A MULTI-METHOD STUDY EXPLORING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ON MICRO AND MACRO-PRACTICE SKILLS WHEN WORKING WITH TRANSNATIONAL FAMILIES IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

There is an increasing number of transnational families (TNFs) seeking support from social service agencies in Singapore. This study was developed to investigate how to equip social work students to serve this growing community in the future. This was done by evaluating students’ perception on the importance of micro and macro-practice skills by presenting them with two case studies – (i) all-Singaporean family, and (ii) TNF. The findings gathered was then compared to existing literature and the experiences of social workers and individuals from TNFs who previously sought support from social services. A mixed-method approach involving a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews was adopted. The study obtained a sample size of 53 students for the survey, and eight students for the interviews. Additional interviews were also conducted with social workers and individuals from TNFs, who served as key informants, to investigate if the students’ perceptions were in line with their experiences on the ground. The data gathered showed that students did not perceive a difference between micro and macro-practice skills within each case study. However, significant differences were identified in how the students rated the importance of social work skills between both case studies. In comparing the results, it was found that the students perceived that they would use social work skills more intensely with TNFs than with an all-Singaporean family. Additional insights on the factors that inform a student’ use of skills and interventions in practice were also gathered from the qualitative findings. With this, recommendations were suggested to further enhance the training of social work students in working with TNFs.