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Evaluating Social Work Education Outcomes: The SWEAP Field Practicum Placement Assessment Instrument (FPPAI)

Published April 2015

by Brian Christenson, PhD
Capella University

Tobi Delong-Hamilton, PhD
University of Utah

Patrick Panos, PhD
University of Utah

Kathryn Krase, PhD
Long Island University, Brooklyn

Victoria Buchan, PhD
Colorado State University

Dorothy Farrel, PhD
Colorado State University

Tameca Harris-Jackson, PhD
Texas A&M University

Ruth Gerritsen-McKane, PhD
University of Utah

Roy Rodenhiser, EdD
Boise State University
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Abstract: This manuscript reports on the development, piloting and validation of the Field Placement/Practicum Assessment Instrument (FPPAI). The FPPAI is a measure of student attainment in social work field practicum/placement under the 2008 Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) of the Council on Social Work Education. The tool is designed for use by field instructors in undergraduate and foundation year graduate social work programs. Competency of 457 students from 19 undergraduate social work programs, across 18 states, was measured over three years. Analysis supports the reliability, validity, and utility of the FPPAI as an outcome measure of the 2008 EPAS competencies, and related practice behaviors.
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