Change in Learning, Changing Self Bower Place and TAFE SA research project evaluating TAFE SA @ Bower Place By Helen Bennett, MConflMgmt 2013
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Change in Learning, Changing Self
Bower Place and TAFE SA research project evaluating
TAFE SA @ Bower Place
By Helen Bennett, MConflMgmt
2013Abstract
TAFE SA Port Adelaide Campus offers the Certificate IV in Community Services Work
and the Diploma of Family Support Work in Industry at Bower Place, a private counseling
practice. The program is known as TAFE SA @ Bower Place.
The Bower Place practitioners and TAFE SA staff identified a need to evaluate the
efficacy of the program in relation to employability/life skills offered in this unique learning
environment. Prior to this evaluation, it had been delivered to TAFE SA students for four
years with informal feedback as the only form of evaluation undertaken.
This report is the first part of a two part evaluation. It addresses the findings from
the short term effectiveness of the program as assessed by TAFE SA students. The second
part of the evaluation will be a five year longitudinal study on the effectiveness of the Bower
Place learning environment in relation to the development of employability/life skills.
The question explored in this report is ‘ How effective do the TAFE SA students
consider the learning environment at Bower Place to be in creating opportunities for them
to develop employability/life skills that will benefit them in their personal lives, engaging in
further studies and/or participating in volunteer or paid work?’
The evaluation was aimed at exploring in depth the students’ assessment as to the
effectiveness of the learning environment. It employed a qualitative research methodology
involving a self assessment questionnaire with 40 students over a two year period.
The findings indicated that the students found the Bower Place learning
environment was effective in providing an opportunity for them to develop
employability/life skills.The findings from the evaluation will contribute to the further development of learning opportunities for students to develop employability/life skills in the Bower Place learning environment and also contribute to the knowledge about Industry Based Learning.
Acknowledgements
I wish to acknowledge the participants in this research. I appreciate the time they
spent responding in a thoughtful manner to the research question.
I wish to acknowledge the contribution to this research by my enthusiastic and skilful
research assistant Annalise Nicholls.
I also wish to acknowledge the support given to me during this research project by
Bower Place staff Malcolm Robinson, Catherine Sanders, Marten Johns and Carly Case, TAFE
SA manager Pat Alexander and staff members Kelly Paterson and Kerry Kemp.
I would like to thank Robert and Michael Rodenburg for their valuable assistance in
the presentation of this report.Contents Chapter 1 Introduction........................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Background............................................................................................................................ 5 Chapter 3 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 4 Findings ............................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 5 Discussion ............................................................................................................................ 30 Chapter 6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 35 References ............................................................................................................................................ 37 Appendix 1, Certificate 1V in Community Services Work ..................................................................... 43 Appendix 2, Complex Needs Clinic........................................................................................................ 45 Appendix 3, Bower Place Philosophy of Training ................................................................................. 46 Appendix 4 Diploma of Family and Intake Support Work.................................................................... 47 Appendix 5, Employability Skills............................................................................................................ 49 Appendix 6 Questionnaire ................................................................................................................... 50 Appendix 7 Bower Place and TAFESA Research Project, Change in Learning, Change Yourself.......... 52 Appendix 8, Research Consent Form, Change in Learning, Change Yourself ....................................... 53 Appendix 9 Student Feedback ............................................................................................................. 54
Chapter 1 Introduction
The Community, Services and Health (CS&H) Industry Skills Board Environmental
Scan (2008) and the Training and Skill’s Commission’s document ‘Skills for Jobs’ ( 2008)
identified that the Community Services Industry faces significant challenges in attracting and
retaining workers. In 2008, to assist the industry in addressing these issues and better
prepare students for the increasing challenges of the workplace, TAFE SA Adelaide North
Institute Community Services Program initiated a project to trial a partnership arrangement
with Bower Place for the delivery of the Certificate IV Community Services Work. (See
Appendix 1)
TAFE (Technical and Further Education) is Australia’s largest provider of vocational
education and training and Bower Place is a professional service provider in psychology,
psychiatry, family therapy, psychotherapy, counselling and mediation.
Bower Place has been in operation since 1986 and is considered a leader in providing
services to assist clients to manage a wide range of relationship, emotional, mental health
and behavioral difficulties.
Bower Place clients may choose to attend The Complex Needs Clinic which is a low
fee paying clinic forming part of the Bower Place training facility. Cameras record
counselling and family therapy sessions. This enables students to observe the sessions via
closed circuit television (CCTV). (See Appendices 2 and 3)
The project became known as TAFE SA @ Bower Place. This initiative which
combines a dynamic professional counselling environment with an e-learning culture was
1considered to be so successful that it has been adopted for continued delivery and
expanded to include the Diploma of Family Intake and Support Work. (See Appendix 4)
The Bower Place learning environment provides for the delivery of underpinning
knowledge and observation of essential skills to TAFE SA students from diverse backgrounds
and educational standards. It does this through clinical observation, online via ‘moodle’ (a
web based Open Source Course Management System (CMS)) and face to face delivery in an
industry setting
The main features of this learning model are:
Students study and work in a fully functioning Complex Needs Clinic at Bower Place
which means they are introduced to and expected to conform to the day to day
protocols and procedures of a real working practice. This is an important component
of developing ‘job readiness’ in students.
