An Empirical Research About The Similarities And Differences Between Service Learning And The Social Work Professional Practice

In order to make up for the gaps of theories and respond to the fact that service learning is replacedwith social work field practicum. This study is to explore the similarities and differences between thepractice of service learning and the social work professional practice.This study uses qualitative research method. And make the Intensive Community Mentoring inBeijing as a case study. The specific methods of collecting data include interview, text analysis andparticipant observation. The main object of data collection is the professional social work supervisionand volunteers. They have two kinds of experience involved in Mentoring program and professionalsocial work practice. In order to obtain the similarities and differences between professional social workpractice and service learning, this study focused on two aspects. Firstly, by comparing two differentexperiences between social work professional supervisions and volunteers, sum up the differences andconnections between service learning and professional social work practice. Secondly, by comparing theexperience of non-social work volunteers in the program and their evaluation of this experience with theprofessional social work volunteers, sum up the differences and connections between service learningand professional social work practice. The findings of this study include three points:First, service learning and professional social work practice have some intersections in the valuesand ideals, the workplace, educational function and personnel training.Second, there are eight differences between service learning and social work professional practice.They are theoretical basis, characteristics, goals, service contents, students, supervisions, and the actualoperation of the process as well as personnel training effect. The service-learning is based onexperiential learning theory. Respecting community’s real demand is first principle when balancingservice and learning although the service learning has been pursue win-win goals. And the servicecontent contains uncertainty and risk because the workplace is real community. Students coming fromdifferent faculties are diversity, their role is determined by the needs of the community they are serving,at the same time supervisor as companion side by side with them. Last but not the least, the emphasis ison developing personal qualities and civic awareness of students by structural reflection.Third, Situational learning is the theoretical basis of social work professional practice. As aprofessional education means, social work field practicum emphasizes student learning over the benefitsof any community service undertaken by students, and developing student professional values and skillis the primary aim. With field practice, service content is professional, planned and designed. All thesocial work students are required to attend the practice, where they learn to play the role of quasi-socialworkers while supervisor as an educator. Supervision is the most important aspect of actual operation,which is strict and normative.