibilities and financial concerns (Lister, 2003). Additionally, mature social work students begin their degree program with diverse personal, professional and learning experiences and they may have roles as carers, employees or employers and community leaders. Social work educators need to consider how these experiences and roles interact with the academic environment which is largely organised around the traditional young learner in higher education (Kasworm, 1990). Universities in the UK have a legal duty to promote equality of educational opportunity for all learners with particular regard to a set of protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, marriage and civil partnership, and sexual orientation (Equality Act, 2010). This national duty has been translated into Keele University policy which emphasises the duty placed on staff members to value difference and to promote a learning environment defined by respect and responsibility (University Strategic Plan 2015-2020). This paper explores my attempt to fulfil this duty and my failings with respect to mature female social work learners with caring responsibilities. Critical incident The critical incident that forms the basis of reflection in this paper occurred prior to an 1. In this paper, “mature” refers to learners aged 24 and above. “Young” refers to learners under the age of 24. 2. There are, of course, young adults who also have caring and financial responsibilities that may affect their learning and mature learners who do not. Socioeconomic status, gender and ethnicity also intersect with age and impact on social work students’ experiences of learning in higher education. However, a detailed analysis of the intersectional identity issues that affect learners is beyond the scope of this paper. HIGHLIGHT #3 | 61 “A BONE OF CONTENTION”: REFLECTIONS ON THE EXPERIENCES OF MATURE LEARNERS IN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION undergraduate social work seminar with an all-female group of social work learners. The seminar was focused on dissertation writing. In preparation for the session, I asked learners to bring a paragraph of their written work to the session to use during an activity designed to support learners to practice editing writing. Prior to the seminar, I received an email from one learner about the preparatory task. The learner expressed concerns about the task, stating “a few of the class are not at this point as yet for one reason or another and feel this may be a bone of contention, as when others who are ahead discuss this [their written work], it can lead to an atmosphere and induces stress and panic”. A follow-up discussion with the learner revealed that several mature learners in the group felt that the “younger” students were making progress with their dissertation projects at a faster rate due to having fewer personal and professional responsibilities to manage alongside their studies. This contributed to a competitive and tense classroom atmosphere for several mature female learners in the group. The concerns raised by the learners’ comments appeared to reveal four issues: 1. Learners were concerned about the progress they were expected to have made on their dissertation projects. Indeed, studies have found a considerable gap between the academic expectations of social work educators and student social workers’ views about their own progress in relation to assessments and the type of support required (Worsley et al., 2009). 2. Learners felt anxious about completing their dissertation project. This experience supports the findings of social work education literature in the US where social work students were found to be extremely anxious about conducting research and engaging with research methods modules (Harder, 2010, Macke and Tapp, 2012). 3. Mature learners’ anxieties were increased by comparisons with younger students in the group who were perceived to be progressing their dissertation projects at a faster rate. Although the aim of the dissertation module within the undergraduate social work programme is to develop learners’ research-mindedness in preparation for practice, assessment has been found to lead to competition within groups in social work education (Singh, 2001). My response to this critical incident was implicitly guided by the principles associated with adult learning in Knowles’ (1968) theory of andragogy. According to Knowles, andragogy, separate from pedagogy, is “the art and science of helping adults learn” (1980, p.43). The theory of andragogy assumes that adult learners: 1) have