Students watch the ‘live’ clinical sessions via CCTV. They also have the opportunity to
work alongside Bower Place practitioners.
At the completion of each counselling session observed by the students, the
students are debriefed by Bower Place practitioners in order to develop the skills
required of workers in the community services sector.
This way of learning is in sharp contrast to traditional TAFE education where face to face
delivery with a vocational placement at the end of the course is the more common method
of delivery.
As the program continued to develop it became apparent from anecdotal evidence
provided by students throughout the course and during exit interviews that the students
were developing life skills that they were not necessarily being asked to demonstrate in the
2current assessment process. The research project was in response to this need to identify
the students’ skills and knowledge in areas that had been previously too difficult to assess.
During their time at Bower Place students are required to demonstrate a wide range of
employability/life skills. The learning environment at Bower Place provides excellent
opportunities for the development and demonstration of these skills. For example:
Testing assumptions, taking the context of data and circumstances into account
Adapting to new situations, including changing work conditions
Participating in continuous improvement and planning processes
Developing a vision and a proactive plan to accompany it
Having knowledge and confidence in own vision and goals
Employability Skills from Framework to Practice, Department of Education Science and
Training, p. 12 (See Appendix 5)
The purpose of this research project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the
learning environment offered in the TAFE SA @ Bower Place program by addressing the
question;
‘ How effective do the TAFE SA students consider the learning environment at Bower Place
to be in creating opportunities for them to develop employability/life skills that will
benefit them in their personal lives, engaging in further studies and/or participating in
volunteer or paid work?’
For the purpose of this evaluation, ‘effective’ was defined as:
‘successful in producing a desired or intended result’.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com
3The literature indicates that many programs offering Industry Based Learning (IBL)
have not been evaluated. TAFE SA @ Bower Place is one of these programs. This research
project was designed to add to the limited research being carried out on the effectiveness of
IBL. It was therefore timely to evaluate TAFE SA @ Bower Place to show whether the
program is achieving the desired learning outcomes, identify areas of improvement and
document good practice to provide a model for workforce development.
4Chapter 2 Background
The literature available on IBL acknowledges the benefits of learning skills in the
workplace. The literature also reflects that IBL is a world wide method of skilling people for
the workplace.
In a recent International Labour Organization report (June 2012) a commitment to
promoting and strengthening apprenticeships as a proven means of transitioning soundly
between learning and work. Apprenticeship and traineeship programs have been
developed as a means of offering IBL experiences for people generally between the ages of
16 and 26. These programs are offered in many countries including Italy, United States of
America, England and even in Madagascar, where a pilot program based on the German
style of apprenticeship is being conducted.
TAFE SA @ Bower Place was developed to create an opportunity for students to
participate in IBL. Whilst they learn in industry it is necessary to assess their competency in
the required skills and as Burns (2002, p. 59) states that the ‘three most used methods of
assessing competency are observation of work activity, examination of work output and
asking questions about work activity’. TAFE SA, which is a competency based training
institution that requires a vocational placement as part of the course requirements, would
provide the appropriate framework for the training and assessment of students as they
prepare for the workforce.
5For the purpose of this research, IBL or workplace learning, as it is also known, will be
defined as:
‘the acquisition of knowledge and skills as individuals participate in authentic vocational
tasks supported by and guided directly or indirectly by more skilled workers’
(Billett 1996, p 200)
The literature identifies some potential disadvantages to participants in workplace
learning programs. Poell & van Woerkom (2011, p. 2) argue that ‘some workplaces are
badly equipped for learning both materially (time, space) and socially ( coaching support)’,
whilst Lee, Fuller, Ashton, Butler, Felstead, Unwin & Walters (2004) express concerns about
gender equalities, and inequality based on class and ethnicity.
Potential disadvantages such as the ones mentioned above would need to be
indentified and addressed. Poell & van Woerkom (2011, p. 2) state that participants in
workplace learning programs may ‘learn the “wrong” things if there is no careful analysis,
delivery and evaluation.’
It is evident from the literature that, while there is considerable information about
IBL, evaluation of the experiences is limited, despite evaluations such as High-quality
traineeships: Identifying what works (National Centre for Vocational Education Research,
2009), Evaluation of modern apprenticeships and national traineeships in Wales: a report to
National Council for Education and Learning, Wales (NC-ELWa, 2003) and National
Evaluation of School Based New Apprenticeships ( Australian National Training Authority,
2003).
TAFE SA’s competency based approach to assessment supports an argument put
forward by Tennant (cited in Billett, 1996, p. 105) that ‘the notion of competence brings
6together theory and practice’ and that it ‘acknowledges the important role of work place
learning and learning from experience more broadly.’
To ensure the training meets the requirements of employers the identified skills and
knowledge are linked to employability skills. Employability skills are skills that apply across a
variety of job and life contexts. They are sometimes referred to as life skills. For the purpose
of this evaluation employability skills will be defined as:
‘Skills required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise
so as to achieve one’s potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic direction.’
(National Quality Council Commonwealth of Australia 2012)
The following chart identifies the elements of the Bower Place learning environment
and their relationship to employability skills.
