An evaluation of an interdisciplinary working simulation exercise with social work and education students in Scotland.

Effective interdisciplinary working is a core requirement of professional practice and is underpinned by Scottish legislation and policy (Guthrie, 2018; Scottish Government, 2022). Social work and education students are required to evidence their ability to work with others, including other professionals, to proficiently meet the needs of those they support (SSSC, 2019; GTCS, 2021).

Findings from research and significant case reviews highlight considerable barriers to effective collaborative working in practice (Care Inspectorate, 2021; White & Featherstone, 2005; Abbot and Taylor, 2013). When different agencies come together, professional pedagogic differences and interpretations of expertise can cause tensions, particularly from an education perspective (Tett, 2005). Research indicates the benefits of shared learning across professional boundaries (Brooks and Thistlewaite, 2012), though opportunities for this within higher education are limited (Tett, 2005). Many students are therefore unlikely to encounter the benefits and challenges of working in collaboration with partner agencies until they are confronted with real-life practice situations on placement or in employment.

Chernikova et al. (2020) note that a lack of prior experience when engaging with real life practice scenarios raises ethical complexities and assert that preparation through the pedagogy of simulation is an effective means to support student learning of complex skills. Evidence from international research further highlights the benefit of using multi-agency approaches through simulated case studies with medical and social work students (Acquavita et al., 2023). We therefore aimed to understand whether a simulated inter-university, interdisciplinary working exercise would increase knowledge, confidence and support students to understand the role of interdisciplinary working in professional practice.

Online breakout rooms were used to partner student social workers with student primary teachers. Through a shared case study, students from both disciplines explored their perspectives, with the aim of fostering interdisciplinary understanding and collaboration. They held only the information that they would have as their respective profession and were asked to discuss the case. Opportunities for shared and professional reflection were offered following the learning activity.

A mixed method study was considered appropriate (Creswell, 2015). Data was gathered using an MS Teams poll to statistically capture the shift in student perceptions of knowledge and confidence about interdisciplinary working before, and after, the exercise. Qualitative feedback was also sought using a shared Padlet to explore participants’ subjective experience. Qualitative data was analysed by adopting a thematic analysis approach (Braun and Clarke, 2022). Given the interdisciplinary nature of the learning exercise and evaluation, thematic analysis offers ‘theoretical freedom’, which can be utilised across a range of epistemologies (Nowell et al., 2017: 2).

Findings demonstrated that the students valued the experiential qualities of the session, gained confidence in their own practice skills and developed an enhanced understanding of the role of interdisciplinary working in professional practice. Students also reported greater preparedness for practice placement. The study also highlighted strengths, uncertainties and anxieties about information sharing. It is argued that the exercise provided a practice authentic experience, which allowed for meaningful exploration of these uncertainties and anxieties of interdisciplinary practice prior to practice placement across professional boundaries.