WORKING WITH STUDENTS WHO ARE
STRUGGLING OR FAILING IN PRACTICE
LEARNING SETTINGS: PRACTICE
EDUCATORS’ PERSPECTIVES
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX,
WORKSHOP FOR PRACTICE EDUCATORS
TUESDAY 14TH JANUARY 2015
Dr Jo Finch – University of East London
J.Finch@uel.ac.uk
CONTENTS
 Brief
Introduction
 Getting in touch with “Feelings about
Failing”
 Introduction to the research undertaken
 Literature Review - Why practice
educators find it difficult to fail students)
 Findings
 Possible ways forward?
 Concluding Comments
 Discussion/comments/questions
INTRODUCTION
 Senior
Lecturer in Social Work and programme
leader of the MA Social Work and Step-Up.
 Deputy Director – Centre for Social Work Research
 Course Tutor – Tavistock Clinic – Professional
Doctorate in Emotional Well Being & Social
Work/Social Care.
 Long standing research interest in the issues raised
by struggling or failing students in practice learning
settings.
 Former children and families social worker, play
therapist and practice educator.
INTRODUCTION
 Senior
Lecturer in Social Work and programme
leader of the MA Social Work and Step-Up.
 Deputy Director – Centre for Social Work Research
 Course Tutor – Tavistock Clinic – Professional
So why am I
Doctorate in Emotional Well Being & Social
interested in
Work/Social Care.
 Long standing research
interest in the issues raised
failing
by struggling or failing students in practice learning
students?
settings.
 Former children and families social worker, play
therapist and practice educator.
1st experience of
managing student
failing in placement
as a new tutor
(2002/3) – oppressive
PE.
“The
straw that
broke the
camel’s back” –
SSD assessment
2001
“Horrible”
experience
assessing a
practice teacher
(2002/2003)
“Who let that
one through?”
FEELINGS ABOUT FAILING
On piece of paper, write down:
1) Something you have failed at in
the past (i.e. O’level maths, driving
test, relationship)
2) How did it make you feel at the
time?
3) Pass paper to me (will come back
to later)
RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN
1) Qualitative study of
practice educators
experiences of
working with failing
students and why
difficult to fail
(Finch, 2010; Finch
and Taylor, 2013).
2) Qualitative
study of tutors
experiences of
working with
struggling or
failing students
in placement
(Finch, 2014)
3) Mixed method study of practice
assessment panels, including an
ethnographic exploration of PAPs,
looking at decision making around
failing students (Finch, 2013)
RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN
1) Qualitative study of
practice
educators
Discussion
of anxiety
experiences
of
and defences against
working
anxiety inwith
socialfailing
work
more generally
(Finch
students
and why
and Schaub,
2014)
difficult
to fail
(Finch, 2010; Finch
and Taylor, 2013).
2) Qualitative
Comparative
study
of tutors
study – UK
experiences of
and Italian
working with
practice
struggling or
educators
failing
students
inexperiences
placement
(Finch2014)
and
(Finch,
Poletti, 2013)
3) Mixed method study of practice
Exploration of how far the concept of projective
assessment panels, including an
identification may help us to understand the
ethnographic exploration of PAPs,
difficulties in failing social work students in
looking at decision making around
placement. (Finch, Schaub and Dalrymple, 2013)
failing students (Finch, 2013)
RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN
1) Qualitative study of
practice educators
experiences of
working with failing
students and why
difficult to fail
(Finch, 2010; Finch
and Taylor, 2013).
2) Qualitative
study of tutors
experiences of
working with
struggling or
failing students
in placement
(Finch, 2014)
3) Mixed method study of practice
assessment panels, including an
ethnographic exploration of PAPs,
looking at decision making around
failing students (Finch, 2013)
RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN
1) Qualitative study of
practice educators
experiences of
working with failing
students and why
difficult to fail
(Finch, 2010; Finch
and Taylor, 2013).
WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO FAIL STUDENTS
PLACEMENTS? (LITERATURE REVIEW)
IN
 PEs
not using competency model
of assessment appropriately (Kemshall, 1993;
Eraut, 1994; Shardow and Doel; 1996, Furness and Gilligan, 2004; Shapton, 2006)
 Procedures
for dealing with placement
issues, not being followed properly (Illot and
Murphey, 1999; Burgess et al, 1998a, 1998b; Duffy, 2004; Vacha-Haase et al, 2004;
Kaslow et al 2007)
 PEs
not adequately supported by agency
and/or HEI (Sharp and Danbury, 1999; Finch, 2004b; Vacha-Haase et al,
2004)
 Role
strain or confusion (Fisher, 1990: Proctor, 1993;Owens,
1995; Cowburn et al, 2000, Duffy, 2004)
 Fear
of litigation (Duffy, 2004; Cole, 1991; Cole and Lewis, 2003;
Royse, 2000; Raymond, 2000; Vacha-Haase et al, 2004)
 Rule of Optimism (Vacha-Haase, et al 2004; Finch, 2005)
 Hope that things “sort themselves out”
without intervention (Good et al, 1995; Hoffman et al. 2004)
LIMITED (BUT GROWING INTERNATIONAL
AND
MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH BASE ABOUT
THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT
Bogo at al (2007) – failing students causes value
conflicts for practice educators.
 Gizara and Forest (2004) – ““I think that it’s an
extremely emotional, gut-wrenching kind of
experience…I don’t think it feels good on any level.”
 Basnett and Sheffield (2010) – experience of failing
student a negative one
 Schaub and Dalrymple (2013) practice educators
reported feeling stressed, isolated and did not feel
supported.
 Finch (2010) found the experience caused a range of
challenging emotions

