The international field placement experience: a continuous process with learning moments and outcomes

In recent years, student mobility has increased as more students have been taking part in various programs such as a semester abroad, short-term international exchanges, and international field placements (IFP). Studying abroad yields many positive outcomes. This qualitative research borrows from narrative inquiry to gather knowledge from stories told by practitioners who completed an IFP during the last year of their bachelor’s degree program in social work. This study looks at IFP outcomes for the professional practice of 20 social workers, half having completed their IFP within five years or less after graduation from university and half having completed their IFP more than five years after graduation. Questions explored include: • What do the stories about the personal, professional, and global outcomes gained in an IFP tell us about how participants negotiate the transition between various contexts, and the knowledge, skills, and values transferred from one social practice to another? • What do these stories reveal about the value of these experiences for their individual social work practice? • How do these stories contribute to social work education and IFP planning? This study’s findings reveal two important aspects of the IFPs: first, a seven-step process model that illustrates both the learning moments in each step and the complexity and interconnectedness of events before, during, and after the IFP and second, the personal, professional, and global outcomes of an IFP. Four analytical themes emerge that have implications for social work education and IFP planning. They pertain to expectations, identity, touring when abroad, and students’ identification of personal, professional, and global outcomes. A framework for IFP planning is proposed to avoid some of the pitfalls of IFPs and maximize success for students