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Field education is an integral component of the Associate of Social Science in Social Work (ASocScSW) in a university in Hong Kong. With the increase of full-time students who have limited work and life experiences before enrolling in the programme, more social work educators and practitioners have raised their concerns about the learning of field practicum of these students. The dissertation reports on a qualitative study investigating the learning experiences of ten full-time Social Work students enrolled in the Associate of Social Science in Social Work (ASocScSW) programme who were undertaking their first fieldwork placements after the first year of their studies. The study adopted a phenomenological perspective and used a qualitative case study approach to investigate the experiences of these students through analysis of their written narratives and through the use of interviews. The findings of this study revealed that these students had, to a certain extent, developed the professional competence of a beginning social worker by reflection on their practice experiences in their placement agencies. Factors like placement agencies, field instructors, and assessment mechanisms all played important roles in these students' field work learning. The placement agencies served as the context for students' experiential learning; the field instructors acted as the facilitators for students' learning; while how the assessment mechanism of fieldwork performance worked all shaped these students' field work learning. This thesis provided useful knowledge regarding the learning experiences of these students in their first fieldwork placements. With a better understanding of the experiences of the students, the implications for improving the fieldwork education of social work associate degree programmes had been discussed.

The main aims of this critical analysis are to demonstrate that the submitted seventeen papers comprise a body of work that satisfies the requirements for the degree of PhD by Published Works. Focusing on papers that have been most significant in my learning trajectory, the submission evaluates the contribution of the published works to the advancement of social work education and the current educational reform process in the UK. Together with exploring uncertainties and challenges that present barriers to improving qualifying education, the critical analysis considers how obstacles to development might be overcome. In addressing the submission's main theme of developing social work education the critical analysis focuses on three sub-themes that have been recurring areas of interest in my work: • The value and utility of key educational paradigms including reflective practice and evidence-based practice both from a theoretical perspective and based on learners' operational experience of these concepts; • Student experience of qualifying level social work education and different stakeholder perspectives on the quality and effectiveness of provision: • The challenges and opportunities for promoting social justice, producing critically reflective practitioners and delivering a functional training agenda. The submission begins with a thematic overview of my published works. This is followed in Chapter two by an analysis of values and theoretical ideas that have informed my research and publications. Chapter three outlines the origins of particular papers and discusses the interrelationship between the collected works. Chapter four critically evaluates the methodological approaches used in research projects on which papers are based. Chapter five presents a critical appraisal of the significance and originality of the corpus and its contribution to scholarship. The submission concludes by reflecting on my learning and indicating possible directions for future research and theoretical development.

Early childhood development is one of the critical services to support the development of young children from conception to age six. Children raised in vulnerable inner cities, with limited access to quality, well-resourced ECD services, are at risk of perpetuating cycles of disadvantage and exclusion. Even though ECD centres exist in abundance in the inner city of Durban, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, managers of ECD centres face challenges such as meeting rigorous registration norms and standards, a lack of finances, resources, trained staff and socio-economic factors which affect the wellbeing of children. Using a qualitative approach, this study communicates the role played by the Inner City ECD Forum in the learning experiences of seven ECD managers through their participation in inter-sectoral stakeholder interventions and capacity building trainings. It further outlines the benefits of networking and collective support. Based on the findings, recommendations for practice, policy and further research are made. / School of Social Sciences / M.A. (Social Work)