“THE FAILING TO FAIL NARRATIVE”
Emerged strongly from similar studies in Nursing (for e.g.
Duffy, 2004; Rutowski, 2007; Lawson, 2010)
 Narrative also emerges in social work (i.e., Shapton, 2006;
Finch and Taylor, 2013; Finch et al, 2013)
 Suggest Practice Educators are NOT failing students when
they ought to.
 Based on perception of low failure rates
 Some self reports in some qualitative studies
 But no empirical evidence to support this (Jo’s next research
article?)
 Some exploration as to the reasons (as seen previously)
 But phenomena much more complex (as following shows)

RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN
1) Qualitative study of
practice educators
experiences of
working with failing
students and why
difficult to fail
(Finch, 2010; Finch
and Taylor, 2013).
RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN
1) Qualitative study of
practice educators
experiences of
working with failing
students and why
difficult to fail
(Finch, 2010; Finch
and Taylor, 2013).
THE ANGRY
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
STORY
CHAPTER
The Idealised Learner
Story
The What is My
Role/Assessment
Story
The Guilty Story
The Lack of
Reflection Story
The Dramatic Event
Story
The Internalising
Failure so I
Couldn’t Always
Failure them Story
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
CHAPTER
The Dramatic Event
Story
…what
I
was
going
to
do
was
to
ask
for
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
her placement to be extended a bit but
CHAPTER
when I tried to discuss it with her, she
threw a hysterical fit…which I sorted
with the ambulance being called…if it
had been one of my clients I would
have recommended a psychiatric
assessment…she was hyperventilating
and throwing herself on the floor…she
was kicking the locker…
The Dramatic Event
Story
THE ANGRY
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
STORY
CHAPTER
The Idealised Learner
Story
The What is My
Role/Assessment
Story
The Guilty Story
The Lack of
Reflection Story
The Dramatic Event
Story
The Internalising
Failure so I
Couldn’t Always
Failure them Story
THE ANGRY
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
STORY
CHAPTER
“I was really pissed off
with him….I felt angry”.
“I was just very
angry at
times….I was
angry with the
student.” (Jenny)
(Claire)
“…and I did actually think the
next time you shout at me, I
might actually shout back at
you because who the fuck do
you think you are…” (Daisy)
THE ANGRY
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
STORY
CHAPTER
“I was really pissed off
with
him….I
felt
angry”.
“I just thought…I
thought,
‘Fuck
You’!
are not going to apologise
for your
“I wasYou
just very
(Claire)
behaviour with a period. Every
angry fucking
at
fucking
times….I
was woman in the world gets a
angry period,
with the yes some
haveI did
difficulties,
“…and
actually some
think the
student.”
get (Jenny)
emotional,next
yourtime
deafness
didn’tat me, I
you shout
wash, so nowmight
you’veactually
like resorted
shouttoback at
like, fucking bottom
of the barrel…”
you because
who the fuck do
(Daisy)
you think you are…” (Daisy)
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
CHAPTER
The Guilty Story
“…and
then
the
guilt
really
set
in….the
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
sacrifices
she’s made…this is her
CHAPTER
livelihood, her career and its all my
fault…I felt like I am a rotten shit.” (Daisy
The Guilty Story
“it was the first fail, I felt terribly
guilty, I felt really…I had
sleepless nights, felt quite sick,
I felt incredibly guilty….”
(Claire)
THE ANGRY
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
STORY
CHAPTER
The Idealised Learner
Story
The What is My
Role/Assessment
Story
The Guilty Story
The Lack of
Reflection Story
The Dramatic Event
Story
The Internalising
Failure so I
Couldn’t Always
Failure them Story
Ignored initial
misgivings or gut
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
feelings
“I actually felt it was my failing
CHAPTER
because I wasn’t getting it
[evidence] out of her….” (Martha)
“I would say probably 90% of
the time, if a student fails,
there’s something wrong with
the practice teacher”. (Terry)
That was the issue I was
struggling with through this
whole thing. How much of her
