Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.
Non-UMass Amherst users, please click the view more button below to purchase a copy of this dissertation from Proquest.
(Some titles may also be available free of charge in our Open Access Dissertation Collection, so please check there first.)
Supervising the community college human services generalist student: Agency employee perceptions of their contributions to field work education
Abstract
This study focuses on the effect agency employees believe their values, attitudes, and perceptions of supervision have on the generalist students' field work education. A self-reporting three-part survey instrument was designed to obtain data from agency staff members who provided supervision for second year (third and fourth semester) community college students majoring in human services. Respondents were asked to complete profiles that identified the individual as a professional practitioner, and gave her/his description of the field work agency. Through the questionnaire, Likert scale evaluations and comments on specific themes were requested. Twenty percent of the respondents were interviewed by telephone to obtain additional data. Findings are presented from the perspective of the respondents. Descriptive statistics (frequencies) and a distribution-free nonparametric test, the Kruskal-Wallis Test were used to perform quantitative analysis of data. Qualitative analysis of questionnaire comments and interview responses was performed. Results of this study indicate that, for the fifty respondents, their perceptions of and practices as field work supervisors appear to be influenced by their understanding of their own profession, their employing agency and the supervisory role they were assigned by the college. More significantly, they seem to share common values and attitudes, and are generally agreed on a set of generic competencies which they transmit to the students they supervise. Their responses to the survey instrument and interview participation confirm that as diverse, multi-disciplinary, transprofessional practitioners they are very interested in providing both field work supervision and client services. They express a desire for more information about the students they supervise and what is expected of them as supervisors, and an interest in staff development programs which will enhance their leadership and supervisory skills. For the future the researcher recommends that this study be replicated for associate degree programs at community colleges in other geographical areas and that participation be expanded to include faculty, students and when indicated program graduates.
Subject Area
Vocational education|Higher education|Community college education
Recommended Citation
Killeen Bennett, Mary Therese, "Supervising the community college human services generalist student: Agency employee perceptions of their contributions to field work education" (1993). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9408294.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9408294