Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Purpose: Foundation-year MSW students experience significant anxiety about beginning field placements (Rompf, Royse, & Dhooper, 1993). Anxiety can either facilitate or impair performance depending on whether enhanced effort can compensate for reduced processing effectiveness caused by worry (Eysenck, 1979). Thus, the challenge for social work educators is to understand and harness students' common, expectable anxiety in the service of growth, while intervening in situations where its degree interferes with learning. Surprisingly little research has been undertaken in this area. This study sought to gain a better understanding of students' anxiety as they anticipate beginning their field placement.

Method: All foundation MSW students at a large urban school of social work were invited to complete a survey based on findings from a small exploratory study. A total of 208 students (83% of potential respondents) participated. Students rated their level of anxiety about beginning placement, how much they thought it would interfere with learning, and how prepared they felt. Students selected their greatest concerns related to being at their agency, working with clients, supervision, and their education in general from a list of fixed responses generated from open-ended questions in the exploratory study. The statistical program R was used for quantitative analysis.

Results: The mean score on anxiety for all respondents was 5.8 (SD=2.2), on a scale of 1 = not at all anxious up to 10 = extremely so. Despite this moderate anxiety, students did not appear to think it would interfere with learning; the mean score on this question was 3.4 (SD=1.9). Older students, those who had taken even one social work class prior to beginning placement, and those with more than a year of work or volunteer experience in social services reported significantly less anxiety about beginning practicum than did their colleagues. About 5% of respondents felt unable to manage their anxiety. Students' primary concerns regarding placement were lacking skills and making mistakes. The primary concern regarding clients was anticipating difficulty in working with them due to resistance, complex problems or differences between client and intern. The primary worry related to supervision was regarding its quality. The primary worry related to overall training was being able to balance coursework, field, and other aspects of their lives. Specific recommendations for how professors, supervisors, and advisors can better support and prepare students for placement were made.

Implications: Students experience moderate anxiety but do not anticipate it interfering with learning; further research is needed regarding whether this is indeed the case. Potential students can be encouraged to attain relevant work/volunteer experience and explore coursework prior to applying. Student concerns should be normalized and addressed in courses and field, as necessary. A small but significant number of students will need additional support in managing anxiety.

Eysenck, M. W. (1979). Anxiety, learning, and memory: A reconceptualization. Journal of Research in Personality, 13, 363–385. Rompf, E. L., Royse, D., & Dhooper, S. S. (1993). Anxiety preceding field work: What students worry about. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 7(2), 81–95.