From the students voices What happens in a selfreflective journey

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From the students voices - What happens in a
self-reflective journey?

• 11th UK Joint Social Work Education Conference
• 8th July, 2009
• Debbie Lam, Grace Leung,
• Amy Chow, Bobo Chan
• University of Hong Kong
• Department of Social Work Social Administration

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Outline of the presentation

• Reflection and social work training
• The overall study
• The reflection process study
• Findings
• The journey
• What helps with reflection
• Food for thoughts

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Reflection social work training

• Reflection defined
• Reflection is viewed as a process of creating and
  clarifying the meaning of experience (present
  past) in terms of self (self in relation to self
  and self in relation to the external world).
  (Boyd and Fales, 1983. p. 101)

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• Self-reflection required for social workers
• People who do not know themselves who are
  unaware of their own values, assumptions,
  beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses are unlikely
  to be able to effectively help others. Social
  workers must be willing to engage in
  self-reflection and do the hard work necessary to
  get to know themselves. (Segal, Gerdee,
  Steiner, 2004, p. 27)

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• Self-awareness helps with
• understanding ones own personal problems and
  biases which may interfere with professional
  practice
• Workers ability to empathize their clients or
  control their emotion
• students assessment of their own suitability to
  be a social worker.

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• An attempt to cultivate reflexivity A course of
  Knowing Ourselves in HKU
• Objectives To enhance students self-awareness
  and self-reflective ability.
• Course design move from exploring about self,
  relationship with family, to relationship with
  the external environment.
• Research built in with the HKU Leung Kau Kui
  Research and Teaching Endowment Fund

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Design of the Overall Study

• Mixed Method longitudinal study

T1 T2 T3 (start of
term Jan 2008) (End of Term April
2008) (9 months)
Quantitative Study
Exp Gp
OE1 Course OE2
OE3 OC1 OC2
OC3
Comp Gp
Qualitative Study
4 Focus Groups
Exp Gp
Analysis of Journal
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The Reflection Process Study

• Focus of this presentation
• How does the reflection process go?
• What elements in the training could facilitate
  better student reflectivity?
• (Another part of the study on the impact on the
  students using quantitative measures are
  presented in the poster in this conference.)

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Data Collection

• Population studied 38 BSW 1 students
• Data selected for analysis
• 12 student journal on self,
• 12 student journal on family,
• Meeting notes of 4 focus groups
• Purposive sampling
• The 12 students are of a wide background in terms
  of gender, age, religious background, whether
  they have lost a significant member in the
  family, and the tutorial groups they belong to.

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Findings

• How did the reflection process go?
• An emotion laden journey

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Feelings before actual experience - Anticipating
with reservation

• Report of feelings of resistance, worry, and
  discomfort.
• Resistance (A1-S) Before attending the first
  lesson, I have encountered the first barrier
  resisted to reflect. Being told that the course
  is going to include a lot of reflections, I felt
  reluctant. I do not like re-calling things that
  had happened and prefer planning how to do better
  in the future.

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• Worry (D2-F) The two-day camp really worried me
  as I believed that family is really a serious
  and thoughtful topic for us to go through. It is
  because each of us would have our own stories and
  problems in the family. So, I could imagine that
  there would be full of tears and sadness in the
  sharing sessions.
• Fear discomfort (B2-F) I felt uncomfortable
  about it. I experienced lots of tears in my
  family and I used to keep it as secret.

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Trying out - making sense with appreciation

• (C1-S) I may not recognize all these matters
  unless I, from the busy daily life, try to put
  all my things aside and think seriously. And now,
  it is the chance for me to make some reviews in
  my life.
• (A2-S) I seldom think about myself I really
  thank this course to give me some extra space to
  have the communication with my disowned self

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Walking through struggling with intense emotion

• Recall of memories included some joyful moments.
• But even more reported the arousal of negative
  emotions
• sadness, shame embarrassment, fear, confusion,
  frustration

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• (A2-F) Have you ever been abandoned by your
  family? Have you ever felt being isolated in
  your family? Yes, I can tell you that all these
  were found in my early childhoodI became an
  introverted person who tended to be anxious,
  insecure, and self conscious.