failure was my fault? (Terry)
Discourse of “we” and
“our work” emerges
The Internalising
Failure so I
Couldn’t Always
Failure them Story
Ignored initial
misgivings or gut
T“…I
HE still
STORIES
– FORMS
MY FINDINGS
feel that
I mustBASIS
haveOF
done
feelings
“I actually felt it was my failing
CHAPTER
something
wrong with that one because I
because I wasn’t getting it
couldn’t enable him or work with him to see
[evidence] out of her….” (Martha)
Discourse
why his way of thinking was inappropriate
inof “we” and
“our work” emerges
social work, never mind in society”. (Lily)
“I would say probably 90% of
the time, if a student fails,
there’s something wrong with
“..I
theteacher”.
team just
felt
the think
practice
(Terry)
helpless in a way. They
felt…they couldn’t see
That was the issue I was
what
theywith
could
do tothis
struggling
through
turn
it thing.
around.”
) of her
whole
How(Tim
much
failure was my fault? (Terry)
The Internalising
Failure so I
Couldn’t Always
Failure them Story
THE ANGRY
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
STORY
CHAPTER
The Idealised Learner
Story
The What is My
Role/Assessment
Story
The Guilty Story
The Lack of
Reflection Story
The Dramatic Event
Story
The Internalising
Failure so I
Couldn’t Always
Failure them Story
“Learned
Helplessness”
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS
OF MY FINDINGS
CHAPTER
Concern about
“passive” learners
Fantasy of
student not
realised
Good Learners and
Bad Learners
The Idealised Learner
Story
“I was thinking that…I am
going to have a student who
will take responsibility…that
was my fantasy that I was
going to have somebody that
would just…kind of gel, adapt
to the team…come with a
variety of knowledge…up to
date…” (Ola)
THE ANGRY
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
STORY
CHAPTER
The Idealised Learner
Story
The What is My
Role/Assessment
Story
The Guilty Story
The Lack of
Reflection Story
The Dramatic Event
Story
The Internalising
Failure so I
Couldn’t Always
Failure them Story
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS
OF MY FINDINGS
Mirroring
Transference/Counter
CHAPTER
Projective
transference
Identification
Parallel
processes
“…out of my depth…I felt
really out of my depth…I was
completely out of my depth
at that point” (Lily)
The Lack of
Reflection Story
Lack of
containment
“A nameless
dread”
THE ANGRY
THE STORIES – FORMS BASIS OF MY FINDINGS
STORY
CHAPTER
The Idealised Learner
Story
The What is My
Role/Assessment
Story
The Guilty Story
The Lack of
Reflection Story
The Dramatic Event
Story
The Internalising
Failure so I
Couldn’t Always
Failure them Story
PES WHO APPEARED TO FIND PROCESS
OF FAILING STUDENTS EASIER THUS: 5/20
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Explicitly or inexplicitly acknowledged gate
keeping role and implications.
Acknowledged potential for role confusion, yet had
brought “split” together.
Clarity around boundaries and role of PA
Clear expectations of student as an “adult learner”
Clear differentiation between your work and my
work
Reflective approach – lack of drama – saw
experience as a learning opportunity
4 of 5 were/had been ASWs/AMHPs
On piece of paper, write down:
1) Something you have failed at in
the past (i.e. O’level maths, driving
test, relationship)
2) How did it make you feel at the
time?
3) Pass paper to me (will come back
to later)
SOME STRATEGIES
When there are difficulties avoid both
over-reacting and do not ignore
situation/your feelings/intuition.
Ensure conditions for learning are
being met – you will need to
change your approach.
Try to eliminate blocks to learning –
i.e. explore issues with student,
negotiate a different teaching
style/approach.
Be clear about the difference between
a “normal”, short term learning
block and something more
serious.
Do not take the decision to fail in
isolation (seek support)
Keep the student informed at
all times – let student know as
soon as possible that there are
concerns about their
practice/conduct/behaviour
etc.
 Follow the university
procedure
 Evidence and Documentation,
 Mantra - Student failure is not
your failure
 You have a moral and
professional gate keeping
duty.
 No-one has the right to
become a social worker no
matter how “nice” and
hardworking they are

