Social work students' preferences regarding supervisory styles and supervisor's behavior

This paper examines the preferences of social work students regarding supervisory orientation, the degree of correspondence between what they preferred and what they found and the extent to which supervisory style influenced their overall evaluation of field work placement. A total of 137 students completed two questionnaires (Student Preferences of Field Supervisor Style and Student Evaluation of Field Supervisor Style) twice during their two years of field instruction. Findings indicated that students preferred a structured and directive style with clear and unambiguous directives, focus on tasks rather than on processes and clear setting of boundaries. Specific theoretical orientation was preferred over theoretical eclecticism. Within this overall framework, students preferred an approach balanced between control and autonomy, allowing for both problem solving and creative discussion of dilemmas. We found that supervisory style affected the students' evaluations of their field supervisors; more specifically, it was found that theoretical eclecticism, emphasis on feelings and lack of clear focus negatively affected the students' evaluations of their field experiences. Implications for field placement and education of field supervisors were discussed.