Contributing to indigenous social work practice in Africa: A look at the cultural conceptualisations of social problems in Ghana

This paper aims to contribute to the indigenisation discourse by illustrating how dominant discourses and cultural practices explain and perpetuate social problems. We argue that focussing on the fundamental issue of a cultural conceptualisation of social problems will contribute positively to the development of the indigenous social work practice framework. As social work education forms an important foundation for how future social work practices will be performed, we interviewed 15 social work practicum students in Ghana about the cultural underpinnings of social problems. Themes developed from the interview data suggest that culture plays a key role in conceptualising social problems in Ghana. Although not often, culture tends to underpin and perpetuate social problems, such as streetism, child marriage and child neglect. Social work practice within the indigenous framework should aim at addressing the negative impacts of the cultural undertones of social problems. Social work practitioners should increase advocacy and knowledge sharing on the cultural explanations of social problems and collaborate with community leaders to change cultural values and norms that have negative ripple effects on children, young people and women.

Inclusive Practicum: Creating Networks of Learning and Collaboration between Students, Teachers, and the Faculty of Education

The presented Teaching Innovation project deals with establishment of support, learning and collaboration networks between university and non-university teaching staff. This was done with two fundamental purposes in mind: on the one hand, improving the training of Practicum students through joint reflection and, on the other hand, promoting inclusive education in schools through support networks among teachers. Participants were the Practicum students from the Faculty of Education, specifically students with the major in Special Educational Needs. The project included creation of joint seminars between Practicum tutors of the Faculty, tutors from schools and Practicum students. Moreover, initiating support networks allowed involving two different schools in two Autonomous Communities, which has been a highly enriching experience for all participants.

Nursing Students’ Practicums during the COVID-19 Crisis and the Effect on Infection-Prevention Behavior in Students: A Mixed-Method Approach

Background and Objectives: The coronavirus disease pandemic is ongoing. Infection-prevention measures in nursing education (practicum) are essential. However, there are few studies on infection-prevention behaviors among nursing students participating in practicums. We aimed to clarify the effect of practicums during the coronavirus disease crisis on infection-prevention behavior in Japanese nursing students. Materials and Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 third-year nursing students in Osaka City within one week of their clinical placement training. From the results of the interview analysis, we compiled a questionnaire and surveyed 90 third-year students. We conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses. We used descriptive statistics for the quantitative analysis and the chi-squared test for binary variables. Results: From the qualitative analysis, we identified five categories regarding the awareness of infection-prevention measures: <Acquisition of knowledge and skills in infection-prevention measures during nursing practice>, <Defining the experience in infection-prevention measures>, <Changes in attitude towards infection>, <Changes in infection prevention behavior>, and <infection-prevention measures-related issues>. In the quantitative analysis, the practicum students who attended at least three pre-practicum orientations continued wearing masks during lunch breaks and avoided the three Cs. Conclusions: Students could recall the knowledge and experiences gained from pre-practicum orientations/practicums. This experience created a new awareness of infection-prevention and change of infection-prevention behavior. Infection-prevention education using practicums is important for infection-prevention behavior during this pandemic. However, there should be a much larger-scale study to support these findings in the future.

Learner support and professional development during teaching practice? Should supervisors be subject specialists or any lecturers?

Teaching practice is a precious period for final learner support. In Malawi, any faculty member could supervise teaching practice regardless of their subject specialty (scrambled model). This qualitative study assessed the impacts of this scrambled model of supervision on the quality of learner support when non-specialist faculty supervised student-teachers. Through 2 different focus group discussions, data were collected from 10 conveniently sampled practicum students, 6 practicum supervisors, and 6 coordinators from 6 purposefully selected higher teacher-education institutions. and data were analyzed qualitatively. The study revealed that student-teachers and faculty were uncomfortable with the scrambled supervision model because it led to (1) inconsistencies in pedagogical and content knowledge, (2) unfriendly environment, and (3) inadequate feedback due to varying needs in varying subject areas demands. However, they justified this model for convenience at the mercy of other constraints. Apart from contributing to the existing body of knowledge, this study suggests best practices to guide institutional policy regarding practicum to facilitate quality learner support.

