Social and Field Work Abilities of Teaching Professors

Abstract

In Chile, the development of professional abilities for social work students has long been an issue in undergraduate education because it requires that professors develop specific activities, methodologies, and techniques to ensure that students acquire the necessary abilities for their field practicum. This chapter contributes to the existing body of knowledge by offering some answers to this inquiry. The chapter characterises the professional abilities that a professor, who conducts professional practice in the field, should have in order to contribute to the social work curriculum. In the first part, professional practice in the School of Social Work at the Catholic University of Chile is described. The professional practice model and its three dimensions are described. The three aspects are the following: student training, supervision, and process management. The model identifies how professors transfer professional skills and technical knowledge to students and evaluate their technical-professional knowledge and abilities during the field practicum. Finally, the features that a professor should have in order to contribute to the formation of professional skills in social work students are established. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with the professors, and an online questionnaire with open-ended questions are sent to graduate students who graduated in the last five years and to students who are currently in a professional practice.