Bower Place learning environment Employability/life skills
Hypothesising during briefing and de briefing Testing assumptions, taking the context of the data
sessions with Bower Place practitioners and circumstances into account. (3.6)
Self directed learning – the students need to Adapting to new situations- including change in work
develop individual strategies to achieve their conditions.(4.1)
learning outcomes
Adapting to the requirements of clients
attending the Complex Needs Clinic
Creating opportunities to demonstrate Participating in continuous improvement and
employability skills within the Bower Place planning processes. (5.8)
7work environment.
Goal setting at the commencement of the
semester with a mid semester review
Industry visits to explore employment Developing a vision and a proactive plan to
options accompany it. ( 5.10)
Participation in counseling sessions
Weekly journalling reflecting on the question Having knowledge and confidence in own visions
‘What have I learnt today in relation to my and goal. (6.3)
goals?’
Employability Skills from Framework to Practice. Department of Education and Science p. 12
(See Appendix 5)
According to Mezirow (1997, p. 5) ‘in contemporary society we must learn to make
our own interpretation rather than act on the purposes, beliefs, judgements and feelings of
others.’ This statement is reflected in Burn’s (2002, p. 23) view that today’s ‘employees
must be capable of self-initiated action and need to know how to learn, rather than be
taught, and to be enterprising in outlook’ therefore it is important that the learning
environment provides opportunities for the learner to develop and practice these skills.
As well as reading, writing, computation and communication skills, employees today
also need to consider skills such as adaptability, problem solving and creative thinking.
Developmental skills and interpersonal skills involving team work are also considered
essential for today’s employees (Burns 2002).
8A NCVER publication agrees that the above skills are required but also acknowledges
that adaption to change is an important skill (Cairney, 2000).
Adult learning principles underpin the educational practice at both TAFE SA and
Bower Place. Well known author and theorist Malcolm Knowles (2005, p. 45) states that
most adult learners are autonomous and most of them want ‘to take charge of their lives,
their learning and their careers. They are self directed, meaning they are willing to initiate
their own learning efforts when they see the need to do so.’ All of the students enrolled in
the program TAFE SA @ Bower Place would be described as adult learners.
Andragogy, which is the science of teaching adults, ‘is based on the belief that the
deepest need an adult has is to be treated as an adult, as a self directing person. Adult
education must be student centred, experience-based, problem orientated and
collaborative’ (Burns 2002 p.165). The learning environment at Bower Place embraces this
belief and thus it can be said that two major philosophies of adult education - classical and
progressive are incorporated in the Bower Place learning environment.
In classical philosophy, knowledge is sought and critical discussion takes place. The
Socratic method is a form of inquiry which encourages the development of these critical
discussions. ‘In this method, the leader, or a group member, poses a question or dilemma
and the group members pool their thinking and experience to seek an answer or solution’
(Knowles, Holton, Swanson, 2005, p. 35). This method of inquiry is a feature of the learning
methodology adopted by Bower Place practitioners during the briefing and debriefing
sessions in the Complex Needs Clinic. This methodology encourages the students to discover
‘their own hidden knowledge and capacity to learn’ (Wood 2006, p. 412).
9Progressive philosophy is reflected in the Bower Place learning environment by
acknowledging the individual’s needs, interests and experiences and providing opportunities
for the demonstration of practical knowledge and development of problem solving skills.
These are considered key elements in learning according to progressive philosophy.
An understanding of the process of change further informs the structure of the
Bower Place learning environment. Anderson states ‘that “locus of control” rests within,
that change happens from the inside-out’(Anderson 2006, p. 62) whilst Rolls (2006, p. 105)
writes that ‘an internal change is often characterized by a value shift, a new frame of
reference for understanding context and mission, a broadened perspective, and a
heightened respect for meaning.’
The scientific study of the nervous system, known as neuroscience, explains that
change occurs when new neuronal connections are made through new learning and life
experiences (Fishbane 2007). This explanation is particularly relevant to the learning
environment at Bower Place as it provides an opportunity for students to have both new
learning and life experiences on a regular basis, thus creating an environment for change.
TAFE SA @ Bower Place provides the opportunity for students to experience flexible
delivery and blended learning in recognition of the belief that ‘as individuals they will react
to things differently bringing their own unique characteristics to a learning environment’
(Tovey & Lawlor 2011, p 75).
Rothwell et al., (2006 cited in Rothwell 2008, p.109) state ‘there is a need for
creative strategies to design and develop blended learning which mixes one of many media
(including print, audio, video, face to face, and many others) to support training delivery.’
The Bower Place learning environment is an example of a creative strategy as it offers
10blended learning delivery where immersion in industry practice, e-learning, facilitated
tutorial sessions and vocational placement come together to create a transformational
experience for students. Transformative learning is described by Burns (2002, p. 247) as
‘basically the kind of learning we do as we make sense of our lives.’ Students are challenged
to make sense of their lives through the introduction of new ideas and experiences within
the Bower Place learning environment.
Flexible delivery can be described as ‘a range of approaches to providing education
and training giving learners greater choice of when, where and how they learn and are
assessed. This may involve distance education, mixed mode delivery, on line education, self
paced and self directed learning’ (Tovey & Lawlor 2011, p. 120).
