Student Learning Processes in Field Education

What activities are associated with MSW students’ performance in the field, perceptions of the quality of field instruction, and satisfaction with the field? Sixty-four MSW students reported on observational-participatory and conceptual linkage learning activities used in their first- and second-year placements. Greater use of some activities was associated with satisfaction and perception of quality but not with field instructors’ ratings of student performance. This study highlights the importance to students of both doing and understanding, and suggests the need to distinguish student perceptions from performance.