Speech pathology students' perceptions of workplace-based volunteer placements in a school setting

Abstract

Workplace-based learning has long been recognised as crucial in preparing higher education students in allied-health related disciplines for clinical practice. Most of these learning opportunities are embedded in traditional programs and referred to as clinical placements. This study explored the perceptions of university students studying speech pathology who volunteered their services in a school setting. In particular the research aimed to determine what motivated students to undertake volunteer workplace-based learning (for no academic credit), what students learned from being involved in this innovative type of placement, and whether students perceived any benefits in terms of future employability. Student perceptions were gathered using focus group discussions which were subsequently analysed using a content analysis approach to identify key meanings. As expected, students' main motivation to volunteer their service was to add the experience to their resume and thus make them more competitive upon graduation. However, results indicated that the students' learning went beyond their initial expectations of gaining experience in administering assessment tasks. More importantly, the volunteer placement provided the students with clear mastery experiences, leading to improved confidence in their clinical skills and a growth in professional identity. These findings are important for understanding and improving learning experiences within higher education for students who engage in relational work with children and schools.