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• (D1-F) it made me think of my childhood in the
  family, which was considered as trouble I was
  actually living in a troubled family, feeling
  scared, unsafe and lonely I cannot openly voice
  out my feelings.

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• (C1-S) It is difficult for me to tell someone
  that I have studied six full semesters in the
  University but could not graduate This wound
  still hurts when it comes to my mind. I dare not
  touch it and submerge it with my tears

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Wrapping up restoring balance, reconstructing
self family

• (A2-F) In the past, although I have already
  forgiven what my family did, maybe my voice from
  my bottom heart still have to remind me just let
  it go After my sharing through the evaluation
  session, I really feel a sense of relaxation, and
  I can finally hear the voice from my bottom heart
  saying I can put it down.

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• (B2-F) After this sharing, I think I shall try to
  face my past in a more direct way. It is because
  as I share, I face it one more time, and it can
  help in overcoming the sad feeling in my soul.
• (D2-F) I start to realize that family rules and
  expectations are also one kind of loveI can
  adjust our own attitude and make changes by
  finding out my own position, values and
  expectation in family.

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A review -

• What helps with self reflection?

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1. Provision of reflection time

• Busy HK, busy life. The course creates the
  opportunity for self reflection.
• In the normal day, my life is so tight because I
  have to manage my study, work and family. It was
  so precious that I can enjoy a moment totally
  free and release. The Quiet time inspired me
  that the perspectives you choose in viewing thing
  would greatly affect your feeling. (B2-F)

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2. Course design for facilitating stimulation
reflection

• A sequence that moves from the self to family,
  moving to more private matters
• (C3-S) I think the sections had been put in a
  sequence, which gradually dig out our memories
  deep in our heart
• (D2-S) the level of tiredness is increasing each
  lesson. However, I enjoyed the advancement.

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• Use of multiple media for stimulation music,
  video, pictures, paper pencil exercises,
  readings
• The lubrication of debriefing questions
• Use of a week-end camp to enhance concentration
  produce marathon effect
• Assignment of journal writing for reflection
  reconstruction of life history

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3. Embracement of emotion

• Purposeful stimulation of emotion positive
  modeling of acceptance.
• Owning of emotion helps with self-acceptance,
  acceptance of others, and move for relational
  improvement.
• (D2-S)We followed the life journey and recalled
  the gains and losses in different periods of our
  life. I was in tears as it was the first time
  that so many memories came out. They are the
  precious moments in my life that have shaped my
  present thought and characteristics.

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• (B2-F) In the past 10 years, I tried to be tough
  and supportive to my family in order to cheer
  them up I neglect my feeling and stress ... From
  V. Satir (1988), body would react violently when
  facing troubled atmosphere. Thats why my stomach
  always feel queasy and my back and shoulder
  acheit is time that I need to find ways to
  release the stress.

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In the focus group meetings, many students
claimed to have become

• more reflective on own feelings and behavior
• more aware or assured of own values, behavior,
  characters, and family influence
• more willing to face buried issues
• more patient and ready to express concern towards
  others,
• more appreciative of family members
• ? Reflecting readiness to own and handle their
  feelings a better sense of direction in
  improving relationship.

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4. Influence of group dynamics peer support

• Use of small group facilitates indepth sharing
  (reported in all focus group meetings)
• Rule of confidentiality essential for safe
  exploration and disclosure
• (D2-F) I could feel the support and acceptance in
  our group and build up our sense of belonging.
  The security encouraged us to share our weakness
  and worries more. And it was grateful as we were
  not only listeners, but we tried to learn why
  they had such thought

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Food for thought Where to move from here?

• Could students reflective competence /habit be
  sustained?
• Besides marathon training, are there other ways
  that produce equally powerful effect?
• The hardware of course structure and design are
  more easily controlled, how about the group
  dynamics and tutor influence?
• If reflective practice is considered favorable,
  how should the whole curriculum be designed to
  facilitate student growth in this direction?

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Invitation for shared wisdom