Self directed learning, which is an element of flexible delivery, is a feature of the
Bower Place learning environment encouraging the development of ‘personal skills and
competencies useful for future personal development such as independence, initiative, time
management and problem solving’ (Burns 2002, p. 277).
Foley (2004, p. 30) explains that ‘learning is a process that involves the emotions and
the formation of identity through adapting to the world in which the person is situated, in
the communities of practice in which we work and live.’
The learning environment at Bower Place offers a community of practice to the TAFE
SA students where there is a ‘variety of knowledge sources such as other workers, hints,
reminders, explanations, observations, listening, dealing with authentic problems, one’s
own personal history which has an impact on the way knowledge is gained’ (Billett, cited in
Tennant 2006, p. 77).
11Despite the literature identifying the lack of evaluation of industry based programs,
Rothwell, Tennant, Burns et al agree that IBL, which is also known as workplace learning, is
an effective training system for skilling a potential workforce.
12Chapter 3 Methodology
Principles from qualitative and quantitative methodologies were considered in
determining the most appropriate methodology for this research project. The literature
acknowledges that one methodology is not necessarily better than another, it is a matter of
which one is the most appropriate for the research being undertaken (Babbie 2013,
Sarantakos 2013).
The researcher decided to implement a qualitative approach to research as it views
events from the perspective of the people being researched, thus enabling the researcher to
gain a detailed understanding of how the different participants view the effectiveness of the
learning environment.
For the purpose of this research project evaluation was defined as:
‘the process of making a judgement about the value, importance, or quality of something
after considering it carefully.’
http://www.macmillandictionary.com
Evaluation as a research methodology was considered appropriate as the purpose of
the project is to find out how effective the TAFE SA students at Bower Place found the
learning environment in relation to developing employability/life skills.
Designing the evaluation process for this research project was guided by Sarantakos’
statement that ‘evaluation research is expected to be systematic and precise in its operation
and this requires a clear plan, program or design’ (Sarantakos 2013, p. 345)
As assessment at TAFE is competency based, traditional tests are not appropriate.
According to the literature there is a range of assessments options such as performance
13assessment, classroom observation, peer observation and self assessment which can be
used as an alternative to traditional tests.
As the evaluation was undertaken within the Complex Needs Clinic, client
confidentiality was an important consideration. The original design was an in depth
interview to be recorded in the recording suite in the Complex Needs Clinic. The first group
of participants was interviewed according to the original design. However, it became
apparent that the availability of the recording suite which was used for client sessions would
limit the number of interviews that could be conducted. Therefore it was decided to
develop a self assessment questionnaire so that more students would have an opportunity
to respond to the research question.
A self assessment questionnaire was considered appropriate as the learning
environment at Bower Place encourages the students to consciously or subconsciously
participate in an on going process of self evaluation. The student’s personal and professional
learning goals are developed at the beginning of the semester and a weekly evaluation of
the student’s progress in achieving these goals is recorded in a journal. Self assessment of
the employability skills they demonstrate at Bower Place is a course requirement and
students are required to self assess the skills they demonstrate in the counselling sessions.
(See Appendix 6)
For the purpose of this evaluation the following definition of self assessment was used:
‘assessment or evaluation of oneself or one’s actions, attitudes, or performance’
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com
14Burns (2002, p. 163 ) supports the view that ‘adults can judge the value of a learning
activity and its relevance to their own lives’ therefore self assessment was an appropriate
form of assessment as the participants are involved in an adult learning environment.
The decision to develop a self assessment questionnaire was informed by the
findings from studies undertaken by Sachdev (2006), Shepard (2009), Matters (2009) and
Faulkner & Aziz (2011).
Matters’ study (2009) identified self assessment, common assessment tasks and
portfolio construction as some of the approaches that could be used for evaluating the
development of employability skills. Common assessment tasks emerged as the preferred
approach however Matters (2009 p. 9) stated that ‘our findings suggest that compromise
may be required. No single approach will provide an adequate assessment of all eight
employability skills. Indeed different facets of each employability skill may require different
approaches.’
The nature of the employability skills being assessed in this evaluation raises the
concern expressed by Shepard (20 p. 98) that ‘the subjectivity involved in making holistic
evaluation of student work in the preferred formula based methods’ needs to be addressed
and suggests self assessment as an assessment tool as the method ‘gains greater student
ownership, less distrust and more appreciation that standards are not capricious or
arbitrary.’
This view is supported by Sachdev’s 2006 study on personal effectiveness programs.
Furthermore the 2011 study by Faulkner and Aziz highlights the importance of embedding
self assessment and reflection into the curriculum ‘as both dimensions are critical to
develop reflective and self assessment skills’ (2011 p.6).
15These opportunities for the student’s to develop their self assessment skills
supports Rolheiser and Ross’ (2013) view that students need to be taught their role in self
evaluation.
As discussed in the findings from the aforementioned studies the participants in the
evaluation had the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to respond to a self
assessment questionnaire.
The development of the self assessment questionnaire was informed by
observations made by Bower Place and TAFE SA staff and conversations with students
regarding their experiences in the Bower Place learning environment over the four years
that TAFE SA @ Bower Place has been offered to the students.
