The scale of reflective process in social work practicum

Abstract

To ensure that social workers are well equipped for dealing with the complexities and challenges of real-life practice (Dolan et al., 2006; Yip, 2006; Ruch, 2007), reflection should be an important component of social work (Oltedal, 2010). The Social Work Reform Board (2010) in the United Kingdom has developed the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) to guide curriculum design for continuous professional development (University of Bedfordshire, 2014). The PCF includes “critical reflection and analysis” (i.e., application of critical reflection and analysis to inform and provide a rationale for professional decision making) as one of the domains of capabilities. Previous studies have also noted that the reflective process is critical for learning about social work and in professional practice as it alleviates negative emotions, results in the development of new perspectives and solutions, and improves professional suitability (Schön, 1993; Yip, 2006). However, to our best knowledge, there is no quantitative measurement tool for assessing students’ reflective processes in fieldwork practicum, especially self-evaluation. This study aimed to develop a self-report scale for assessing students’ reflective ability during social work practicums and evaluate its psychometric properties using the Rasch measurement model.