POSSIBLE WAYS FORWARD FOR ALL
STAKEHOLDERS
Acknowledge and reflect on the difficult and painful
emotional feelings that can emerge when working
with a struggling or failing student (may include,
anger, guilt, rage, shame, frustration…)
 These feelings may well tell you something about the
student’s state of mind
 And if not acknowledged, could impact adversely on
the assessment process.
 Need for support (line manager, tutor, colleagues,
friends).
 Remind ourselves of our gate keeping
responsibilities.
 Remember the issue of very complex – easy to blame
and be angry at others.

POSSIBLE WAYS FORWARD FOR ALL
Transference?
Projective
Identification?
STAKEHOLDERS
Acknowledge and reflect on the difficult and painful
emotional feelings that can emerge when working
with a struggling or failing student (may include,
anger, guilt, rage, shame, frustration…)
 These feelings may well tell you something about the
student’s state of mind
 And if not acknowledged, could impact adversely on
the assessment process.
 Need for support (line manager, tutor, colleagues,
Try
and see as a form of communication
friends).
 rather
Remind than
ourselves
of our gate keeping
attack
responsibilities.
 Remember the issue of very complex – easy to blame
Student
tryin
to communicate
and be angry
at others.

unconsciously something very painful
CWorking
ONCLUDING COMMENTS
with failing or struggling

students can cause unpleasant, difficult and
confusing emotions.
 Students (or supervisees) will be projecting
difficult and challenging feelings onto you.
 Can remind us of our own previous experiences of
failure
 Important for practice educators, tutors and PAP
members to reflect upon these difficult feelings…
 ..and use them to aid the student in their
development and learning...
 But I would encourage you to be reflective and
consider these feelings as a form of
communication
 …but be able to fail the student if necessary, in a
reflective and “calm” way, ensuring due process
has occurred.
CWorking
ONCLUDING COMMENTS
with failing or struggling

students can cause unpleasant, difficult and
confusing emotions.
 Student will be projecting difficult and
challenging feelings onto you.
 Can remindThank
us of our own
previous
you
for experiences of
failure
listening.
 Important for practice
educators, tutors and PAP
members to reflect upon these difficult feelings…
 ..and use them to aid the student in their
development
and learning...
Any
questions
 But I would encourage you to be reflective and
consider these
as a form of
orfeelings
comments?
communication
 …but be able to fail the student if necessary, in a
reflective and “calm” way, ensuring due process
has occurred.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Finch, J & Schaub, J. (2014) Projective Identification as an Unconscious Defence: the Example
of Social Work Practice Education in Armstrong, D. & Rustin, M.(eds) Social Defences
against Anxiety: Explorations in the Paradigm, Karnac, London
Finch, J. (2014) “Running with the Fox and Hunting with the Hounds:” Social Work ‘Tutors’
Experiences of Managing Students Failing in Practice Learning Settings, British Journal of
Social Work, (advanced access) doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcu085
Finch, J. (2014) A Critical Exploration of Practice Assessment Panels: Participation, power,
emotional and decision making in relation to failing social work students, York, Higher
Education Academy, http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/disciplines/hsc/SocialWork-and-Social-Policy/A_critical_exploration_of_PAP_Finch
Finch, J., Schaub, J. & Dalrymple, R. (2013) Projective Identification and the Fear of Failing:
Making Sense of Practice Educators’ Emotional Experiences of Failing Social Work
Students in Practice Learning Settings, Journal of Social Work Practice,
Finch, J and Parker, J (2013) Editorial, Special Edition – Failing Students, Journal of Practice
Teaching and Learning, Vol. 11 (3) p3-6
Finch, J. and Poletti, I. (2013) ‘It’s been hell.’ Italian and British Practice Educators’ Narratives
of Working with Struggling or Failing Social Work Students in Practice Learning Settings,
European Journal of Social Work, DOI:10.1080/13691457.2013.800026
Finch, J. and Taylor, I. (2013) The Emotional Experience of Assessing a Struggling or Failing
Social Work Student in Practice Learning Settings, Special Edition – Field Education,
Social Work Education, 32 (2) pp:244-258 DOI: 10.1080/02615479.2012.720250
Finch, J (2010) Finch) Can't fail, won't fail - why practice assessors find it difficult to fail social
work students: a qualitative study of practice assessors' experiences of assessing marginal or
failing social work students. Doctoral thesis, University of Sussex. Available free:
http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/2370/