Open ended questions were developed as a way of encouraging the participating
students to explore their views about the effectiveness of the Bower Place learning
environment in relation to developing life skills that would help them in their personal lives,
engaging in further studies and/or participating in volunteer or paid work. Open ended
questions would allow the participants to freely express their thoughts and feelings and the
opportunity to offer information in areas unforeseen by the researcher (Sarantakos 2013).
The following questions were considered to be the most appropriate way to explore the
research question:
1. What is the most useful thing you have learnt while studying this course with
TAFE SA at Bower Place?
2. How has the way you describe yourself changed since studying at Bower Place?
3. What did you get out of your time at Bower Place on a personal level?
4. How do you think Bower Place has changed you?
165. How has studying at Bower Place changed the way you interact with others?
Question 1 ‘What is the most useful thing you have learnt while studying this course
with TAFE SA at Bower Place?’ and Question 5 ‘How has studying at Bower Place changed
the way you interact with others?’ were designed to encourage participants to reflect on the
effectiveness of the Bower Place learning environment to develop their employability/life
skills, testing assumptions and taking the context of data and circumstances into account.
Refer to Employability Skills Grid that forms Appendix 5.
Questions 2, 3 and 4 were also linked to employability skills:
Question 2 ‘How has the way you describe yourself changed since studying at Bower
Place? Adapting to new situations - including changing work conditions.
Question 3 What did you get out of you time at Bower Place on a personal time?’-
Participating in continuous improvement and planning processes.
Question 4 How do think Bower Place has changed you?’- Developing a vision and
pro active plan to accompany it. Having knowledge and confidence in own vision and
goals.
Whilst addressing the research question, the researcher acknowledges that even
though the same information is provided to all the students at Bower Place, it will be
interpreted differently according to their individual experiences and their understanding of
the word ‘effective’.
17Data Collection
The participants responded to the questionnaire on line or by hard copy. They had a
week to make their responses. During that time the researcher was available to answer
clarifying questions. The majority of the participants responded by hard copy.
Analysis of Data
Blaikie (2009), Bouma (2004) and Marshall & Rossman (2011) agree that analyzing
qualitative data is a complex process and, as the data is collected in a variety of forms,
different approaches to analysis need to be employed. Bouma (2004) states that data may
be analyzed in two ways- through presenting the data as a life history or by coding the data
in terms of ideas, themes and hypotheses.
The data collected from the questionnaires was analyzed by coding. Five questions
were developed to assist the participants respond to the research question. Their responses
were then analyzed according to key words and ideas relating to the appropriate
employability/life skill.
The researcher’s analysis of the data was informed by professional qualifications and
workplace experience however she acknowledges that the analysis of qualitative data is
open to subjective interpretation.
Checking the validity of the interpretations was a critical stage in the analysis
process. This involved re-reading the responses to the questionnaire so that the researcher
could verify or modify her interpretations.
18The diversity of the data collected supported the choice of this method rather than
questionnaires that require numerical responses or responses to verbal scales that limit the
data collected from the participants.
Information for the Participants
In order for the students to make a fully informed decision whether or not to
participate in the research, they were provided with verbal information and written
information at the beginning of the semester. (See Appendix 7) If they wished to participate,
the students were given a consent form to read and sign. (See Appendix 8) It was made
clear to the students their responses would be confidential and they may withdraw at any
time.
Ethical Consideration
The researcher acknowledges that there were ethical considerations to be addressed
in the development of a research design for the evaluation of the program, TAFE SA @
Bower Place.
Corey (2013) O’Connor,Wilson,Setterlund,Hughes ( 2008) and Schneider Corey,Corey
( 2011) extensively explore issues such as privacy, informed consent and respect
demonstrated through attitudes and behaviours which relate to ethical practice in the
human services industry.
Wadsworth (1997, p. 105) further explains ‘that the research should not harm the
subjects, that subjects should give informed consent, and that confidentiality should be
offered.’
19These ethical considerations, as well as the power imbalance between the
participants and the researcher, were acknowledged in the development of the research
design.
The following strategies were implemented to address these issues:
To ensure the participants in the research understood the purpose of the evaluation
and their part in it, a verbal and a written explanation was given, with an opportunity
for questions and clarification as part of the explanation process.
Participating or not participating in the research project would not affect their
participation in the program TAFE SA @ Bower Place.
The consent form clearly explained that the students could withdraw at any time.
The privacy of the participants was ensured by not identifying them in the written
report.
The students were provided with detailed written information to assist them make
an informed decision as to whether to participate in the research project.
These strategies were supported by Young (cited in Ward 2000) in her discussion on the
conditions necessary for an exchange between parties where there is a power differential.
To ensure that the participant’s needs and interests were taken into consideration the
many ethical dilemmas associated with the research were identified and appropriate
strategies were incorporated into the research design.
The research design incorporated principles of evaluation research and qualitative
methodology thus enabling the researcher to guide the process so that the aims of the
project were achieved.
20Chapter 4 Findings
Milne (2005, p. 1) states that ‘qualitative researchers want their research context to
be authentic because the purpose of much qualitative research is to observe and participate
in authentic experiences’. Therefore, the findings from the data collected include text from
the questionnaires so that an understanding of the participants’ experiences can be
explained. The meanings the participants attributed to their experiences were conveyed as
accurately as possible, taking into account the researcher’s understanding of these
meanings.