Addressing Anxiety: Practitioners’ Examination of Mindfulness in Constructivist Supervision

It is widely documented that practicum students experience anxiety as a natural part of their counselor development. Within constructivist supervision, mindfulness exercises are used to help counselors-in-training (CITs) work with their anxiety by having them focus on their internal experiences. To inform and strengthen our practice, we engaged in a practitioner inquiry study to understand how practicum students experienced mindfulness as a central part of supervision. We analyzed 25 sandtray reflections and compared them to transcripts from two focus groups to uncover three major themes related to the student experience: (a) openness to the process, (b) reflection and self-care, and (c) attention to the doing. One key lesson learned was the importance of balancing mindfulness exercises to highlight the internal experiences related to anxiety while providing adequate opportunities for CITs to share stories and hear from peers during group supervision.

Netiquette concept at the assessment of college student social competence with TOPSIS method

Social competence of students college is important during the process of implementing the practicum, from social competence we can find out capable the students are in several ways such as the ability to collaborate, speak in forums, reduce social conflicts in the environment, make a network and much more. In this study, it provides a model solution for assessing social competence in students college when carrying out practicum. The purpose of the study was to develop an assessment model by measuring students' social competence during the implementation of the practicum. The number of correspondents in the study was 78 students taken from the number of practicum students in Aerospace Engineering. The data analysis technique uses the TOPSIS method, where the results of this study will obtain the best ranking of 78 KP students who have the highest social competence value. The model of the assessment can be used by lecturers of the Aerospace Engineering, Adisutjipto Aerospace Technology Institute during the practicum process or after. With this assessment model, the advantages of the Adisutjipto Aerospace Technology Institute can synergize in creating graduates with a global and humanistic character.

A-188 Starting Well: Creating Training Opportunities for Graduate Students Interested in Neuropsychological Assessment

Objective Practicum experiences are critical to internship readiness. While established guidelines for practicum training in clinical neuropsychology exist, the application of such guidelines across training sites has received little attention. The objective of this study is to compare practicum training models across different sites. Methods We surveyed training supervisors regarding the cost and benefit of training practicum students in their setting. Results Despite wide variability across settings, results indicated that on average, practicum sites spent around 6 hours per week in direct active training and onboarding during the first 1–3 months of the training year. After 3–4 months, the hours spent on supervision decreased to about 1–2 hours of individual supervision and 1–2 hours of group supervision per week. By the 8th month, each practicum student provided the clinic with approximately 36 hours of direct service (considered an administrative benefit to the clinic). Conclusion Training practicum students is a labor of love, with overall net administrative benefits to the clinic. An advantage was seen in settings with multiple trainees, trainees at multiple levels, and tiered supervision models with access to diverse didactic experiences.

The Perception of MSU TESL Practicum Students Towards the Idea of Using English Songs with Written Lyrics in Teaching Vocabulary.

Despite the fact that English songs with written lyrics are already familiar in Malaysia, however only a few that recognizes the potential use of the material in teaching vocabulary especially among Malaysian English teachers. The researcher finds it necessary to understand the perception towards the idea of using English songs with written lyrics in teaching vocabulary especially in Malaysian context. This quantitative research aims to identify the MSU TESL practicum students’ perception towards the idea of using English songs with written lyrics in teaching vocabulary and to find out if there is any difference according to gender and program (DTESL/BTESL) in the practicum students’ perception. A total of 164 TESL practicum students are used as the sample in this research where an online questionnaire is distributed to collect data. The results reveal that the practicum students exhibit a positive perception towards the idea of using English songs with written lyrics in teaching vocabulary. No significant difference in perception is found regardless the gender and programs. The findings are hopefully to give significant to the English teachers and the English Language Teaching curriculum developer. Further recommendation is given for a better understanding of the perception.