Developing Learning Environments: Creativity, Motivation and Collaboration in Higher Education

3. The problem-based learning approach in social work training: Potential and considerations

The฀problem-based฀learning฀approach฀ in฀social฀work฀training:฀Potential฀and฀ :฀consideration s฀ Debbie O. B. Lam and Donna K. P. Wong INTRODUCTION฀ Social work practice has long been problem based. But, as a universit y programme, social work training has often followed the traditional mode of lecturing, apart fro m it s practical fieldwork. Experimentatio n wit h the problem-based learnin g (PBL ) approach has led to its becoming a popular approach in tertiary education (Branda 1990; Savin-Baden 1997). Studies have demonstrated the positive effects of the approach (DeGrave , Boshuizen, and Sachmidt 1996 ; Gallagher et al. 1992; Hmelo 1995) . By facilitating them in going through a self-directed problem-solving process, students are trained in higher-order thinking skills as well as in how t o use a flexible knowledge base (Hmel o and Ferrari 1997) . In this era of knowledge explosio n an d i n a societ y wit h problem s o f increasin g complexity, it seems to be just th e right approach to equip social work students to face the harsh work demands of their future profession. Ou r society requires not only skilled social work technicians able to perfor m 42฀Debbie ฀O.฀B.฀Lam฀and฀Donna฀K.฀P.฀Wong฀ definite modes of service but also social workers who can handle ongoing and changing social problems. How much and in what way we can prepare our graduates in thre e years is a question uppermost in our minds. The inadequacy of focusing purely o n content improvemen t i n social work programmes ha s bee n noted overseas, and much effort has been made to improve the situation through different teachin g modes (Burgess and Jackson 1990) . In Hong Kong, following the expansion of different services , our department ha s faced constan t demands fro m variou s service fields fo r certain conten t to be covered. But no university curriculu m ca n possibly prepare ou r students to the extent of providing them with all the knowledge required to handle problems associated with people with disabilities, the mentally challenged, th e family, youths, the elderly, and so forth. A Bachelor of Social Work (BSW ) programme can cover onl y the basic foundationa l knowledge of the profession. Th e rest has to be acquired through othe r means. Obviously, learning how to learn i s a much mor e appropriat e focus of training. Faculty members have always tried to incorporate thi s as one of the training targets. But the traditional format o f lectures and seminars does not seem to be potent enough in this respect. PBL, which places much more emphasis on the process of learning, now appears t o be a mor e promisin g alternativ e fo r preparin g ou r student s t o b e independent learners . The apparent suitabilit y of PBL for our programme doe s not leav e us fre e o f uncertainty . PB L emphasize s self-direction , bu t i s thi s appropriate for everyone? Are our undergraduate students ready for selfdirected learning ? Knowle s (1980 , 1990) , wel l know n fo r hi s adul t learning theory, assumes that adults are autonomous, free, and growth oriented , and are thus keen fo r self-direction. Bu t this assumption ha s already been criticized for overlooking the fact that a person is, to some extent, th e product o f the socio-historica l an d cultura l contex t o f th e times (Grac e 1996; Little 1994; Pearson and Podeschi 1997; Pratt 1993). People may have learned to become dependent, or the environment may not be supportive of self-direction. PBL has been used fairly satisfactoril y in some overseas programmes (Smith 1985; Downes and McClusky 1985; Burgess and Jackson 1990) , but that does not guarantee that it will work The฀problem-based฀learning฀approach฀in฀social฀work฀training฀4 3฀ well in our programme. In fact, how PBL is applied varies with differen t programmes. Some apply it to the whole curriculum, wherea s other s apply it only in selected courses ; some encourag e tota l student self direction , an d others provide more lecturing and reference suppor t t o students (Maudsley 1999 ; Lloyd-Jones, Margetson, and Bligh 1998). We have t o use it in a way that suit s our...