The researcher acknowledges that even though the participants reflected the TAFE
SA student population, there were limited numbers of students who identified as culturally
and linguistically diverse or who identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.
As the participants reflected on the research question, comments such as it was ‘a
very encouraging learning environment,’ ‘it’s just an engaging environment,’ ‘I think this
type of learning is hugely better than just learning theory’ and ‘I tend to feel that I have
learned so much faster than if I was just put in the classroom and given books to read for the
last six months’ were representative of the way participants described the Bower Place
learning environment that provided the opportunity for the development of
employability/life skills.
As stated in Chapter 2, five questions, linked to employability skills, were presented
on the questionnaire to explore the research question. They were:
What is the most important thing you have learnt while studying this course with
TAFE SA at Bower Place?
How has the way you describe yourself changed since studying at Bower Place?
21 What did you get out of your time at Bower Place?
How do you think Bower Place has changed you?
How has studying at Bower Place changed the way you interact with others?
The findings from each question will address the following themes:
Personal life
Further study
Volunteer or paid work
What is the most important thing you have learnt while studying this course with TAFE SA
at Bower Place?
Employability skill: Testing assumptions, taking the context of data and circumstances into
account.
Most participants acknowledged learning in relation to their personal lives. One of
the participants commented ‘it’s given me perspective on issues within my family’ another
stated that ‘hypothesising about causes and origins of an issue, thinking of strategies to deal
with a problem’ had been helpful in her personal life.
Many of the participants identified ‘neutrality’ as a useful skill with one participant
describing neutrality as I ‘listen to what others are really saying without jumping in with my
own thoughts especially if it’s something I’ve already been through ‘’whilst another
participant highlighted the fact that neutrality meant that ‘before I used to listen and judge
but now I think deeper and look at what the person went through first.’
When responding to the question about the most important thing they had learnt at
Bower Place in regard to skills for the workplace, many participants acknowledged the
22feeling of confidence they now had, whereas others responded more specifically about the
skills they had learnt. One respondent commented that she had ‘learnt more strategies to
deal with difficult clients’. Another had learnt skills ‘to create an atmosphere so clients can
open up’ whilst another felt that he had ‘developed note taking skills’ which would help in
the workplace.
As the participants reflected on the effectiveness of the Bower Place learning
environment one person stated that ‘understanding how things work in the community
services sector’ was a useful thing to have learnt whilst another one reflected that the
communication skills she had developed at Bower Place helped when ‘speaking with my
clients in my workplace’.
The participants’ responses to this question did not include comments on any skills
they had developed that would be helpful if they pursued the option of further study.
The responses to this question indicate most of the participants developed an ability
to test assumptions in regard to the information they received and the opportunity to
develop the self confidence to express their views.
How has the way you describe yourself changed since studying at Bower Place?
Employability skill: Adapting to new situations- including changing work conditions.
Requirements such as taking notes, according to the Bower Place Method, and
participating in the counselling sessions offered students challenges to adapt to a new
situation. The following comment was representative of many responses made by the
participants about the experience in the counselling room ‘ I think when I first started here I
was kind of terrified the first time I went into the room but now it’s better’.
23One participant stated that Bower Place is a ‘safe environment where you can
express yourself’ thus creating an atmosphere where many participants acknowledged that
their self confidence had improved as a result of their experiences in the Bower Place
learning environment. Many participants felt it was a significant improvement whilst others
felt there was a slight improvement in their self confidence. In contrast to this view one
participant stated that she still felt the same.
Self confidence was explained in a variety of ways with one participant stating that
she now felt ‘confident with myself and who I am as a person’ and another having the
confidence to understand ‘people’s situations’ and yet another participant commenting
that ‘I am now confident in calling myself a more focused and analytical person.’
The interactive model of learning implemented at Bower Place encouraged students
to participate in briefing and de briefing sessions. One participant described her experience
as ‘Í found myself participating in discussions, asking questions and felt very much part of
the group. Much better than sitting quietly.’ This comment was representative of many
responses from the participants.
Even though many participants acknowledged the skills they had developed in the
Bower Place learning environment in relation to their personal lives, some participants
acknowledged their new skills would be useful in their work lives. One such participant
recognized that ‘I feel more confident than I did to work in this field’ and another now felt
that ‘I have self belief that I can make it as a community services worker ‘. Whilst another
participant realized that she can combine ‘study when having a young family and working’.
The responses to this question indicate that the participants were able to develop
new skills as they adapted to new situations.
24What did you get out of your time at Bower Place on a personal level?
Employability skill: Participating in continuous improvement and planning processes.
The two aspects of the Bower Place learning environment that could contribute to
the students continuous improvement in regards to personal development were the weekly
self reflective journal and weekly contact with Bower Place practitioners.
As previously documented, the journal was a dialogue between the student and the
lecturer enabling continuous improvement of required skills so they could achieve their
goals.
The weekly contact with Bower Place practitioners in relation to the client’s
counselling sessions can offer an opportunity for self reflection as issues under discussion
with the client can also be relevant to the observing or participating student. Many
participants acknowledged the usefulness of these opportunities and one participant in
particular stated that her experience at Bower Place was ‘one of the most valuable things
I’ve done in my life as far as my self development and I have done many self development
courses over the years and this has been the most valuable thing I’ve done.’
A common theme identified by participants in response to this question was their
views were challenged. This encouraged one participant to ‘discover new realities which
have taught me patience, acceptance and tolerance of views other than my own’ whilst
another stated that ‘I feel I have developed a broader understanding of my personal views
and values.’
This theme was further explored with comments including ‘I have come to
understand myself at a greater level,’ ‘I had a chance to look at my own life’ and ‘I became a
25more analytical person and more conscious about thinking outside my personal and cultural
boundaries.’
The participants not only looked at continuous improvement in their personal lives
but some participants recognized how the opportunities available in the Bower Place
learning environment also encouraged skill development that was useful for them in the
workplace. One of the participants commented that ‘I certainly find people that I’m working
with in my job and also my colleagues now I find if I do more active listening trying to
engage to do more analysis to what people are saying to me, then the connection is made,
then people are starting talking more to me.’ Another participant identified that ‘I have
expanded my knowledge base regarding other areas of community services.’
The following statements could be considered representative of the participants’
responses. They acknowledge the opportunities for continuous improvement offered in the
Bower Place learning environment’.
‘The way I perceive myself and others has evolved as I’m not as judgmental as I was before
Bower Place.’
‘I am able to see patterns of behavior in both myself and loved ones with more clarity and
understanding.’
How do you think Bower Place has changed you?
Employability skill:
Developing a vision and a proactive plan to accompany it.
Having knowledge and confidence in own vision and goals.
26At enrolment, most students say they want to work in the community services
sector. The Bower Place learning environment creates an opportunity for the students to
decide if this is the career path they want to follow by providing some interaction with
clients and an opportunity to observe, and occasionally participate in, client counselling
sessions. Through these experiences, students have the opportunity to identify existing skills
and the skills they will need to develop if they wish to work in the community services
sector.
Many participants identified the experience of participating in the counselling
session as a significant learning opportunity for them where they ‘observe such skilled,
knowledgeable and experienced practitioners.’
Some participants felt that the experience in the counselling room helped to confirm
their interest in working in the Community Services sector. One participant stated that ‘I
have recognized my interest in this field’ whilst another participant acknowledged that
learning counselling skills gave him confidence to look ‘for a job in the community sector as
a community services worker.’ One participant acknowledged the experience had ‘given me
a wonderful insight into therapy,’ another commented that the experience had ‘given me
more insights on where I want to go professionally’ and yet another participant felt that she
now had ‘lots of ideas for my future.’
Many participants acknowledged the skills they had developed will enable them to
fulfill their vision of becoming a community services worker. One participant commented
that ‘Bower Place teaches me about my role and my responsibilities as a support worker so
that I know what problems I will be dealing with.’
27Another participant explained that in my ‘work I used to worry about some of the
people that I was assigned’ now ‘I use circular questions that they teach during the course’
this has enabled me to leave my worries at work’. And yet another participant realized that
‘my ability to observe’ people ‘helped by reading between the lines and seeing what’s
actually going on with the person’ was a useful skill.
Many participants identified their plans for the future. These plans varied from
thoughts such as ‘I have decided to try and get part time work while I’m still studying to
gain further experience for when I finish the Diploma’,‘I feel confident to look for work
although I want to get more volunteering experience’ and ‘the experience of Bower Place has
inspired me to study social work further’ to actions where one participant ‘had looked up
doing social work and psychology’, and another participant felt ‘more confident in the goal
of expanding on my current role as an enrolled nurse to include referring clients to
counselling.’
A common theme identified by the respondents acknowledged the development of
confidence in their ability to continue further studies and seek work in the community
services sector.
A participant stated that ‘I am confident to keep studying and work after finishing
this Diploma course ‘. Another felt she had ‘improved my confidence in my ability to feel
eligible for work in the community services sector,’ whilst another participant felt strongly
that ‘I would now definitely have more confidence in applying for a position that I feel I
would be suitable for.’
One participant explained that ‘I found it very intimidating to go to the interview
room and to just communicate with the clients; I found that very difficult. Now I have the
28confidence that I am intelligent enough and I can contribute with the conversation and make
a difference to other people’s lives.’ Another reflected that ‘I really changed myself because
my level of confidence and self esteem is higher than before due to the skills and knowledge
that I gained at Bower Place.’ Whilst another participant, who was particularly interested
in working with children, now felt she had the ‘confidence to work with kids.’
The responses to this question demonstrated that most of the participants had the
knowledge and confidence to pursue their vision and goals for the future.
The participant’s vision to work in the community services sector was identified as a
significant theme in their responses to this question. The responses also indicated that many
participants had a plan to support their vision of future employment opportunities.
How has studying at Bower Place changed the way you interact with others?
This question was designed to encourage a further exploration of the skills
participants had developed in the Bower Place learning environment. However the
responses were generally reiterating previous comments such as ‘group work skills
improved’ ‘I feel more comfortable with myself and others’ and ‘I now feel that I’m able to
speak up within a group and not just hide in the background.’
Overall most students recognized that the Bower Place learning environment
created opportunities for them to develop employability/life skills that will benefit them in
their personal lives, engaging in further studies or participating in volunteer or paid work.
29Chapter 5 Discussion
The students who participated in the evaluation were considered representative of
the TAFE SA community services student cohort, in that the ages of the participants ranged
from18 years to a student in his early 70s and there were more female students than male
students.
The diversity of educational experience of TAFE SA students was also reflected in the
participants. Their experiences ranged from Year 8 to a university degree. Adding to this
diversity there were students who had just completed school and some who had not been
involved in education for a number of years, with the longest time being 38 years.
During the research period there were a small number of students who identified as
having English as their second language. It also needs to be noted that during the duration
of this research project students who identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander were
not enrolled This also reflects the demography of the TAFE SA community services student
population.
The researcher acknowledged that students ‘as individuals, will react to things
differently, bringing their own unique experiences to a learning environment.’ (Tovey &
Lawlor 2011, p. 75) This acknowledgement informed the development of the open ended
questions that were presented on the questionnaire.
As the researcher was also a TAFE SA staff member, it was decided to include in the
questionnaire examples of skills that the participants may have developed in the Bower
Place learning environment to enable the participants to respond to the questions without
influence from the staff member.
30The examples were informed by the comments students made during interaction
with Bower Place and TAFE SA staff. This strategy supports Sarantakos’ (2013, p. 110) view
that the researcher ought to practice objectivity by ‘respecting neutrality i.e., be free of
personal values, bias and prejudice.’
However it was interesting to note that a number of participants responded to the
questionnaire in a way that indicated they were not limited by the examples given on the
questionnaire.
The word ‘neutrality’ was not used in the questionnaire however many of the
participants when responding to Question 1 identified that demonstrating this skill was one
of the most useful things that they learnt while studying at Bower Place.
The participants who identified ‘neutrality’ as a skill they had learnt in the Bower
Place learning environment were also able to explain neutrality in various ways. The
following comments are representative of these explanations. ‘I try not to judge certain
situations’ and ‘I feel as though I have been able to put my assumptions and thoughts to the
side and have been able to recognize ways of maintaining a professional standard.’
It was also interesting to note that the responses to Question 3 included participants
identifying self analytical skills which were not included in the examples on the
questionnaire. One participant commented that ‘I am now able to see patterns of behavior
in both myself and loved ones with more clarity and understanding’ and another participant
identified that ‘studying at Bower Place has changed me by developing a deeper
understanding of self and a more analytical approach to relationships.’
These findings indicate that the participants were not limited to the examples given
on the questionnaire thus enabling a broader exploration of the research question.
31Participants enrolled in the Certificate IV in Community Services were exposed to the
learning environment at Bower Place for six months whilst those enrolled in the Diploma of
Family Intake and Support Work attended Bower Place for twelve months. The similarity of
responses is interesting to note.
A Certificate IV participant responding to Question 5 stated that ‘I believe I will be
more open minded when interacting with people’ and a Diploma participant observed ‘I now
listen to the whole story.’ Similarly another Certificate IV participant responding to Question
4 stated that the learning environment ‘helped me to be confident in study’ and a Diploma
participant commented that ‘Í feel more confident in the goal of expanding my current role
as an enrolled nurse to include counselling skills.’ .
The similar responses from both these groups of participants appear to indicate that
the impact of the Bower Place learning environment is experienced within the first six
month time frame.
The thoughtful and insightful responses from the participants indicated that they
were comfortable with this form of data collection. This supports Rolheiser and Ross’ (2001)
view that adopting the Four Stage Model for Teaching Student Self-Evaluation provides the
students with the necessary skills for self evaluation. This model is incorporated in the
teaching methodology implemented in the Bower Place learning environment.
The researcher acknowledges that the participants’ responses are overwhelmingly
positive. However, it needs to be stated that this is an accurate reflection of the responses
received.
Overall the participants demonstrated an ability to assess how effective the Bower
Place learning environment was in helping them to develop the identified employability/life
32skills thus indicating that the choice of a self assessment questionnaire as the research tool
was an effective method of enabling the participants to address the research question.
In future, a longitudinal study could provide a more comprehensive evaluation of the
long term effects the Bower Place learning environment had on the participants. .In this
case, the form of longitudinal study known as panel studies would be appropriate so that
the original participants could be studied on more than one occasion.
The role of the educator is an important element of the Bower Place learning
environment. Bower Place practitioners and TAFE SA lecturers’ understanding of their role
as an educator was underpinned by the realization that today’s educator in a workplace
learning environment doesn’t ‘just teach students specific tasks and skills but enable( s)
learning so the complexities of practice can be understood and effectively put into practice
in many settings.
The educators at Bower Place paid particular attention to the following issues which
could become problematic when the workplace place is also a learning site:
The tensions that exist between the needs of the workplace and needs of the
student were addressed by ensuring all students and TAFE SA staff understood they
were in a ‘working’ clinic where the needs of the client were paramount.
The issue that learning is often informal and unplanned was addressed by TAFE SA
lecturers linking the learning from the client observation sessions with the
competency requirements for each of the qualifications offered at Bower Place.
(Harris, Simons 2008)
33You can also read
